TOKYO: Four people have been killed in a powerful typhoon that battered Japan over the weekend, local media reported on Monday (Oct 1), as the storm's aftermath brought travel chaos to Tokyo.

By Monday morning, Typhoon Trami had cleared Japan, but its powerful winds and heavy rainfall caused damage that blocked roads and train lines.



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Four people were killed in the storm and another was reported missing, Kyodo newswire said, citing local authorities.

Local officials and police earlier said one of the dead was engulfed by a landslide in western Japan's Tottori and another drowned in high waters in Yamanashi, west of Tokyo.

Both men were believed to have died on Sunday, when the storm made landfall in western Japan.

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More than 120 people were injured in the powerful storm, public broadcaster NHK said.

Trami made landfall in western Japan on Sunday night, bringing fierce winds and torrential rain to areas already battered by a string of recent extreme weather episodes.

A passenger checks a message board announcing last train services ending earlier due to Typhoon Trami, at East Japan Railway Company's station in Tokyo, Japan, on Sep 30, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Issei Kato)

The typhoon sparked travel disruption in the world's third-biggest economy on Sunday, with bullet train services suspended, more than 1,000 flights cancelled and Tokyo's evening train services scrapped.

The turmoil continued Monday, as fallen powerlines and trees blocked railway tracks and around 200 flights remained grounded.

Huge crowds built up at Tokyo train stations, people battling for spots in jam-packed commuter trains.

Over 400,000 households, mainly in eastern Japan, were still without power on Monday morning.

After pummelling Japan's outlying islands including Okinawa, Trami made landfall south of the city of Osaka on Sunday night.

Local residents described "incredible winds and rain" that made it impossible to venture outside.

Passersby using umbrellas struggle against strong wind and rain caused by Typhoon Trami in Nagoya, central Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 30, 2018. (Photo: Kyodo via Reuters)

At its height, Trami packed gusts of 216 kilometres per hour, though it weakened as it moved over land.

The storm's strength prompted rail authorities to take the highly unusual step of cancelling Sunday night train services in Tokyo, one of the world's busiest networks.

The capital avoided a direct hit in the storm, but still saw fearsome winds and lashing rain that left the streets deserted.

Kansai Airport, which is situated on reclaimed land offshore in Osaka and suffered extensive damage in a storm earlier in September, reopened early on Monday after closing its runways the previous day as a precaution.

Trami is the latest in a string of extreme weather and natural disasters to hit Japan, which has suffered typhoons, flooding, earthquakes and heatwaves in recent months, claiming scores of lives and causing extensive damage.

Some western regions are still recovering from Typhoon Jebi in early September, the most powerful typhoon to strike the country in a quarter of a century. It claimed 11 lives and shut down Kansai Airport.

Deadly record rainfall hit western Japan earlier this year, killing over 200 people, and the country also sweltered through one of the hottest summers on record.

And last month, a magnitude-6.6 earthquake rocked the northern island of Hokkaido, sparking landslides and killing more than 40 people.</s>TOKYO (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s halting Japanese, her manners — she bowed and apologized after beating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final — and her simple charm have swelled national pride in Japan and…

TOKYO (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s halting Japanese, her manners — she bowed and apologized after beating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final — and her simple charm have swelled national pride in Japan and eclipsed many questions about her mixed-race parentage in a famously insular country.

Two days after becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam tennis title, Osaka is still filling the front pages of the country’s three major daily newspapers and leads the discussions on talk shows.

The perspective from Japan on Monday: Osaka is being embraced as Japanese despite her mixed background. National pride — at least for now — is overriding questions of cultural identity and what it means to be Japanese.

Williams’ dramatic behavior during a chaotic final on Saturday, a hot topic in the United States and around the world, has been largely brushed aside in Japan with the focus on Osaka’s poise under pressure.

Japan’s largest newspaper, Yomiuri, called Osaka a “new heroine that Japan is proud of” and characterized her appeal as “the contrast between her strength on the court and her innocent character off the court.”

Yomiuri centered Osaka’s photograph holding the U.S. Open trophy at the top of its Monday front page — as did the two other large dailies. In a headline inside the paper, Yomiuri called her an “Overnight Queen — Powerful and Stable.”

