In Akihabara, giant screens blared happy tunes to deserted streets as a life-threatening typhoon approached Japan.
Typhoon Hagibis swept through Japan last night, bringing with it fierce winds and torrential rain. And as the large, powerful storm was set to pass through Tokyo, the Japanese capital took precautions to protect its residents by suspending trains, preparing evacuation centres, and urging people to stay indoors.
With a large number of trains suspended from 1:00 p.m. in Tokyo, stores and businesses also shut their doors early, essentially turning the city into a ghost town. One of the quietest places in the capital was Akihabara, the “electronics town” that’s usually heaving with otaku and anime fans. Today though, as this tweet from Twitter user @_Chestboy_shows, it looked like this:
ああー最高です!
— CHΞST (@_Chestboy_) October 12, 2019
人が消えた都市。
デジタルサイネージのみ動き続ける… pic.twitter.com/QHr5U91tin
It’s an eerie sight that feels like something straight out of a disaster movie, but this was actually real life, making the typhoon’s approach seem even more ominous. In the clip, the only movement on the street outside Akihabara Station is the digital signage on the side of the Sega building.
For comparison, this is what the same spot usually looks like on an ordinary day:
普段の秋葉原 pic.twitter.com/ACipJQENw7
— CHΞST (@_Chestboy_) October 12, 2019
Akihabara wasn’t the only deserted area in Tokyo yesterday. Tokyo Station was also empty…
完全閉鎖された東京駅
— もつ@東京駅ナイセン団員地学徒 (@ad_motsu) October 12, 2019
鉄道は既に使えなくなりました。 pic.twitter.com/atpPqnNzON
東京到着!
— 三才駅P 歌姫庭園ミリ13 (おせんべい) (@panorama007kita) October 12, 2019
誰もいない!
これは凄い空間です…… pic.twitter.com/ym5jjyMwCG
誰もいない東京駅#無人駅 #東京駅 #台風直撃 pic.twitter.com/V0fBQLoSQ6
— Mitsuki (@mitsuki_film) October 12, 2019
▼ …as was Shibuya.
誰もいない渋谷。
— 鈴木 保 (@blow4u) October 12, 2019
台風19号尋常じゃないな。
東京はどうなるだろう。
何とも言えない心持ち。 pic.twitter.com/l2Vfp5btkM
渋谷誰もいない pic.twitter.com/lHBnE3ufyN
— 渋いさんぽ (@FlShibuya) October 12, 2019
▼ Scarcely anyone at the world’s busiest crossing in the afternoon.
渋谷のライブカメラ、
— まいのすけ@プログラミング勉強中 (@maikinugasa1023) October 12, 2019
人誰もいないところに傘ひっくり返った人が1人現れて、まさか私に心配されていることなんて思ってもないんだろうな pic.twitter.com/cRvb4txdiy
▼ Nobody at the Hachiko Statue either.
誰もいない…。
— いっし~ (@t_i_derkaiser) October 12, 2019
どこも空いてない…。#渋谷 #ハチ公 pic.twitter.com/IZ1qlyb6vx
▼ Harajuku was also strangely deserted.
原宿は台風でこのとおり誰もいない pic.twitter.com/MM7AT0MIIN
— Do-Re-Mi (@kokeshiboys) October 12, 2019
▼ And Shinjuku was unrecognisable without its crowds of people.
本格的に人いなくて草 pic.twitter.com/GOEjOBorDt
— 超ジュラルミンおじさん(24) (@ilovegrupan) October 12, 2019
台風で誰もいない新宿。
— 超ジュラルミンおじさん(24) (@ilovegrupan) October 12, 2019
エモすぎる。 pic.twitter.com/fetjaSQw2s
▼ This is what the busiest train station in the world looks like when a typhoon approaches.
誰もいない新宿構内 pic.twitter.com/ZjvhcP3eoZ
— 観心 (@kanshin333) October 12, 2019
台風だから新宿駅誰もいないの pic.twitter.com/lLHGZaV0zP
— まつもゆ (@nyanyaneko28) October 11, 2019
With forecasters predicting Typhoon Hagibis could leave a large swath of destruction in its wake, it’s heartening to see the city and its residents taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of everyone in the area.
And with similar scenes in Osaka last year ahead of Typhoon Jebi, we’re hoping these precautions keep everybody safe as the typhoon passes through the country.
Source, featured image: Twitter/@_Chestboy_
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