Typhoons and Heavy Rain | Japan is Nippon

First, do this

When a typhoon is on its way, check the warnings and their levels for where you are on the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) website or an official app.
If a "Level 4" warning or an "evacuation instruction" is issued, everyone in a dangerous place should evacuate.
If you have left it too late to evacuate, do not force your way outside: move to an upper floor of your building, or to a room away from any slope or cliff.
Look out for rail operators' announcements of "planned suspensions" and change your travel plans early.
Stay inside a sturdy building, as far from rivers and slopes as you can.

New warning names from May 2026

On 29 May 2026 the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) started using a new system of weather information for disaster prevention. Warnings about river flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges now carry a number from a five-step "alert level" in their names. For example, what used to be called a "heavy rain warning" is now a "Level 3 heavy rain warning", and above it sit the "Level 4 heavy rain danger warning" and the "Level 5 heavy rain emergency warning". Each one is issued in the form "level number + hazard + type of warning", as in "Level 4 landslide danger warning" or "Level 2 storm surge advisory".

The higher the number, the greater the danger. At a Level 2 advisory, check your evacuation site and the route to it on a hazard map. At Level 3, people who need more time to evacuate, such as older people, start to leave. The key rule is that everyone should be out of dangerous places by the time a Level 4 "danger warning" is issued. A Level 5 "emergency warning" means a disaster is already happening or is about to happen, and by then it is hard to evacuate safely.

On the JMA website, "Kikikuru" (the agency's risk map) shows the danger of landslides, inundation and flooding as colours on a map: yellow means "advisory", red "warning", purple "danger" and black "disaster imminent".

"Evacuation information" from your city or town

Separately from the JMA, the city, town or village where you live or are staying issues its own "evacuation information". Alert Level 3 is "evacuation of older people and others", Alert Level 4 is an "evacuation instruction", and Alert Level 5 is "emergency safety measures". When an evacuation instruction is issued, everyone in a dangerous place in the area it covers should evacuate straight away.

Evacuation information is passed on through TV, radio and the internet, and also by outdoor loudspeakers (the municipal disaster radio system) and announcement vans. Alert levels do not necessarily go up one step at a time from 1, and conditions can change suddenly. Even if no evacuation information has been issued yet, once Level 3 or Level 4 weather information is out, decide for yourself whether to evacuate.

Where to go and how to evacuate

The Japanese word for evacuation literally means "avoiding danger", and it is not only about going to an evacuation site such as a school or community centre. Moving to the home of a relative or friend in a safe place, or to a hotel or ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) that you have checked is safe on a hazard map, also counts. At a hotel or ryokan you pay the normal room rate.

The JMA urges people not to fixate on reaching a designated evacuation site, but to do whatever is safest at that moment, for example moving to an upper floor of a sturdy building nearby that is even a little further from rivers and slopes. If a disaster is already happening around you and going outside would be more dangerous, move to an upper floor of your building or to a room away from any slope.

A storm surge is when the sea level rises during a typhoon or similar storm and seawater floods onto land. As a typhoon approaches, violent winds can make evacuating difficult even before the tide rises. Near the sea, depending on the situation, start moving early, as soon as a Level 2 storm surge advisory is issued.

"Planned suspensions" of trains

When a typhoon is approaching, Japanese rail operators sometimes stop trains after announcing it in advance, which is called a "planned suspension". According to guidelines compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, rail operators are to announce a possible planned suspension as early as they can, through a range of channels including other languages. Whether trains stop is decided by each company and line, so check the website or social media of the operator you plan to use.

Whether "transfer transport" is offered during a planned suspension, meaning you can ride another line or company's trains instead, also depends on things such as capacity, and sometimes it is not offered.

How to think about changing your travel plans

Every day at 5:00, 11:00 and 17:00 the JMA issues "early warning information" on the chance of warning-level weather over the next five days. If it shows [High] or [Medium] for heavy rain, landslides or storm surges, weather serious enough to trigger Level 3 or higher information may occur. You can also check whether Level 3 or Level 4 information is likely for each city or town before tomorrow in the "time-series information", which is issued four times a day.

If these show a typhoon is on its way, rethink your plans so you do not have to travel on a day when the trains may stop: move your travel day, or bring long journeys forward. If you are staying near a river, the sea or a slope, check on a hazard map that the place is not at risk.

For information in English, try "Safety tips", an app supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency (it sends push notifications for emergency warnings and more), "Japan Safe Travel" on X from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) (@JapanSafeTravel, with warnings and transport information), and NHK WORLD-JAPAN. If you need help, you can call the 24-hour "Japan Visitor Hotline" for advice.

Tips

Look at the "Level" number in the warning's name. As a rule of thumb, get away from dangerous places by "Level 4".
Once a typhoon is forecast, check from the day before for rail operators' announcements of planned suspensions.
When "Level 3" information is issued, put your usual plans on hold and get ready to evacuate at any moment.
"Evacuating" to a hotel is an option too. Check on a hazard map that it is in a safe place before you book.

Sources

Checked: 29 September 2026