Tropical storm Chan-hom made landfall in the greater Tokyo region late Tuesday, bringing down trees and leaving thousands of homes without power. The storm, which had weakened significantly by landfall, was moving westward early Wednesday toward Wakasa Bay on Japan's north-central coast.
Chan-hom was packing sustained winds of 64 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) as it moved inland, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency warned residents in northern and western Japan of heavy rain and thunder throughout the day. Five people sustained minor injuries: two men in Iwate prefecture and three women in Ibaraki prefecture.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 3,000 homes in Ibaraki and neighboring Tochigi prefecture were without electricity, according to TEPCO Power Grid. Trees were knocked down in several locations in Tokyo, including the Omotesando shopping area, though no injuries were reported.
The storm's passage coincided with Japan's Obon holiday week, a period for honoring ancestral spirits, affecting many travelers. Approximately 60 flights arriving at and departing from Tokyo's Haneda airport were canceled on Tuesday. In Ibaraki, the popular Oarai beach was closed and empty due to the storm.
Tuesday's landfall in Ibaraki was the first by a storm or typhoon in the prefecture since the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1951. The storm's passage comes days after Typhoon Dolphin impacted southern Japan, causing traffic disruptions and prompting evacuations. Dolphin, which had weakened to a tropical storm, later caused 10 deaths in the Philippines and flooding in China, leading to the relocation of hundreds of thousands of people.