Yahoo TV

STORY: :: Travelers face disruption during the peak holiday season as Typhoon Ampil approaches Japan

:: Tokyo, Japan

:: August 15, 2024

"There are a lot of people moving around because we're in the homeward-bound rush period after the Obon holiday, so it's kind of a problem if the trains and Shinkansen (bullet trains) are stopped."

The typhoon, categorized as "strong" by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), was about 430 miles (690 km) off Japan's Pacific coast at 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT on Thursday), heading towards Tokyo and surrounding regions.

The agency has two higher categories - "very strong" and "violent".

Central Japan Railway said it would cancel all the "Shinkansen" bullet train services between Tokyo and Japan's industrial heartland of Nagoya on Friday.

Japan Airlines said it planned to cancel 191 domestic and 26 international flights, many of them leaving or arriving at Tokyo's Haneda airport, on Friday.

Another major airline, ANA, announced it would cancel 280 domestic flights that were originally slated for Friday, affecting more than 60,000 passengers.