[Plea] Please do not come to the island during a typhoon

The day Typhoon No. 13 hit Yoron Island directly

The other day, Typhoon No. 13 hit Yoron Island directly. I am at my home in Tokyo. While watching the projected path on TV, I was hoping that there would be no damage to the island or my home.

My family home is a guesthouse that has been running for 57 years on Yoron Island, called Beach Land Lodge.
My father and one staff member are on the island.

The phrase "It was a valuable experience"

Around the time the typhoon passed, I received a message on Instagram.

It was from someone who has been visiting Yoron Island for nearly 17 years. They wrote that the few days spent in the anxiety of power and water outages were a valuable experience to learn about the lives of the islanders. They concluded by saying that they still love Yoron Island after all.

I was genuinely happy about the comment that they love Yoron Island. At the same time, a question remains. Because I know that behind that "valuable experience," there were islanders desperately struggling against the disaster.

As someone who runs a guesthouse, what I want to say honestly

I will write the conclusion first.

The reason is simple. People who run guesthouses are creatures who think of their guests first, even in the middle of a typhoon. I don't want them to be drenched in sweat in a room without air conditioning, and I want to serve them a proper meal instead of cup noodles. I also want them to be able to soak in a bath at their leisure. That is likely the nature of a guesthouse on the island.

But in reality, my mind is full of the safety of my family and the cost of damage to the building.

The weight of carrying these two things at the same time is something only those who have experienced it can understand.

Having said that, if there are no guests, there is no revenue. Typhoons and tourism have a relationship where threads are tangled in a way that cannot be easily separated. That is why at Beach Land Lodge, we ask for early cancellations when a typhoon approaches, and we recommend that guests currently staying return home before flights are canceled.

A photo sent from my family home

The day after the typhoon left, I received a LINE message from my father. His reply to me, who had sent "Doesn't look like there's any major damage?", was brief.
By the way, the power outage is entering its third day.

The attached photo showed a shed with its blue corrugated iron roof peeled back. It was a picture where only the roof barely retained its original shape.

Power outages continue for a while, ships and planes stop running, and the island is literally isolated. The single sentence from my father, 'I hope we can return to normal soon,' says it all.

When a typhoon is coming, please don't come, for the sake of us both.

I do not intend to completely deny the words of my followers. While I cannot understand it, it is likely true that there is a side of Yoron Island that can only be seen because they experienced a typhoon. However, as someone who works at an inn, my honest opinion is that there is no need to turn that into a 'tourist experience' for visitors.

In the middle of summer, there is no air conditioning, you cannot go outside, shops are closed, and it is difficult to get a meal. If asked whether it is truly a good thing to put yourself in such an environment, I would answer no. If I am told that this leads to a love for Yoron Island, then I have no words left to say. Even so, when it is known that a typhoon is coming, I want people to refrain from visiting the island, and I will continue to speak out about this.

Those of us who work at inns are always thinking of our guests. Please do not take advantage of that kindness and force us into unreasonable situations. That is my honest wish as someone whose family runs a guesthouse.

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