Sunday October 5, and the plan was to catch a flight today from Yakushima to Fukuoka, then a Shinkansen to take me to Hiroshima for two days.

I really felt I’d seen all I would have wanted to on Yakushima, and catching rays or swimming hadn’t really been an option because of the weather yesterday. So I was kind of ready to leave. The wind from the approaching typhoon had meant a restless night – howling gales would be putting it mildly. I felt secure in my villa, but I could tell it was pretty wild outside.

I dozed in and out of sleep before finally waking properly at around 10am – missing breakfast. I peeked out the blinds and all I could see was a) trees blowing wildly and b) sheets of horizontal rain. A phone call from the hotel came through just to check I wasn’t having breakfast – which was considerate (or maybe they were worried my villa had blown away in the night). Amazingly on checking out the Japan Airlines website, my flight (at 2.50pm) was still showing as departing as normal. After packing up some stuff and showering, a car came to collect me to take me to the main building. On opening the door, a man was standing with two umbrellas, and two towels. He put one on my head and then we dashed to the car.

By now it was clear there was no way my flight would be leaving, and that was soon confirmed. I was kind of relieved, as I didn’t fancy being on a propeller plane in those gusts. The receptionist kindly helped me change my flight to the next day, and let my hotel in Hiroshima know I wouldn’t be arriving that night as planned. I sat in the hotel’s library for a while writing, and then went and had lunch. Which was free because I’d skipped breakfast! I thought that was a really nice gesture, after all it was my fault I’d slept in! AND there was a burger on the menu. No prizes for guessing what went in my stomach. It was delicious.

While at lunch I gazed out the window at the havoc the typhoon was wreaking. It was weather like I hadn’t seen in a long time. Wind was whipping water across the surface of the swimming pool, and palm trees that two days earlier had been basking in the sun were now bent over in bowing positions. Heavy wooden and glass sliding doors were being blown open and towels were placed under them to stop the rain sweeping in.

I was kind of at a loose end after lunch – the hotel had also lost power (cooking on gas), so there wasn’t very much I could do but go back to my villa. I finished Gone Girl (thanks Charlie!) and lazed around watching America’s Next Top Model (the only thing in English right!). After a snooze, it was time for dinner, which as always was really tasty.

After that, and before I knew it, it was time for bed. Not the most exiting day by any means therefore sorry not the most exciting post! I fell asleep really hoping the weather would be 100% better when I woke up.