NAHA - Japan's peak summer travel season has been thrown into disruption as Typhoon No. 13 virtually shuts down transportation across Okinawa, canceling hundreds of flights and ferry services just as the Obon holiday rush begins, while Typhoon No. 15 raises the prospect of further disruption across northern and eastern Japan next week.
Typhoon No. 13 was making its closest approach to Okinawa's main island on August 7. As of 1 p.m., the large and strong storm was about 50 kilometers north of Nago and moving west at 25 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 40 meters per second and gusts reaching 55 meters per second.
The timing could hardly be more difficult for travelers. For many people, the Obon holiday begins on August 8, allowing as many as nine consecutive days off, and the opening weekend is one of the busiest periods of the year for domestic flights, trains, ferries and highways.
Naha Airport was closed for the entire day on August 7, with more than 400 flights canceled after 57 cancellations on August 6. Travelers had crowded airline counters ahead of the closure seeking alternative flights and changes to existing bookings.
Across Okinawa, at least 612 flights scheduled between August 6 and August 9 had already been canceled, affecting more than 90,000 passengers. The JAL group canceled 12 flights on August 6, 153 on August 7 and 40 on August 8, affecting about 23,600 passengers. ANA canceled four flights on August 6, 120 each on August 7 and August 8, and two on August 9, affecting about 52,700 people.
Other airlines were also heavily affected. Solaseed Air canceled 54 flights between August 6 and August 9, affecting about 3,000 passengers, while Peach canceled 52 flights on August 7, affecting about 7,400. Skymark canceled three flights on August 6 and 52 on August 7, affecting about 6,100 passengers.
The disruption extends beyond aviation. Ships connecting Naha with surrounding islands were canceled, with most routes also expected to remain suspended on August 7. At least 92 island ferry and passenger-ship services had already been scheduled for cancellation on August 6.
Ground transportation across Okinawa's main island was also brought to a standstill. The Okinawa Urban Monorail, known as Yui Rail, and all services operated by the island's four main route-bus companies were suspended for the entire day from the first scheduled services on August 7.
The closures have left tourists unable either to leave Okinawa or move easily around the island, while travelers whose flights were canceled face the additional problem of finding seats once services resume during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Tourism businesses were already feeling the financial impact even before the storm reached Okinawa. One hotel in Naha reported 226 cancellations covering nearly 400 guests between August 1 and August 5. Some stranded travelers extended their stays because they could not leave the island, but the hotel said discounted rates offered in such cases meant the extensions did not offset lost bookings.
Kagoshima Prefecture has also been affected. In Amami, wind-driven rain accompanied the typhoon's approach, while flights and ferry services serving Yakushima were canceled.
One accommodation facility on Yakushima received cancellations covering about 200 guests over the three days from August 5. "Fifty percent, half of the bookings have been canceled," hotel manager Katsushi Hirata said. "August is the peak earning season for the hotel, so this is a very serious blow."
Typhoon No. 13's slow movement is increasing concerns that transportation will not return to normal immediately after the storm's closest approach.
The typhoon was forecast to slow as it moved west through the East China Sea, meaning violent winds, torrential rain and dangerous waves could continue across Okinawa and Amami through August 8. Seas around the storm were already experiencing waves exceeding 8 meters.
Even after airports reopen and winds weaken, airlines could face a substantial backlog of stranded passengers competing for seats during the Obon rush. Ferry schedules could also remain affected by high seas after weather conditions improve on land.
The disruption comes as Japan's railway network enters its own busiest summer period. JR companies said around 2.99 million reserved seats had been booked on Shinkansen services for the August 7-16 holiday period as of July 23, with another roughly 720,000 reservations on limited express and other conventional-line trains.
Outbound Shinkansen travel is expected to peak on August 8, while the main return rush is forecast for August 15 and August 16. JR East said average daily reservations for the holiday period had reached a record high.
The Tokaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku and other major Shinkansen routes have not been at the center of the disruption from Typhoon No. 13 because the storm is passing well south of Japan's main islands, but uncertainty surrounding Typhoon No. 15 is adding a new risk later in the holiday.
Typhoon No. 15 formed on August 5 and could approach northern and eastern Japan around August 11, potentially bringing the storm close to the Pacific side from Hokkaido toward the Kanto region.
Its forecast area remains large, however, meaning considerable uncertainty remains over both its route and timing. Forecasts indicate the storm could change direction substantially as it moves north.
That uncertainty is particularly significant for holiday travelers because an approach to northern or eastern Japan could affect flights serving airports including New Chitose, Sendai, Narita and Haneda, as well as rail services on the Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen and conventional lines.
No large-scale Shinkansen cancellations linked to Typhoon No. 15 had been announced, and its eventual impact will depend on its track and strength.
The two storms are therefore threatening different stages of the holiday movement. Typhoon No. 13 is disrupting the departure phase in Okinawa, Kagoshima and other southwestern destinations, while Typhoon No. 15 could affect travelers farther north several days later.
For travelers holding reservations in Okinawa, the most immediate uncertainty is how rapidly air and sea services can recover on August 8 and the days that follow. With aircraft, crews and passengers displaced by consecutive cancellations, disruption can continue even after airports themselves are able to resume operations.
Travelers elsewhere in Japan face a different calculation, particularly those planning trips to or from Hokkaido, Tohoku and the Tokyo metropolitan area next week, where the developing course of Typhoon No. 15 could coincide with some of the heaviest Obon passenger movements of the year.
Airlines, ferry operators and railway companies are urging passengers to check individual services before departure rather than relying on their original itineraries as Japan enters a holiday period increasingly shaped by the movements of the two typhoons.
Source: OTV
