ニュース 2026年09月27日午後08時00分 2026年9月27日
A stalled autumn rain front dumped a September record of 281mm in 24 hours on Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, while Typhoon No. 26 intensified and approached the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture, raising fears of further heavy rain across eastern Japan. Two months after the Kumamoto earthquake, the historic Hinagu Onsen district remains unable to resume operations because the hot-spring pipelines serving its ryokan are still broken, prompting a crowdfunding campaign for repairs. On a lighter note, the pair-go international tournament held at Nagoya Castle saw the Japanese duo of Rina Fujisawa (藤沢里菜) 7-dan and Ryo Ichiriki (一力遼) 9-dan claim the title, while an exhibition match pitting Yuta Iyama (井山裕太) 9-dan alongside an AI against the champions ended in a win for the human-AI team.
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What this episode answers
How much rain fell in Omuta City over 24 hours, and what record did it break?
Omuta City recorded 281mm of rainfall over 24 hours, the highest September rainfall total there since records began.
Where is Typhoon No. 26 heading next, and what impact could it have on eastern Japan?
Typhoon No. 26 is forecast to approach the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture around September 28, and it could later come close to Honshu, with moist air ahead of it potentially energizing a Pacific-coast front and bringing heavy rain centered on eastern Japan.
What is the main reason so many ryokan in Hinagu Onsen are unable to reopen?
The underground pipelines carrying geothermal water to the individual ryokan were damaged in the earthquake and have still not been repaired, leaving most inns with no clear timeline for resuming full operations.
How did the owner of Yanagiya Ryokan describe the situation two months after the earthquake?
Owner Hiromi Horiuchi said that although two months have passed and public attention is fading, the rebuild has not moved forward at all, and her hope is to restore the hot spring first and then work toward rebuilding the ryokan.
How did the Go professional who partnered with an AI in the Nagoya exhibition match assess the AI's performance?
Yuta Iyama 9-dan gave a measured assessment, saying he felt the AI come up with several ideas hard for a human to conceive, but that it hasn't yet reached the point of being flawless and error-free, so whether to fully trust everything it does is something one constantly has to think about.
Autumn Rain Front Batters Northern Kyushu — Omuta Records Worst September Rainfall in History
A stationary autumn rain front kept funneling well-developed rain clouds into northern Kyushu throughout September 27. By early afternoon, the 24-hour rainfall total in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, had reached 281mm — the highest figure ever recorded there in September since records began. Rain is gradually easing across northern Kyushu, but saturated ground means the risk of landslides and mudslides remains, and residents are urged to stay alert.
Conditions are expected to deteriorate again on September 28, when the front and moist air inflow will make the atmosphere highly unstable from northern to western Japan, with the threat of locally intense thunderstorms.
Typhoon No. 26 Closes In on Amami — Heavy Rain Threat Extends to Eastern Japan
Typhoon No. 26 has strengthened into a very intense storm and is forecast to approach the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture around September 28. The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning of high waves and urging strong caution regarding powerful winds and the risk of landslides.
The storm's track beyond that point still carries considerable uncertainty. Forecasters say the typhoon could come close to the main island of Honshu, and that moist air flowing ahead of it may energize a front along Japan's Pacific coast, potentially bringing heavy rain centered on eastern Japan. The agency is asking the public to check the latest weather information regularly.
Two Months Since the Kumamoto Earthquake — Hinagu Onsen Ryokan Still Can't Reopen
September 28 marks two months since the Kumamoto earthquake struck. In Hinagu Onsen (日奈久温泉), a hot-spring resort town in Kumamoto Prefecture with more than 600 years of history, the underground pipelines that carry geothermal water to the individual ryokan were damaged in the quake and have still not been repaired. As a result, the majority of the town's inns have no clear timeline for resuming full operations.
At Yanagiya Ryokan (柳屋旅館), which has been in business for more than 130 years, the main building collapsed and the annex sustained serious roof and wall damage, forcing a complete closure. According to the local ryokan association, even those establishments whose buildings were relatively undamaged and managed to reopen cannot offer hot-spring baths, severely limiting guest numbers. Some owners are simultaneously servicing debt from repairs required after the previous Kumamoto earthquake in 2016 while now facing a new round of reconstruction costs. The association has launched a crowdfunding campaign specifically to raise funds for pipeline repairs, having concluded that government subsidies alone may not cover the full bill.
Yanagiya Ryokan owner Hiromi Horiuchi (堀内広美) said: "Two months have passed and public attention is fading, but our rebuild hasn't moved forward at all. My hope is to restore the hot spring first, and from there work toward rebuilding the ryokan."
Pair-Go International Tournament at Nagoya Castle — Exhibition Match Features AI Partner
An international pair-go event — in which male and female players team up to compete — was held in Nagoya as an official cultural program of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The tournament, staged in the spectacular Honmaru Goten palace of Nagoya Castle, brought together top professional players from Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
In the final, the Japanese pair of Rina Fujisawa 7-dan and Ryo Ichiriki 9-dan faced a Taiwanese pair and won by resignation playing white, claiming the championship.
Following the main event, an exhibition match was held at a hotel in Nagoya city. The Fujisawa–Ichiriki pair took on a unique team: Yuta Iyama 9-dan partnered with an AI. After a hard-fought game, Iyama and his AI partner, playing black, won by resignation.
Fujisawa 7-dan reflected on the victory: "The appeal of pair go is having three other minds constantly reading the board alongside you. This time I was able to sync up well with Ichiriki 9-dan, and I'm absolutely delighted we won."
Iyama 9-dan, who had the novel experience of playing alongside an AI, offered a measured assessment: "I felt the AI come up with several ideas that would be hard for a human to conceive. That said, I don't think it has yet reached the point of being flawless and error-free, so whether you can fully trust everything the AI does is something you constantly have to think about."
Takeaways
- Omuta City in Fukuoka Prefecture recorded 281mm of rain in 24 hours, the highest September total in its observational history, while Typhoon No. 26 approaching the Amami region threatens to bring further heavy rain to eastern Japan.
- Hot-spring pipelines in Hinagu Onsen remain broken two months after the Kumamoto earthquake, leaving most ryokan unable to reopen, and the local association has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund repairs.
- The Japanese pair of Fujisawa Rina and Ichiriki Ryo won the international pair-go tournament at Nagoya Castle, while Iyama Yuta 9-dan, after partnering with an AI in the exhibition match, cautioned that trusting an AI's every move is something players must always think carefully about.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.