Okinawa Prefecture’s typhoon guidance states:
Always keep at least 2–3 days’ worth of food and drinking water on hand, and avoid going shopping while a typhoon is approaching.
Naha City similarly lists at least 2–3 days’ worth of food and drinking water. In other words, shopping is something that should already be finished before the typhoon arrives. Miss this, and you’re left making the single most dangerous choice there is: going out shopping into a storm.
When to go
The point when the forecast track brings Okinawa into the affected area is the benchmark. Waiting until the forecast puts you inside the storm warning area is already too late — shelves start thinning out the day before that.
Concretely, thinking about it in this order removes the guesswork:
- Before the forecast places you inside the storm warning area — at this point, you can still shop normally
- At the latest, sometime during the daytime the day before the wind starts picking up — avoid nighttime or the morning of
- Once the wind has picked up, don’t go — staying home takes priority over shopping
A typhoon’s track and the timing of entering the storm warning area change moment by moment. Always make that judgment using JMA’s latest information — this site does not cover it.
Even after the typhoon passes, things don’t snap back immediately
It’s easy to overlook that shelves don’t necessarily return to normal on the day the typhoon clears. Deliveries can be delayed because ships and flights were grounded. If the power is still out, stores may not even be open.
Think of your supply not as “enough to get through the typhoon,” but as “enough to include several days after it’s passed.” If you live on a remote island, you need to build in even more margin than this.
What to buy, and how much
Water — the one thing with a clear number
For drinking water, Okinawa Prefecture gives 3 liters per person per day, for 3 days as a guideline. For a large-scale disaster, a week’s worth is said to be desirable.
For a family of four, that’s 36 liters over 3 days — eighteen 2-liter bottles. That’s too heavy to buy fresh each time, so it’s more realistic to keep a standing supply and top it up as it’s used.
Separate from drinking water, you’ll also need water for daily use. The prefecture recommends “always keeping the bathtub filled with water” and “keeping a water tank filled with tap water on hand as a matter of routine.” Bathtub water can be used to flush the toilet. Fill it once the typhoon’s approach comes into view.
Food — always mix in something you can eat without heat or electricity
For a 3-day supply of staple food, Okinawa Prefecture gives examples such as rice (alpha rice, etc.), biscuits, chocolate bars, and hardtack.
What matters here is the mix. Once the power’s out, neither the microwave nor the rice cooker works. Even with a portable gas stove, there are days you won’t want to use a flame in the heat. Including a certain amount of ready-to-eat food actually helps when it counts.
Think of your shopping basket in these three categories:
- Ready to eat as-is — bread, biscuits, chocolate, canned food, jelly drinks, fruit
- Ready with just water or hot water — alpha rice, instant noodles, retort pouches (hot-water bath)
- An extension of your normal meals — if the outage is short, eat from the fridge first
Buying too much refrigerated or frozen food means it all spoils at once if the power goes out. For pre-typhoon shopping, it’s safer to focus on things that keep at room temperature.
Beyond food and water — things that sell out early before a typhoon
Among the items Naha City and Okinawa Prefecture list as preparations, the following are the ones that tend to sell out early before a typhoon. Secure these early, alongside your food.
- Batteries (spares for flashlights and portable radios)
- Flashlights, battery-powered radios
- Phone chargers, power banks
- Gas canisters for a portable stove
- Painter’s tape or cloth tape (for window measures — see the windows and balcony article)
- Work gloves, trash bags
Don’t turn restocking into “an event”
Buying a full 3-day supply from scratch every time a typhoon comes is exhausting, and eventually you just stop doing it. If you keep a bit extra on hand as routine, and restock only what you use, then when a typhoon approaches you only need to buy fresh items and whatever’s actually short.
Keeping just water and batteries on hand as routine already makes typhoon shopping noticeably lighter.
What this article does not cover
When a typhoon will approach Okinawa, or when it will enter the storm warning area, is not covered by this site. Always check JMA and other official up-to-date information. Follow the evacuation information issued by your municipality when deciding whether to evacuate.
Power outage preparedness is covered in Preparing for a Typhoon Power Outage, and window and balcony measures in Windows and Balconies, Before the Wind Picks Up.