Moving To & Living in Okinawa, Japan

Super Typhoon Neoguri - 7/7/14

Well, what a way to start the Typhoon season here at Okinawa, why not with a monster typhoon! This is the biggest we have dealt so far, so we have no frame of reference on how big this one will be. Luckily, the houses here are built like tanks and we have plenty of food and water. I just not looking forward to when the power will go out, since it will get hot quick! I have all our stuff secure and I just hope nothing goes flying around and hits our cars. I will post about the aftermath when we get there. Wish us luck!

[UPDATE 7/8/14 @ 0700]

Super Typhoon Neoguri - 7/8/14

Well, I was expecting chaos and destruction this morning, but it is pretty benign outside, as am I sure you can tell from the picture above. The power is still on and I still got the Internet too! Neoguri is lost it's "super" typhoon status as well I think, as it dropped down to a Cat 3 already this morning. There was some spats last night and this morning where it got a little rough and the rain came down, but those spats didn't last long. I can't speak for the rest for island, but from where I am at now, this typhoon is... "blah". However, it will be another 12 hours or so where Neoguri will be closest to us, and I am sure we will get some weather then. More to come later...if we have power of course!

[UPDATE 7/13/14 @ 1600]

Ok, I have finally got around to checking out the pictures I took of the aftermath of the storm. As I mentioned earlier, the storm was pretty much “blah”, but as the eye got closer to us, the wind and the rain definitely picked up. This was the second typhoon we have went through here, and this one was noticeably stronger than what I remember from the last one. Luckily, there was no damage where I was on-base and the power flicker a couple times towards the end of the typhoon, so not too bad. Here is a picture of what it looked like towards the end of the typhoon, from the second floor of my home.

Super Typhoon Neoguri - Kadena

I think that evening the typhoon was supposed to wind down and we would be done with it the following morning. But that didn’t happen! The next day, early in the wee hours, the typhoon had one last card up its sleeve. Rain, and a lot of it! It was this last parting gift that messed everything up on this island, as there was plenty of flash flooding, and cars/houses getting washed away. I am not sure if there was any deaths, but I would be surprised if there wasn't some on the island. Well, after the rain and wind finally subsided, I went out into to my yard to survey for any damage and to take pictures of anything. I can see Gate 3 and the surrounding area pretty good up from my vantage point and with my 48x zoom camera, took some rather interesting pictures of a new “river” that sprung up near the Camp Shields area and flowed towards the Munitions Gate on Kadena.

Super Typhoon Neoguri - Kadena

All I can say is “wow” and I hope no one got hurt during that flash flood, because that is what it was. Actually, there were a couple a Security Forces Airmen trapped in their little shack because of the flash flood near the Munitions Gate, and if they didn't have quick thinking comrades, they would of most likely drowned! Well, that is how the story goes, as I haven't verified that as fact, but plenty of the Kadena’s big wigs are talking about it.

Well, that is about it on this typhoon, and for us personally, it wasn't bad at all. However, there are still people on-base without A/C, power, and even had some flooding in their homes, so I count ourselves lucky. I am sure there will be other typhoons in our future, so we will see how our "luck" plays out in those.

P.S. Get typhoon insurance and/or renters insurance!!!! It is not expensive, and you will have all your stuff covered if the worst happens to you in the beginning, during, and end of a typhoon. Trust me, I know of a couple of military families that suffered some bad typhoon damage and have lost quite a bit of their stuff in the process. Might a well get earthquake coverage too, as there are plenty of those out here too...

[Update 18 July 2014]

Here is the link to the story about those SF airmen caught in their guard shack. It is a pretty dramatic read and luckily they made it out of there alive.

First responders save trapped defenders during Typhoon Neoguri

If you wanted a great place to kill a whole day, then the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is the place to go. It is located up in the northern area of the island and you can take the express all the way until it ends at the 58, however it will still take about an hour to get up there, depending on the traffic. I have a Google map link that will take you to the parking area number 7, which is the closest covered parking area to the actual aquarium, and it is free to park! It is also free to roam around the park grounds and to see the dolphin show, but you just have to pay to get in the aquarium. There is plenty to see and if you have kids, they should be exhausted by the time you leave. The place is stroller friendly and I highly recommend you bring one to cart kids and stuff around. Oh, and don’t forget the sunscreen, since most of the park is out in the open. I have the English and Korean park guides here for reference, which has all the fees, show details, and maps. One more thing, you can save a few bucks by buy the tickets at places like Family Mart. Just look at the signs at the stores you frequent, chances are you will see a picture of the aquarium, which will most likely mean they sell the discounted tickets there. It is pretty common, so just look around or ask someone. Enjoy!

Google Map Link: http://goo.gl/maps/pBi6p