The Asahi newspaper also called her the “New Queen,” picking up on her mix of “strength and gentleness.”

None of the main-line newspapers dwelled too much on her background, which has been well reported. She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, moved to the United States when she was 3 and now lives in Florida where she has trained for more than a decade.

In an interview Monday from New York on Japan’s TBS television, she was asked what she wants to do now. She replied in Japanese: “Have curried rice topped with a pork cutlet.” Then she slipped into English and said: “I am very honored. I don’t know how to say that in Japanese.”

She gave some of the same answers in a similar interview with Japan’s NTV television.

“She is such a lovable character,” said Seiji Miyane, the NTV talk show host.

She smiled through the media pressure, which several newspapers have called a Japanese trait. Her broken Japanese works as an asset, apologizing occasionally for getting the wrong word — or not knowing the Japanese word at all.

“She is not the type of person who asserts herself boldly, but she is shy and humble and that makes her look more like a Japanese,” Junko Okamoto, a communications specialist, wrote in the weekly magazine Toyokeizai.

Okamoto also said Osaka could become a face of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, leading to big sponsorship deals.

Forbes magazine has reported that Williams is the highest earning female athlete with income of $18 million per year, almost all from endorsements. The Evening Fuji tabloid newspaper, citing Forbes, speculated wildly about Osaka’s potential lifetime earnings. Its headline suggested she could earn $100 million.

The Mainichi, one of top three general circulation newspapers, noted that Osaka was wearing a dress at a victory celebration from a well-known Japanese designer.

Osaka’s 73-year-old grandfather, Tetsuo Osaka, surfaced in several interviews from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, where he heads a fishing cooperative. He said he plans to meet his granddaughter when she plays next week in a tournament in Japan.

Their relationship seems solid now, but the New York Times reported that for a more than a decade Naomi’s mother, Tamaki, had little contact with her family in Japan.

Roland Kirishima, a photographer who is half Japanese and Scottish, criticized some internet comments questioning if Osaka is really Japanese, because of her darker skin color.

“Look at the French soccer team that won the World Cup,” he wrote on Twitter. “Half of the players are immigrants’ sons or multi-racial. I’m surprised many people in Japan are still obsessed with racial purity. It’s 21st century already. Please overcome this type of insular prejudice.”

It looks like Japan has taken at least a first step.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>Oct. 1 (UPI) -- At least two people have been killed and more than 100 injured by Typhoon Trani, officials said on Monday.

The storm made landfall near Osaka late Sunday with winds gusts of up to 134 mph and sustained winds of a Class 2 hurricane. More than 750,000 homes lost power and train departures and plane flights were cancelled.

Train commuters faced long delays on Monday morning because of trees requiring removal from train tracks.

Osaka's Kansai Airport was closed on Sunday, but reopened Monday after over 200 flights were disrupted by the typhoon. Officials said 400,000 residences and businesses were still without power mid-Monday.

One person was killed when a truck fell from a road that collapsed from a landslide and another drowned in a swollen waterway. At least two people are missing.

The typhoon was downgraded Monday by the Japan Meteorological Agency, but another low-pressure system is expected to bring more wind and rain.

Typhoon Trami was preceded a month ago by Typhoon Jebi, the strongest storm to hit Japan in 25 years.</s>Naomi Osaka sauntered into the second round of the China Open with a straight-sets victory over qualifier Zarina Diyas.

The US Open champion withdrew from the Wuhan Open last week due to illness, but eased to a 6-4 6-3 victory on her return in Beijing on Monday.

Osaka's serve was not firing on all cylinders, but the eighth seed broke five times to set up a second-round meeting with Danielle Collins.

The world number six from Japan said she had never been so tired in her life after losing to Karolina Pliskova in the Tokyo Open final in her homeland last month - missing out on back-to-back titles following her maiden grand slam triumph in New York.

Osaka appeared to have benefited from some rest as she unleashed powerful groundstrokes, wrapping up the opening set after claiming the first break to lead 5-4.

