Big typhoon bearing down on Toyama
Hey everyone,
I’m usually pretty passe about natural disasters here, but this time a big typhoon is heading straight for Toyama! This is very rare; last time it happened, about 6 years ago, it washed out the park across the street. Anyway, it’s now 11pm Thursday (9am EST), and I’m off to bed. The thing is supposed to pass overhead at around 9 or 10 am tomorrow (7 or 8 pm EST). I’m back in Toyama, having come home a day early since all classes are cancelled at Togaku tomorrow. I suddenly decided to come home this afternoon when it became clear that sticking around the Tokyo area might mean facing delays in coming home.
I’ll post updates as I get them, including some video from our home tomorrow.
Bottom line: we’re safe, and it’s kind of exciting!
Oh, in case you want to monitor the news, the name of the storm is “Melor” in the western press, and “#18″ here in Japan:
UPDATE: Friday, October 8th, 9am
Well, as you can imagine, it’s raining hard and the wind is blowing very strongly. But it’s not over the top crazy strong. Just a bad storm. Kids are off from school, Shinobu has taken the morning off, and I’m home from work. We’re all together, safe and sound. Just took some video outside… I’ll get something posted later on, when this blows over. For now, here is the latest report, from 9am:
As you can see, the storm is now passing us by. This is a big relief! Earlier reports had it heading straight for us. Right now the wind and rain are blowing, some leaves are scattered, and puddles are forming in the park across the street. But it’s not that bad! Disaster averted.
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Hello! My name is Gerald Talandis Jr, and I'm the webmaster of this blog. I'm using it as a tool for staying in touch with family in friends around the world. I've been in Japan since 1993 and currently teach English at 
This is my wife, Shinobu. She's originally from 
Luke was born on July 29th, 2001. He is now an elementary school student and loves sports, like his mama. Each week, Luke swims, plays soccer, and goes to a gymnastics class. He is also studying English and dreams of visiting the USA someday and becoming an Olympic swimmer, like his hero Michael Phelps.
Our daughter Max was born on March 7th, 2007. She is currently attending nursery school and is learning to walk, talk, and eat by herself without making a mess. She is growing by leaps and bounds, and loves Micky Mouse, Hello Kitty, and Anpanman.