Rugby World Cup: ‘historic’ Typhoon Faxai already wreaking havoc in parts of Japan
- Australia forced to delay their arrival in host nation
- 200km/h winds have battered parts of Tokyo
Japan’s reputation for suffering natural disasters was enhanced as the powerful typhoon made landfall in the eastern Tokyo suburb of Chiba early on Monday morning, setting all-time wind records in excess of 200km/h while severe rain squalls knocked out power in 450,000 households.
The typhoon has caused widespread travel disruption in the Tokyo metropolitan area with hundreds of thousands of commuters affected by the closing of rail lines.
The Australians were forced to postpone their scheduled departure from Sydney to Tokyo by 24 hours.
The France delegation arrived hours before and were safely bundled off to their training ground near Mount Fuji, while the England squad landed in Tokyo barely ahead of the storm.
As teams begin to arrive in Japan to prep for the event that kicks off on September 20, some of the worst fears of tournament organisers have already been realised. Despite their best efforts, they cannot control the ominous weather patterns in Japan, which annually averages 30 typhoons and 1,500 earthquakes a year.