The 20-year-old breezed into a 5-1 lead in the second and although she was pegged back at 5-3 after failing to hold for a second time, Osaka went through by winning an entertaining rally after working the 91-ranked Diyas from side to side with rasping forehand and backhands.</s>A powerful typhoon hurtled toward Japan's mainland on Sunday after injuring dozens on southern islands, as weather officials warned that fierce winds and torrential rain could trigger landslides and floods.

The typhoon has already led to flight cancellations and power outages in several cities.

Typhoon Trami, rated Category 2, is the latest storm to threaten Japan in a year of grim weather-related woes, including punishing heat, heavy rains and landslides. The category 5 is the highest.

Japan issued evacuation orders and warnings to about 700,000 households in southern and western Japan.

More than 300,000 households have suffered power outages in southern Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures, said public NHK television, adding nearly 50 people had been injured in Okinawa and Kagoshima.

Local officials said no one was feared dead as a result of the storm.

Kansai International Airport in Osaka, western Japan, which was heavily flooded by a typhoon last month, said it had closed its runways from 11am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday until 6am on Monday. The airport only fully reopened on September 21.

Airlines cancelled or plan to cancel more than 930 flights, NHK said. Most of local trains and bullet trains in western areas will suspend operations on Sunday, operator West Japan Railway said.

Trami is currently heading towards Japan's northeast. It will cross the islands of Kyushu and the main island of Honshu between Sunday and Monday, a path similar to that taken Typhoon Jebi early in September.

Jebi, the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years, brought some of the highest tides since a 1961 typhoon.

Rainfall of up to 400mm was forecast for the Amami island region and up to 250mm for Okinawa by noon Sunday, while the storm could generate waves up to 13 metres high around the regions, forecasters said.</s>Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. -- Moody's assigns (P)Aa3 to Osaka Gas's domestic shelf registration (Japanese)</s>A powerful typhoon pummelled Japan's southern island of Okinawa Saturday, injuring at least 17, as weather officials warned the storm would rip through the Japanese archipelago over the weekend.

Typhoon Trami, packing maximum gusts of 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour near its centre, was forecast to hit the mainland early Sunday and cause extreme weather across the country into Monday.

Television footage showed branches ripped from trees by strong winds blocking a main street in the regional capital Naha, as well as torrential horizontal rain and massive waves splashing over breakwaters on a remote island in the area.

Local policemen in rain jackets wielding chainsaws were battling the furious wind to remove fallen trees. The gusts were strong enough to overturn a truck and smash the glass windows of a bank.

Some 700 people were evacuated to shelters in Okinawa and electricity was cut to nearly 200,000 homes, public broadcaster NHK said.

At least 386 flights were cancelled, mainly in western Japan, according to NHK.

West Japan Railway said it would suspend all services in the Osaka region and cancel some Shinkansen bullet trains by noon on Sunday.

Seventeen people suffered minor injuries in storm-related accidents in Okinawa and several houses suffered some damage but no one was feared dead, local officials said.

"The number may rise further as we are in the middle of sorting out figures," said Masatsune Miyazato, an official at the island's disaster-management office.

"People in Okinawa are used to typhoons but we are strongly urging them to stay vigilant," he told AFP.

The weather agency warned people across Japan to be on alert for strong winds, high waves and heavy rain.

"The typhoon is feared to bring record rainfalls and violent winds over large areas," agency official Yasushi Kajiwara told reporters.

"Please stay on alert, evacuate early and ensure your safety," the official said.

After raking the outlying islands, the typhoon is forecast to pick up speed and approach western Japan on Sunday "with a very strong force" as it barrels over the mainland, he added.

There have already been heavy downpours in large areas of western and eastern Japan, including the capital, as the storm spurred a seasonal rain front.

The weather agency issued a warning of landslides in Wakayama, western Japan, where local authorities separately announced that a local river had reached "dangerous levels".

Fishermen in Kagoshima bay, where the typhoon is expected to make landfall, were already making preparations, tying down their boats as Trami approached -- even as forecasters warned that another typhoon was following in its course.

Angler Masakazu Hirase told AFP: "It's dreadful because we already know there's another typhoon after this one but you cannot compete with nature. We do what we can to limit the damage."

If the forecast holds, it will be the latest in a series of extreme natural events to strike Japan.

