TOKYO – Shinkansen bullet train services in and around Tokyo were temporarily halted Thursday evening due to a torrential downpour, as the country’s weather agency issued multiple heavy rain warnings.
Services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were stopped between Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama stations from around 7:20 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. after rainfall in the area met rain gauge thresholds, while those for the Tohoku Shinkansen Line were also briefly suspended between Tokyo and Sendai stations, according to JR Tokai and JR East.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said atmospheric conditions were unstable due to a front, and warned of the risk of landslides, floods and overflowing rivers.
Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, was hit in the afternoon by 106 millimeters of rain in a single hour, while radar analysis showed that some regions in Tokyo, Yamagata, Fukushima, Gunma, and Yamanashi prefectures saw rainfall of 100 mm to 120 mm in the same span, the agency said.
AloJapan.com