The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

 On the map,　the Typhoon No. 14 seems to have passed Fukuoka, but its impact lingers. This area is now out of its storming range, but wind still blows with such a force that one of the mesh screens attached to the window frame slides left and right at gusty wind. 

 The typhoon has been around here for whole weekend plus this bank holiday. I have never experienced such a long lingering typhoon in my over a half-century life. Typhoons are supposed to rampage for several hours only and lose it power dramatically and go or disappear. 

 Instead, this one refuse to leave or move and is still insisting its presence with heavy rain and strong wind.  As a result, all public transportation and other services (waste collection, zoo, museums, and so on, apart from operating shelters) have been suspended, and all shopping outlets (supermarkets, department stores, and even convenience stores) closed. Although we have experienced some sort of irregularity or abrupt stop in our lives for the past two and half years during the COVID-19 crisis, I haven't seen such a long stoppage of everything.

地図上では台風14号は福岡を通過したようですが、その影響はしつこく続いています。この辺はもう防雨域から抜けたというのに、網戸が左右に動くほどの突風がまだ吹いています。

台風は週末いっぱいと今日の祝日の間、ずっとこのあたりにとどまっていました。半世紀以上生きていて、こんなに長い台風は経験したことがありません。台風なんてものは数時間大暴れして、その後は勢いががくっと落ちて、どこかに行ってしまうか無くなってしまうものだからです。

なのにこいつは一向に動こうとせず、大雨と強風で存在を主張しています。そのせいで公共交通機関や公共サービス（ゴミの収集や動物園、美術館など。避難所の運営は除く）は止まって、お店（スーパーやデパート、コンビニまで）は全部閉まっています。コロナ禍である程度の非日常性や突然何かが止まることはありましたが、これほど長期間すべてが止まってしまうのは初めてです。