Western regions are still recovering from the most powerful typhoon to strike the country in a quarter of a century in early September. Typhoon Jebi claimed 11 lives and shut down Kansai Airport, the main regional airport.

Officials at Kansai were already making preparations, placing sandbags and warning that they may be forced to close the airport.

Deadly record rains also hit western Japan earlier this year and the country sweltered through one of the hottest summers on record.

Also in September, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake rocked the northern island of Hokkaido, sparking landslides and leaving more than 40 people dead.</s>A powerful typhoon has brought heavy rain and high winds as it approaches southern Japan, causing power outages in several cities and prompting Kansai International Airport near Osaka to plan a temporary closure of its runways from Sunday.

Typhoon Trami, rated category 2 by Tropical Storm Risk, with category 5 the highest, is the latest storm to threaten Japan in a year of weather-related woes, including punishing heat, heavy rains and landslides.

Outlying islands in the Okinawan chain, some 1,000 km southwest of Tokyo, were being pounded by heavy rain and high tides a day before an Okinawan gubernatorial election on Sunday.

Strong winds knocked down trees, blew off an outer wall from a building and left nine people injured in Okinawa. Trami also caused power outages in more than 30 towns, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Kansai International Airport in Osaka, western Japan, which was heavily flooded by a typhoon last month, announced that it would close its runways from 11 am local time, until 6 am on Monday. The airport only fully reopened on September 21.

NHK also said airlines had cancelled more than 390 flights, mainly those flying in and out of Okinawa. More flight cancellations were planned for Sunday.

Churning north across Okinawa on Saturday, Trami is predicted to move across the islands of Kyushu and the main island of Honshu on Sunday, a path similar to that taken by typhoon Jebi early in September.

Bullet trains running between the two western Japan cities of Osaka and Hiroshima will suspend operations on Sunday morning in anticipation of heavy rain and wind, operator West Japan Railway said on Saturday.

Last month's Typhoon Jebi, the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years, brought some of the highest tides since a 1961 typhoon.</s>For some Japanese, the essential difference between Tokyo and Osaka can be summed up in a single fact: residents in the capital stand on the left hand side while travelling on escalators - but Osakans prefer the right.

Escalator etiquette may sound like an unlikely (and slightly surreal) cultural indicator, yet it is one example among many that reflects how Osaka is a city that relishes its distinct identity and refuses to be overshadowed by Tokyo.

Colourful, food-loving, lively, humorous, nocturnal: these are all words that can be used to describe Osaka, Japan’s third largest city and capital of the western Kansai region (as well as perhaps its residents).

Osaka’s location has long been a perfect springboard for exploring other areas in Kansai, in particular the temples and gardens of Kyoto which are just 15 minutes away by bullet train (Nara and Kobe are also well connected).

But the city itself is sometimes overlooked by transiting tourists en route to other destinations who become intimately acquainted with the interior of its train stations but opt not to explore Osaka itself.

This situation, however, is likely to be remedied shortly: not only are Rugby World Cup fixtures being held in Osaka next year, which will firmly place it on the global sporting map, British Airways has also just announced that it will fly direct to Osaka Kansai International Airport from March 31.

In a nutshell, Osaka is perhaps not for the fainthearted. The urban sprawl - home to more than 2.6 million residents - has both high-tech skyscrapers and one of Japan’s most historic castles.

The city is also a longtime historical rival to Tokyo and so travellers should brace themselves for pretty much everything, from food to accents (as well as escalator rules), to be different from the capital.

But visitors often find it doesn’t take long for Osaka’s lively charm to work its magic. The city has a string of historical sites that are worth a visit, from Shitenno-ji, one of Japan’s oldest temples, dating back to the 6th century, to the even older tomato-red and white shrine Sumiyoshi Taisha, with its picture perfect bridge and pond.

Not to forget The Castle. Okay, so like many castles in Japan, wartime attacks and natural disasters mean that its current incarnation is mainly a reconstruction. But there are few more striking sights than the castle’s iconic tiered roof, moat, turrets and gardens, surrounded by the otherwise contemporary urban tableau of Osaka’s skyscrapers.

