Japan trips continue despite impact of Typhoon Shanshan

Typhoon Shanshan, which has just been downgraded to a “severe” tropical storm, is expected to cause “significant disruption” to travel in the Okinawa, Kyushu, Shikoku and Kansai regions in the next few days, according to the latest update from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

The storm, which has been described as one of Japan’s strongest typhoons for decades, has caused the death of at least four people with another 100 injured. Evacuation orders have also been issued for some parts of Tokyo due to the risk of landslides following heavy rain.

Shanshan has caused disruption to travel with more than 1,200 flights cancelled on Thursday (29 August) and many train services also suspended. Hundreds of flights were also cancelled by airlines on Friday (30 August).

Inside Travel Group (ITG), which owns specialist operator InsideJapan, said that it was monitoring the situation on the ground in Japan and trips to the country are currently scheduled to continue.

“On Friday 30 August, Central Japan Railway Company announced the suspension of Tokaido Shinkansen services on both the upper and lower lines between Mishima and Nagoya stations throughout the day, due to the predicted forecast of heavy rain and strong winds,” said the company in a statement.

“InsideJapan’s customer experience team is continuing to monitor the situation on the ground and are managing any logistical changes to affected clients with disruption expected to continue over the weekend.

“At this time, any InsideJapan customers due to visit Japan in the coming days should continue to do so, however, we continue to monitor local updates and follow any advice from government.”