Tokyo typhoon preparation for a monthly apartment stay

Before a forecast typhoon affects Tokyo, check your apartment's address on the ward's hazard map and find its current evacuation information. A train cancellation tells you about travel; it doesn't tell you whether your room is safe from flooding.

Prepare while it is still safe to go out, following the developing forecast and local warnings. Allow extra time if anyone staying with you needs help to move.

Use the right source for each decision

JMA's English weather information provides forecasts and warnings. Your ward or city provides local evacuation information and which facilities are open. The company managing your apartment explains building access, shutters and reporting damage.

Keep those sources separate. A letting company's message that staff are available doesn't replace an evacuation instruction, and an old shelter map doesn't show whether a facility has opened for this storm.

Tokyo's wind and flood guidance advises checking local hazard maps and planning appropriate action. Look at the risks relevant to your address, including river flooding, surface flooding, storm surge and landslides where shown. Save the map and the ward's information page so you can find them again without searching during heavy rain.

Read current warnings, not an old colour chart

JMA changed its disaster-weather information in 2026, adding alert-level numbers to warning names. For example, the former heavy-rain warning is now レベル３大雨警報, a level 3 heavy-rain warning. Use the current page and the wording of the actual alert rather than an old screenshot describing a different system.

The agency explains that weather information helps people judge evacuation and helps municipalities issue instructions. A warning and a municipal evacuation order are related, but they are not the same message. JMA says to use hazard-risk and river-level information to judge action even when a municipal instruction has not yet been issued.

Don't wait for the most extreme alert before deciding what to do. If someone in your group needs longer to move, build that into the plan while conditions are safe. Follow the current official guidance for your location.

Check whether staying upstairs is actually an option

A higher floor can change a flood plan, but “we're upstairs” isn't a complete assessment. Look at the mapped depth and duration, the building's location and official guidance on whether remaining inside is appropriate. Ask management about access, power and water arrangements if the lower levels are affected.

The practical difference is between a safe place to remain and a room you cannot safely leave or use. Consider how you would manage stairs, drinking water, medicines and communication if lifts or services were unavailable. Don't assume that a tall building automatically makes every floor or route safe.

Find the evacuation destination appropriate to the hazard. The park you noted for an earthquake may not be the right destination for flooding. Check that the route avoids the hazards shown on the map, and confirm the ward's current opening information before setting out.

If you plan to stay with someone elsewhere, arrange that early and check their address too. Travelling across the city after conditions deteriorate is a poor substitute for making that decision beforehand.

Prepare the room while the weather is calm

Check windows and any installed shutters with the apartment's instructions. Report a latch that won't close or a shutter you can't operate. Ask management to deal with building defects; don't climb outside or improvise repairs.

Bring your loose balcony belongings indoors before strong winds arrive. Ask what to do with furniture or equipment that belongs to the apartment. Keep escape routes and balcony hatches clear, and don't tie a bicycle to a shared stair railing as a storm precaution.

Close windows and curtains as directed in Tokyo's disaster-preparation handbook. Don't rely on an improvised tape pattern as proof that a window is protected. Ask before applying film, tape or boards to rented property.

Charge phones and power banks, and keep a torch within reach. Gather drinking water, food you can eat without cooking, necessary medicines and anything needed for children or pets. Check what you already have before buying; include a manual can opener if your chosen food needs one.

Change travel plans before the last possible train

Check the official service-information pages for every part of a journey, including the airport connection. JR East and Tokyo Metro publish their own operating information; a route-planning app may show an ordinary timetable alongside developing disruption.

For a flight, check the airline's notice and your ticket's change conditions. Don't assume a warning automatically makes every fare refundable or that an operating airport means the train or bus to it is running.

Leave room to change the plan. If an announced suspension affects your route, don't build the day around catching the last possible service. Conditions and notices can change, and a long taxi journey isn't a guaranteed alternative.

Keep any cancellation or change confirmation with your booking. If you may need another night in the apartment, ask about availability and the charge before assuming you can remain past checkout.

Keep weather decisions separate from the repair contact

JMA advises using its Kikikuru risk map and river-level information to decide on early evacuation, even before a municipal instruction. You don't need to wait for the rental company to confirm a weather warning.

The rental company still has a role if the apartment is damaged. Sakura House's emergency procedure directs residents to a sister hotel company for after-hours assistance. That contact can help with the accommodation problem, but it is not the authority issuing weather warnings or evacuation instructions. Save your own building’s equivalent contact before the storm, and use official hazard information to decide whether it is safe to remain or travel.

Know what the apartment contact can arrange

Ask which number handles urgent damage, whether it is staffed overnight, and what to do if nobody answers. Send the full address and room number with a report, especially if the contact manages several buildings.

Report water entering the room, damaged windows or a door that won't secure, but don't go outside during dangerous conditions to investigate. Photograph damage only from a safe position. Contact emergency services if you're in immediate danger. Contact the rental company about repairs and where you can stay if the room is unsafe.

If a room cannot be used, ask what alternative is available and which costs are authorised. Keep that answer. A promise to call a contractor doesn't by itself confirm a repair time or hotel reimbursement.

After the storm, check before resuming the day

Follow official updates before travelling or entering affected areas. A brighter sky doesn't show whether a route has reopened, a river has receded or the building's equipment has been checked.

Report leaks, broken glass and appliance faults to management. Keep clear of wet electrical equipment. Ask when affected fixtures are safe to use rather than switching everything back on to test them.

Restock what you used and save any helpful building instructions with your earthquake preparation notes.