As Kumamoto Prefecture in western Kyushu, Japan, suffered damage from a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, including the partial collapse of a large shopping mall, people who had planned summer vacations to Kyushu are canceling their flights.
On the 29th, several posts saying trips were canceled appeared in online forums related to travel to Japan. A person surnamed A, who was scheduled to depart for Kumamoto on the 30th, wrote, "I booked three months ago and had been waiting, but I canceled." Although Kumamoto Airport plans to reopen its runway starting that day after flights were grounded the day before, the person judged normal travel impossible considering transportation into the city.
A person surnamed B also said, "I was planning to go to Kumamoto next week, but I gave up because it doesn't seem like a time for sightseeing." Comments on B's post expressing disappointment read, "Safety comes first" and "There will be another chance."
At about 4:27 p.m. the previous day, a strong magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Uki in Kumamoto Prefecture. At the large Aeon Mall in Kashima-machi, an explosion after the quake caused a collapse, and rescue work continued through the night. Power outages occurred at about 48,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture, and water was cut off to about 140,000 households.
Kyushu is close to Korea and is a major destination favored by many Koreans. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), of the 9,459,600 Koreans who visited Japan last year, the visit rate to Fukuoka Prefecture in northern Kyushu was 26.6%, the second-highest after Osaka City. Kumamoto Prefecture, as well as Nagasaki Prefecture in western Kyushu and Kagoshima Prefecture in the south, also rank within the top 20 destinations.
Accordingly, many people had been preparing for summer vacations, and there is a high likelihood that flight and tour package cancellations will continue. When a large earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture 10 years ago, more than 2,000 people canceled major travel agency tours within a week.
However, some planning trips to areas of Kyushu away from Kumamoto Prefecture say they will keep watching local conditions. A person surnamed C, preparing for a trip to Fukuoka next month, posted on social media (SNS), "They say the shaking is relatively less there, so for now I plan to depart as scheduled."
However, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that there is a high possibility of another intensity 7 earthquake within the next week, especially within two to three days. The Consulate General in Fukuoka urged Koreans staying locally to exercise caution, noting that "additional aftershocks may occur."
The path of Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th of the season, is another variable. Dolphin formed on the 27th and as of 9 a.m. that day was passing over waters about 2,640 km east of Guam. Dolphin is expected to intensify into a category 5 typhoon on the 31st, with a central pressure of 915 hPa and maximum wind speeds of 55 meters per second. Category 5 is the highest level in the Korea Meteorological Administration's typhoon intensity scale.
Dolphin is expected to reach waters about 1,610 km southeast of Tokyo, Japan, in early next month. Its subsequent track is highly variable, but if it continues northward south of Japan, the Kyushu region could also come under the influence of strong winds.