It’s a city excels at the contemporary too, with a string of ultra-modern towers reflecting its status as a regional economic powerhouse - from the high-tech Nakanoshima Festival Tower (home to restaurants, shops and a concert hall) to the futuristic twin-tower Umeda Sky Building (complete with a Floating Garden Observatory on its 39th floor).

The city’s hotel scene has also stepped up a luxury notch in recent years: a highlight is the Conrad Osaka, a sleek, contemporary hotel at the top of a skyscraper, with a dazzling modern art-filled lobby, clean-lined luxury guestrooms and epic city views.

But it’s not all about the modern for visitors. In contrast, a colourful timewarp atmosphere prevails in the Shinsekai district, famed for its narrow lanes, old school bars and retro atmosphere (the vintage-style Tsutenkaku Tower, with its steel structure and neon lights, takes centre stage).

Whatever the reason for visiting Osaka, food is likely to emerge as an unadulterated highlight. Long dubbed tenka no daidokoro - “the nation’s kitchen” - it is home to a string of unique culinary creations that generally embrace a stronger, punchier palette compared to the lighter subtleties of its Tokyo sister.

And so prepare to indulge in epic feasts of okonomiyaki - hearty pancake-like dishes cooked on hotplates built into the table - and takoyaki octopus balls (which are far tastier than they sound).

Even the sushi is different: look out for Osaka’s sushi specialty battera, a tangy stack of super-thin vinegar-pickled mackerel and kelp on top of rice, ideally washed down with a local sake (the region produces top quality versions, thanks to the fresh water sources in the surrounding mountains).

While its street food and local restaurants are likely to be a big draw, there are also a growing number of high-end culinary establishments – one particularly memorable highlight being the serene Michelin-starred Kashiwaya restaurant, where an exquisite medley of seasonal creations are served in a traditional tearoom-style setting.
• How Japan became the world’s fastest growing travel destination

But perhaps the biggest draw to Osaka? The people who live there. Osakans take great pleasure in embracing a national reputation for being outgoing, humorous, loud and friendly (as opposed to their more reserved and quietly spoken Tokyo cousins - according to stereotypes at least).

And while it’s possible to spend days in Tokyo without talking to any locals, in Osaka, it’s pretty tricky not to become embroiled in conversation - with high chances that you’ll make a few friends before moving on (if you manage to decode the local Kansai-ben dialect, that is). Just don’t forget to stand on the right when using the escalators.</s>At least two people have been killed and almost 130 are injured by the Category 1 typhoon. But there are fears the death toll could rise today.



Trami made landfall near the western city of Osaka on Sunday at 8pm local time (12am BST).



Gusts of wind reached speeds of up to 216 km/h (134 mph).



Heavy rains, strong winds and landslides have now hit the northern-most main island of Hokkaido, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE HAVE DIED AND OVER 120 INJURED INTYPHON TRAMI CHAOS IN JAPAN

More than 400,000 households were left without power, Reuters reported. 



Two trees were also brought down onto railroad tracks and debris was strewn across capital city Tokyo early on Monday. 



This resulted thousands of people being stranded as train lines and flights were cancelled or severely delayed. 



More than 1,000 flights were cancelled at major airports throughout Japan, including Tokyo's Narita and Haneda. LIVE: TWO DEAD AND MILLIONS URGED TO EVACUATE IN JAPAN

Kansai International Airport in Osaka, in western Japan, said it had opened its runways as normal at 6am local time (10pm BST), after being closed since 11am on Sunday.



The airport was heavily flooded earlier last month by Typhoon Jebi.



The typhoon was the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years.



Up to 11 people were killed in September after Japan had already experienced extreme weather during the summer. JAPAN THREATENED BY SECOND TYPHOON AS STORM KONG-REY IS UPGRADED OFF THE PHILIPPINES

At least 221 people were killed after heavy rain caused landslides and flooding in western Japan in July. 



People in Japan are being warned to prepare for another typhoon later this week. 



Typhoon Kong-rey is set to pose a danger to the souther Ryukyu Islands after it quickly intensifies in the Philippine Sea. 



Northern Taiwan, eastern China and Korea may also be at risk from Kong-rey.
Four people are dead and at least 120 others are injured when Typhoon Trami makes landfall in the cities of Osaka and Okinawa, Japan.