typhoonfury.com

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Typhoon Usagi approachs southern Japan. Image courtesy of NOAA - http://www.osei.noaa.gov

The video above covers my expedition to intercept the eye of typhoon Usagi in southern Japan

Powerful storm surge pounds the south coast of Japan ahead of the arrival of typhoon Usagi

My trip to cover typhoon Usagi was my first storm related expedition of what was to be a very busy 2007. This was also my first typhoon intercept in mainland Japan and was fulfilled by using entirely public transport.

Typhoon Usagi formed from a disturbance to the north east of Saipan on 28th July 2007 whilst I was suffering from my post birthday party hangover. Within 24 hours it was clear that Usagi had its sights set on mainland Japan but exactly where was still uncertain.

On the 31st July it was clear that Usagi was now a major typhoon and was set to intensify further. Latest forecasts from the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) tracked Usagi straight into the southern main island of Kyushu. One quick phone call later I was booked on a flight to Fukuoka.

Forecast track from Japanese Meteorological Agency on 31st July 2007 expecting a direct hit on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. Image courtesy of JMA

 

I arrived in Fukuoka on the afternoon of 1st August and took a bus to the southernmost town of Miyazaki. The ride afforded me wonderful views of rural Kyushu with its numerous mountains and rivers. I arrived in Miyazaki and found a hotel to spend the night. The updated forecast looked like I would have to move north up the coast early the next morning.

Intercepting tropical cyclones usually involves getting up at horrible times of day and Usagi was no exception. The alarm rang at 0530 and a quick look out the window confirmed the outer bands of the typhoon were already sweeping across Kyushu.

 

I ran to the train station and picked up a ticket to the town of Nobeoka, about 120 km up the coast. With a major typhoon lurking offshore life was running as normal. The station was full of business men buying tickets and going about business as usual. The developed nations of east Asia, especially Japan and Taiwan, are incredibly typhoon hardy and life goes on as normal until the winds hit 100 mph!

As the train trundled northwards and the rain and wind buffeted the carriages I could see massive waves pounding the shores of this typhoon battered island. We pulled into Nobeoka and I made my way to the nearest hotel and downloaded the latest updates from JMA and JTWC. According to their forecasts typhoon Usagi was only six hours away.

I had heard that the storm surge in southern Japan ahead of a typhoon is an amazing sight so I rented a taxi and drove to the coastline. The view was incredible as huge waves pounded the shore and surged inland. Perched on a cliff side road I knew this was not a sensible place to hang around for a long time. Conditions for filming were atrocious and I only managed to grab about one minute of footage but it was enough to illustrate the raging Pacific. The threat of landslides and being trapped on a narrow road prompted me to get the hell out of there quickly and get back into town.

This radar image shows the approacing core of typhoon Usagi. Image courtesy of JMA

Landslides brought on by typhoon Usagi's torrential rains block a road near Nobeoka, Japan

Wild seas off the coast in Kyushu, Japan

I decided the train station was probably the best place to ride out the storm since it was a secure structure and offered lots of different scenes to film. Stocked up with food and water I ran across town and awaited the arrival of the storm.

A man gets hammered by the strong winds of typhoon Usagi in Nobeoka, Japan

A local news crew taking measurements in Nobeoka, Japan as typhoon Usagi roars ashore

It did not take long before the local media arrived and I knew I had chosen the right spot to base myself. Torrential rain and fierce winds were now battering the area and I soon realised that all train services were cancelled even though the station itself was still open.

Furious wind and rain outside Nobeoka train station as typhoon Usagi made landfall

Nobeoka train station, my shelter during the eye of the typhoon

At about 1800 the skies brightened slightly and the winds died down. This was odd as I was expecting conditions to get a lot worse.  I needed to get access to the latest JMA forecast so I decided to run back to the hotel. I was not sure how long these calm conditions would last so it was a mad dash across town. Just as I was nearing the hotel the winds suddenly picked up again and nearly blew me off my feet. Drenched and off balance I staggered into the hotel lobby and received a few odd looks, especially since I was the only western guy in town!

Typhoon Usagi weakened even more rapidly upon landfall and the back end of the storm had completely disintegrated – the worst was over. Early the next day I hired a bike and cycled to the local beach. I was not prepared for the scene which greeted me. It look as if an entire forest had been shredded and deposited on the beach. Even though typhoon Usagi was a weak typhoon when it made landfall it had still packed a category 4 storm surge. Tree trunks and debris were piled over ten feet high whilst bemused locals looked on.

Damage to Nobeoka and the surrounding area was light and thankfully no one was killed during the storm. Content with the knowledge I had managed to intercept the eye of typhoon Usagi I made my way back to Fukuoka and onto Shanghai. The trip was a very rewarding opportunity to see how the typhoon hardy people of southern Japan deal with these annual monsters as well as to experience the kind hospitality of the Japanese.

A satellite/Google Earth overview of typhoon Usagi just after it made landfall on Kyushu, southern Japan

A local walks through debris on what was once a pristine Nobeoka beach

Debris littered beach outside Nobeoka