Kumamoto city

Hi all, i'm arriving in japan next week and was planning on spending next weekend in kumamoto city, but having just seen the news about the rainfall and flooding it has me concerned.

Could someone who's local clarify the situation in kumamoto city itself, is the flooding bad? and has it affected transportation in and out of the city?

thanks in advance.

The level of the river in Kumamoto City is still very high, and it still continues raining, but most parts of the city center have not suffered any damage. I think it is unlikely that a week from now there will (m)any signs of this week's rain left in the city center, although the weather forecasts predict further rain - hopefully not as heavy as now - for the next few days.

If I were you, I would continue following the news and weather forecasts, assume that it will be okay and make the final decision in a few days from now. However, if you are worried and have to make a decision now, you might want to delay your visit to Kumamoto to a future trip.

As for transportation, as of now there has been no damage to any major transportation infrastructure around Kumamoto City, and I think it is unlikely that this is going to change. The Kyushu Shinkansen is sometimes temporarily stopped due to heavy rain, but is mostly running normally. Most flights into Kumamoto Airport seem to be operating normally, but there are cases when flights were redirected to nearby airports (Fukuoka) during the height of thunder storms. Most trams and buses in Kumamoto seem to be running normally.

The situation is more difficult in the Aso area.