Photo/Illutration An exit of JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is deserted around 3 p.m. on Oct. 12 as train services were canceled due to the approaching Typhoon No. 19. (The Asahi Shimbun)

When I headed to the station for my commute on Oct. 12, I brought along spare clothes and toiletries. I prepared for the possibility that the approaching Typhoon No. 19 might force cancellations of train services in central Tokyo, preventing me from returning home.

Stores in front of the station were already closed, with adhesive tape stuck to the glass doors in such patterns as an X, a plus or something similar to an asterisk, apparently to prevent shards from flying off if the doors were broken.

Shinjuku Station, which is usually thronged with passengers on weekends, was almost deserted. There were no station employees running around to deal with a chaotic situation nor long lines of people waiting for train services to resume.

My experiences show how Japanese have become accustomed to a practice called “keikaku unkyu,” or planned train cancellations, in which railway operators announce in advance their plans to suspend train services when a typhoon is approaching.

The first such cancellations were implemented in autumn five years ago by West Japan Railway Co. (JR West). As it turned out, the typhoon did not cause much damage, and the company was criticized for “a swing and a miss” in planned train cancellations.

In summer the following year, JR West decided not to announce plans to suspend train services in advance despite an approaching typhoon. The storm ended up stranding trains, making it necessary to rush some passengers to hospitals. The company was criticized again, this time for “striking out looking.”

In the Kanto region, the first “keikaku unkyu” was carried out last autumn. In the aftermath of the typhoon that struck Japan in early September, passengers were thrown into confusion when the cancellations were supposed to end.

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) failed to resume operations at 8 a.m., the time the company had announced on the previous day as a guide.

Railway operators are still struggling to figure out the best ways to announce their plans to restart train services after planned train cancellations.

As for responses to Typhoon No. 19, JR East was expected to suspend train operations until around noon on Oct. 13.

Many railway companies said they would reopen their services only after “safety is confirmed.”

This approach appears to reflect revisions to their “exit strategies” for restarting operations based on the lessons learned from the confusion last month.

On the night of Oct. 12, the familiar sounds of running trains and crossing bells were not heard in most parts of the Kanto region.

I wonder how the latest typhoon and its repercussions on train services will be described in the history of Japanese railway disruption.

I only pray that the descriptions will not refer to serious damage by the typhoon.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 13

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.