Typhoon Usagi Downgraded to Tropical Storm After Lashing Kyushu.

Will do Ryan. Just waiting for the next update to come out in a few minutes then I'll call my travel agent.

Tickets are booked to Fukuoka. I leave tomorrow at 1040 local and will then make my way to Mizayaki on the south coast of Kyushu.

Hi James. You don't have email activated on NP or on your blog, so I've had to use the comment space to get in touch with you. I run a citizen-journalist website that, despite only having a few thousand to spend compared to NP's $10m (oops, sorry - did I say that?!), will commission and pay for material we want. I've got a correspondent based in Beijing but no-one in Shanghai. If you're interested in talking, email me via my profile or the Contact Us link on www.sweeble.com. Cheers, Sue

Usagi has intensified to 80kts according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency whilst the American Joint Typhoon Warning Centre are classifying Usagi as a major typhoon with 105kt wind (120mph.) It's still on course for a direct hit on southern Kyushu.

Will do Ryan. At the moment most of the updates are personal ones ie where I am etc which aren't really news so to speak. Once I get on the ground in Japan I'll update the main story as it develops. If the storms stays on track I will have loads of  photographs and footage of pre-storm, during the worst of the storm and of course the aftermath.

TyphoonHunter, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.

TyphoonHunter, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. I've flagged it as breaking news - It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle. Michael

TH, why does Japan not follow the accepted method of calling typhoons by their agreed upon names, like Usagi, but rather calls them just boringly, Tyhphoon Number 1, etc. Can you explain to use why?

Conditions really deteriorating now with sheeting rain and very strong gusts shaking power poles etc. I'm going to ride this out at the railway station where there is plenty of light and space to film...plus it's solidly built. Probably won't be online for a good few hours.

Pictures uploaded. As far as I can see by searching Yahoo News these photos have beaten the big players. Yahoo search yields only one photo of some clouds over Tokyo!!!

TyphoonHunter, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.

TH, good stuff. just one question, if you know , can you tell us why Japanese media call it Typhoon No. 5, but everyone else in the world, call it Typhoon Usagi, since Japan is part of the Asian group that agreed on certain names each season for the coming typhoons? WHY does Japan insist on the numbers rather than the agreed upon names?

Hi Dan. Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier about this. I have no idea to be honest. Japan does contribute names to the regional list and ironically it is the Japanese Met Agency which decides when to assign a name to a storm. If I find out the answer I'll let you know.

Video of the storm uploaded now. Gives a taste of what it was like in Nabeoka as landfall took place.

Video rocks!

great job with the video...glad you're safe.

Wonderful video footage.

Thanks for the video, it is pretty impressive to see Mother Nature's forces in action.

TH, ...RE:   . "I have no idea to be honest. Japan does contribute names to the regional list and ironically it is the Japanese Met Agency which decides when to assign a name to a storm. If I find out the answer I'll let you know."

I've done some digging, and while it is true, Japan does contribute Japanese names to the season's upcoming storms, for use by outside media and other Asian nations, Japan itself, prefers to follow a 1 2 3 4 5 method of keeping track of the storms because it is easier for their bureaucrats to keep track of things in a 1 2 3 4 manner, rather than Typhoon Blah Blah Blah, which do not follow an ABC naming method of first storm A, second storm B....so the Japanese govt decided to go their own way on this, and all Japanese language media call the storms by NUMBER only and do not follow the method used by other Asian nations. This might be a holdover from Japan's thinking that is is DIFFERENT from other Asian nations, ie, superior, better,  (remember WW II?) and therefore no need to follow the inferior ideas of other Asian nations.........maybe. What else could the reason be? When 14 other nations follow the NAME method but only Japan goes by the NUMBER?

TyphoonHunter, I like this story. It's good stuff.