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Lo Hoi-ying

Hong Kong tour groups returning from Japan’s capital are seeking alternative routes to Narita airport after a record rainstorm on Thursday disrupted transport and left thousands of travellers stranded, including Hongkongers who spent the night on trains and in other facilities.
Cathay Pacific Airways, the city’s flag carrier, said on Friday it would waive rebooking and re-routing fees to give affected customers greater flexibility, after the unprecedented heavy rain killed at least eight people, according to local news reports.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of EGL Tours, said one tour group had already departed for Narita airport in Chiba prefecture, while another two groups would be returning home that day, with flights operating as normal.
“Due to issues on the main road from the city to Narita airport, an alternative route must be taken, which takes longer,” he said.
“As a result, the team will head to the airport nearly two hours earlier than planned.”
Huen’s colleagues reported that while the rainstorm on Thursday had been extremely heavy, the weather had since improved slightly. Footage sent by his team showed blue skies and bright weather in Chiba prefecture on Friday morning.
More than 360mm (14.2 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours in parts of the prefecture, which adjoins Tokyo, inundating roads and railway systems and knocking out power to nearly 25,000 households.
A Narita spokesman said the transport disruption left around 7,000 people stranded at the airport, but flights were scheduled to operate normally on Friday.
Checks by the South China Morning Post found that flights from Hong Kong International Airport to Narita were unaffected, with no cancellations.

In response to queries from the SCMP, Cathay Pacific said its flights to and from Tokyo were currently operating as normal.
“In view of the adverse weather in the area, which may affect customers’ journeys to and from Tokyo Narita airport, we are waiving rebooking and re-routing fees to give customers greater flexibility to adjust their journey as needed,” it said.
Passengers who choose to rebook their flights to and from Narita will still need to pay the difference in fare and taxes between their original and new itineraries. Affected tickets must have been issued on or before August 14, and passengers must change their tickets on or before August 16 and complete their journey before September 30 this year.
The Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded its most severe warning for heavy downpours in more than a dozen municipalities in Chiba prefecture as rain subsided on Friday morning, although it forecast more showers later in the day.
A level four urgent warning for landslides remained in place for the northwestern region of Chiba, although the forecaster predicted the weather would turn sunny by next week.
Hongkongers in Japan on Thursday night posted about their experiences facing transport disruptions as they rushed to the airport to catch their flights but ended up being stranded for hours.
In a video posted on Threads by user kimmychew413, the train she was on came to a halt at a railway station that was shrouded in darkness due to power cuts.
She was able to buy cup noodles from a convenience store at the station and later found a place to rest, sitting on top of her suitcase in one corner of the train, but the electricity and air conditioning were cut off.
She said she finally reached Narita airport on Friday morning after a 15-hour journey.
Another Threads user, silverpig_ad, said he sought shelter from the storm in the concert hall of a community centre.
The user was travelling to Tokyo for the Summer Sonic music festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday.
He said he was unable to call a taxi on Friday morning, and buses and trains were not operating.
He found two Hongkongers in the same situation and decided to walk to Katsutadai railway station in Chiba, the closest one in operation, which was more than an hour away on foot.
“On our way, we saw a pile of stalled cars in the middle of the road, probably by drivers who tried to drive through the floodwater but abandoned their vehicles,” he wrote.
“Based on my conservative estimate, the floodwaters last night must have reached up to waist level, no water, we could not find any taxis last night.”

Another Threads user, alnaraliss, spent the night at Narita airport after her 9.30pm HK Express flight back to Hong Kong was delayed.
She had taken an Uber to the airport after learning about disruptions to the Skyliner high-speed train, but the car ride took five hours due to floods.
Nearby hotels were full, so she ended up staying overnight at the airport with a sleeping bag.
“I’m so tired, I miss my bed at home,” she wrote.


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Hongkongers stranded after storm disrupts trains and roads to Narita airport

A flooded road in Ichikawa, Chiba prefecture, on Thursday night. Photo: Kyodo

One Threads user posted images from the concert hall of a community centre, where he sought shelter from the storm. Photo: Threads/silverpig_ad

Nearby hotels were full, so Threads user alnaraliss spent the night at Narita Airport in a sleeping bag. Photo: Threads/alnaraliss 

A video posted on Threads by user kimmychew413 shows travellers stuck overnight in a train. Photo: Threads/kimmychew413

A flooded area in Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday morning. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters

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Hong Kong tour groups in Tokyo forced to seek alternative routes, with some travellers stuck overnight at various locations


Hong Kong tour groups in Tokyo forced to seek alternative routes, with some travellers stuck overnight at various locations.


Hongkongers stranded after storm disrupts trains and roads to Narita airport

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Hong Kong tour groups in Tokyo forced to seek alternative routes, with some travellers stuck overnight at various locations

Hong Kong tour groups in Tokyo forced to seek alternative routes, with some travellers stuck overnight at various locations