Tweet of the Week #51: Apple Watch Users Told To Go For a Run During Typhoon Hagibis

We were warned: Typhoon Habigis was one monster of a typhoon; a hellish tropical storm of the likes Japan hadn’t seen for decades. Currently, the death toll stands at 74, with thousands of residents still without power or water.* 

Days before its landfall, the Japanese authorities had urged the country to prepare for the worst. 

From early Saturday morning, the Japanese Meteorology Agency (JMA) was in a frenzy issuing flooding and landslide alerts one after another, as deadly torrential rains poured over Japan’s central prefectures. 

Calls for evacuation and for people to take appropriate measures to protect their lives were blasted across all of the areas in immediate danger of a disaster. And for the first time since its creation, a Level 5 “Heavy Rain Alert”—the highest in the JMA’s 5-stage scale—was issued for Tokyo.  

Apple didn’t get the memo

Unless in an evacuation area, people were encouraged to stay indoors to avoid any life-threatening danger coming from the storm winds and rain. 

Unfortunately, it seems like a certain tech giant’s AI didn’t get the memo as Apple Watch users reported receiving notifications suggesting they go for a run right in the middle of the typhoon.  

AppleWatchからとんでもない通知が来た pic.twitter.com/Do7ZBvJecn

— やちよ (@yatiyo_1) October 12, 2019

AppleWatchからとんでもない通知（つうち）が来（き）た = I received an unthinkable notification from my Apple Watch. 

On the watch screen we can see a short motivational reminder that being more active is down to you and you alone.

「今日（きょう）は走（はし）れない」と決（き）めつけているのは自分（じぶん）だけ。そんな意見（いけん）を聞（き）く必要（ひつよう）はありません。今日も走ろう”

= “The only person deciding ‘I can’t run today’ is you. You don’t need to listen to that voice. Let’s run today!”

Twitter users had a great time replying to this one.

どんな天気でも大丈夫。#AppleWatch と一緒ならね（震え声）#apple #CM https://t.co/S6cL8NGAUR

— 昇運さん@長身痩躯で手が大きい (@Get_RisingLuck) October 12, 2019

どんな天気（てんき）でも大丈夫（だいじょうぶ）。#AppleWatch と一緒（いっしょ）ならね（震（ふる）え声（ごえ））

= Whatever the weather. #With AppleWatch *trembling voice*

Apple Watch だが、外で走れとは言ってない。

— Z『元モンテローザ』 (@tamu_19881013) October 12, 2019

Apple Watch だが、外（そと）で走れとは言（い）ってない。= But your Apple Watch doesn’t tell you to run outside. 

I mean, they have a point.

ウチの上司と一緒で草

— 初@工口垢 (@natuyawosukore) October 12, 2019

ウチの上司（じょうし）と一緒で草（くさ） = Sounds like my boss.

We were ready to bet that nobody in their right mind would risk running in a category five typhoon. But it goes without saying: there’s always one. 

多摩川氾濫しそうなのにランナーがいるっていうツイート発見。
隅田川にもいました。。。 pic.twitter.com/GtR0lhyeJz

— nam_m (@naaaaaam5) October 12, 2019

多摩川（たまがわ）氾濫（はんらん）しそうなのにランナーがいるっていうツイート発見（はっけん）。
隅田川（すみだがわ）にもいました。。。

= I found this tweet of a jogger even though the Tama River was flooding. There was also one near Sumida River…

No way!

The Japanese expression とんでもない is one of these phrases that is like a Swiss Army Knife with enough useful variations to get you out of any challenging situation. 

• とんでもない (casual)
• とんでもないです (more polite)
• とんでもないことです (very polite)

With a noun or verb, とんでもない translates to “unthinkable,” “unexpected,” “outrageous,” or “offensive.” 

By itself, とんでもない translates clauses such as:

• “Absolutely not”
• “Impossible” 
• “No way”

but also:

• “Don’t mention it” 
• “You’re welcome”

To give you some more context, you can use とんでもない when:

• • You face something unexpected (negative)
  • You’re outraged by something ridiculous or terrible (negative)
  • You strongly deny what is being said (negative)
  • You turn down or refuse an offer or something bluntly (negative)
  • You try to sound humble (positive—yes, that’s the odd one here!) 

Now and then you’ll likely read とんでもありません or とんでもございません, especially in a formal environment. These expressions are actually incorrect and come from the assumption that ない derives from the verb ある.

とんでもない is actually an i-adjective.

Vocabulary

からとんでもない通知（つうち）が来（き）た

（

For more on learning Japanese

*Donations to the relief effort for Typhoon Hagibis can be made with Nippon Foundation, Japan Platform, and Peace Winds Japan.