Rare Tornado In Western Japan
Pastor Dale Morgan
Rare Tornado In Western Japan*
Tokyo (AFP) April 9, 2007
A rare tornado swept Japan's coast last week, as the nation was swamped
by rain and hail, causing no injuries but bringing the beloved cherry
blossom season closer to the end, officials said.
The tornado twisted on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) off the coast of
Tottori prefecture, some 700 kilometers (430 miles) southwest of Tokyo,
the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
No casualties or damage were reported, said a prefectural official.
"It was raining and hailing in the region when the tornado occurred, but
fortunately it was on the water, not on the ground," he said.
Damaging tornadoes are rare in Japan, although a twister in November
killed nine construction workers on the northern island of Hokkaido. The
Tottori region sees about one tornado a year, the official said.
Tokyo was also hit by around two hours of intense rain and hail,
drenching the capital with 20 milliliters of rain hitting the capital,
the Meteorological Agency said.
The rain blew off some of the remaining blossoms from cherry trees,
which were already expected to fall by early next week.
Millions of Japanese wine and dine each year at parties under the cherry
trees, enjoying the sight of their delicate but short-lived blossoms.
Source: Agence France-Presse