Super Typhoon Hagibis threatens Greater Tokyo this weekend, cancels two Rugby World Cup games

Kasey Furutani
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Kasey Furutani
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[UPDATE: Oct 11 11:45am] JR East has announced the suspension of services starting from 9am at the earliest and 1pm at the latest on Saturday October 12. Services on Sunday October 13 will be announced at a later time.

JR Shinkansen bullet train services will be suspended between Tokyo, Nagoya and Shin Osaka starting Saturday morning.

[UPDATE: Oct 11 10:35am] All Nippon Airways (ANA) has cancelled all domestic flights on Saturday October 12 from Narita Airport and Haneda Airport. Japan Airlines has cancelled some flights to and from Narita and Haneda Airports. Please check their official websites for more information.

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Typhoon Hagibis, the nineteenth typhoon of the year, is threatening the state of both Tokyo and our three-day weekend (October 12-14). It's expected to make landfall sometime between Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13. The super typhoon, an equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, will bring gale force winds of up to 144km per hour, reports The Japan Times. Heavy rainfall will begin as soon as Friday October 11.

In light of this, JR East will announce the suspension or cancellation of train lines and shinkansen this afternoon. You can get the latest updates in English here. Flights at Narita and Haneda airports will also be affected.

jma.go.jp/en/typh/1919.html

What will happen to the Rugby World Cup?

After careful stipulation, the World Rugby and Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee decided to cancel two matches on Saturday October 12: New Zealand vs Italy in Toyota City, and England vs France in Yokohama. It is still undecided whether the Sunday October 13 matches will continue as scheduled; the decision will be made on Sunday morning. 

What will happen to events in Tokyo?

For safety reasons, events have been cancelled or moved to different dates. Yoyogi Park's Kyushu Festival, Odaiba's Yona Yona Ale Cho Utage and the Fukushima Festival in Roppongi Hills have officially been cancelled. 

The Setagaya Pan Matsuri in Setagaya Park, Paraguay Festival in Nerima and the far-off Tsukuba Ramen Festa will only be held on Monday October 14.

The two Farmer's Market @ UNU events – Aoyama Sake Flea and Craft Chocolate Festival – have been moved to Saturday October 26 and Sunday October 27.

According to the New York Times, this could 'become one of the most damaging typhoons in Japanese history'. So stay safe; you are advised to stay indoors on Saturday at least.

Need something to do this weekend? Check out these Japanese films and series with English subtitles on Netflix

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