Typhoon

I survived my first typhoon last week!  All in all it wasn't so bad compared to the few hurricanes I've been in, but I learned a few lessons unique to my time in Japan.

First, living in a high rise provides a spectacular view of the carnage but there was some heavy swaying during strong winds and the 13 hours without power also meant no pump to bring the water up to the 12th floor.  13 hours without water or power does put life into perspective, so the moment of zen and reflection was a nice bonus, but I also wonder why humans would ever live in this humid hell hole before electricity.  

Second, air conditioning is king.  Power went out at 10:30am and by 12:30 the humidity inside rose to about 70% and later peaked at 80%.  Even after the sun set it was incredibly hot and impossible to get comfortable.  I was able to keep myself 'hydrated' and cool with slightly chilled beer and a wet towel that I periodically threw into the beer fridge.  In hindsight I should have stocked up on some ice beforehand...

Third, Okinawans don't give a crap about typhoons.  While most jobs officially had the day off during the typhoon, I still saw way too many people driving and walking around outside during peak rain/wind.  Maybe they were going to buy ice and cold beer, but it just didn't seem worth it to me at the time.  Luckily I got the following day off from work too but I would say the majority of Japanese businesses had work the next day despite the heavy flooding and power outages.

Lastly, physics do not apply here.  Though I was on the 12th floor there was still water pouring in under the front door, through the peep hole, and out of the the smoke detectors on the 6th floor.  

The news said typhoon #8 (I think the foreign news programs were calling it Neoguri but they just call them by numbers in Japan) was one of the biggest in the last 10ish years, so I'm hoping the next few won't be so bad....yes, the next few.  I'm told Okinawa gets several typhoons a year and the season lasts until around September so there is more fun to be had.  I definitely need to stock up on ice and just kick back and enjoy the view.

And what a great view it is