Typhoon losing strength as it heads toward Okinawa Islands

Koksai' street will be just fine...everything in Okinawa is solid concrete now-a-days.

Really a bit of a shame this typhoon didn't turn south and wash away a couple of China's man made island bases.

Say one thing though, yesterday at around noon, a couple of coworkers got emails from their kids who are in JHS and ES, and were notified that their schools will be closed both today and tomorrow. It's a first for me, in all the years I have been living here that public schools announced closings for two days in advance.

Ever since the problems with failure to give timely warnings about natural disasters following the Tohoku earthquake, people down here have been on the ball about preparing or at least announcing warnings in a timely manner. Helps too that people have access to up to date information too and dont have to rely 100% on the government or TV.

Koksai' street will be just fine...everything in Okinawa is solid concrete now-a-days.

Now-a-days? What a condescending remark about the people and infrastructure of Okinawa.

Unless you were here directly following WW2 in June or so of 1945 you are allowed to say "now-a-days" otherwise your comment is condescending and wrong. Okinawa has been using STEEL reinforced, or concrete block reinforced, construction, for generations!

There are few if anyone alive today that can remember when things weren't "fine" here during a typhoon. The worst thing that happens, typically "now a days" is power going out, or possibly a minor landslide that blocks off a road somewhere, and once every 20 years or so, flooding associated with a typhoon will cause damage.

Other wise, Okinawa is by far, better capable and used to "strong" typhoons than any other prefecture in Japan.

Go take a walk in the woods in Itoman and pet a Habu

Funny thing about the pictures here. Those are tourists on their school trips.

Go take a walk in the woods in Itoman and pet a Habu

There aren't any "woods" in Itoman. Habu-a-nice day!