Typhoon Lan cancelled hundreds of flights, damaged buildings and caused power blackouts as it made landfall in western Japan early on Tuesday 15 August. Approaching from the Pacific Ocean, the storm hit the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture, around 250 miles southwest of Tokyo, with sustained winds of 150kmh. Footage circulating online shows the Yoshii River, located in Okayama prefecture, surging with waters that came alarmingly close to flooding nearby houses. Power outages have also hit almost 90,000 households in central and western Japan, where nearly 800 flights have been cancelled.