TOKYO - Record-breaking rain pounded Tokyo and Kanagawa on Thursday, triggering river overflows and widespread flooding across the capital region. Streets were inundated in central districts including Setagaya and Shinagawa, and damage from intruding floodwater was reported at homes and shops.
By mid-afternoon on September 12, roads were under water in multiple locations. Around 2:30 p.m. in Akasaka, sheets of rain and thunder reduced visibility to a white haze. Some people took shelter under eaves while clutching children and inching forward through fast-rising water. “This is crazy,” one passerby muttered as short-duration downpour alerts were issued repeatedly for parts of Tokyo and Kanagawa.
In Shinagawa Ward, the Tachiaigawa overflowed, sending water over its banks and flooding nearby roads as levels rose rapidly; between about 2:45 p.m. and 3:05 p.m., the river surged within roughly 20 minutes toward residential areas. In Setagaya Ward, the Yazawa River’s level also jumped in about 30 minutes from just after 1:30 p.m., prompting the metropolitan government to announce a flooding event. Setagaya recorded 92 millimeters of rain in one hour, the highest hourly total on record there. Manhole covers were seen displaced as water funneled into the roadway.
Businesses rushed to clean up. At a nearby sushi restaurant, water pushed into the shop. “It overflowed and we couldn’t hold it back,” the owner said. “The door came off, and the waterline ran all the way inside.”
Transport was heavily disrupted. At Musashi-Kosugi Station in Kawasaki, floodwater entered the concourse and an adjacent supermarket. Ticket gates and long corridors were submerged, and some people walked barefoot with trouser legs held up to keep them dry. Long queues formed at bus stops during the evening commute. The Tokaido Shinkansen temporarily suspended service on some sections.
At Shinagawa Station, rain crashed onto trains like a waterfall from the platform roof, and by night a long line stretched at the taxi stand. “I was shocked by the rain—and the queue,” one passenger said. Another passenger explained, “I was supposed to fly today, but flights were halted at Haneda; I came back here, but with JR uncertain I’m taking a taxi.”
Around 3 p.m., Haneda Airport darkened under thick cloud before being hit by intense rain and lightning. Ground-handling work guiding aircraft was suspended for a time due to approaching thunderclouds. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines canceled a combined 81 flights on the 11th, affecting roughly 18,000 passengers.
Severe weather was also linked to a fatal accident. At a container terminal in Ota Ward on the evening of the 11th, two male workers were trapped beneath toppled containers; one died and the other was injured. With heavy rain and wind reported at the time, the Metropolitan Police Department is investigating whether the sudden storm contributed to the collapse.
Even after the rain eased, water receded slowly in places. In Kawasaki, a flooded road left a truck stranded and several people pushed to move it; a white passenger car also became immobile and was towed by police. “I was bringing my child an umbrella to school and was heading home when my car stalled—probably the battery,” the driver said. Many schoolchildren walked home through flooded streets. A nearby convenience store taped a handwritten “Closed” notice to its door as water flowed out past scattered merchandise.
Damage extended to road surfaces. In Kodaira City, asphalt buckled and cracked open, with large pieces peeled back. A sizable chunk of concrete, apparently part of a manhole structure, lay nearby. Video from the scene showed water shooting from a manhole cover like a geyser, rising above the height of a passing truck. “There was a tremendous downpour,” a resident said. “After a while the cover blew off and hit a car—it made a huge noise.”
In Shinagawa, an imported-goods shop stayed shuttered while staff spent the night bailing water. “We wipe and wipe but it just keeps coming,” one worker said. “We’re wringing out cloths and tossing the water.” Most of the store’s products are one-of-a-kind items imported from overseas.
Source: TBS
