Right now (that is, this week) is pretty certainly not the time to be visiting Japan, as much as one would want to show support for the country. There's a significant issue with electricity usage in the Tokyo region: many train services have been canceled today (Monday), and it's very possible that the power company (Tepco) will stage rolling blackouts. Whether or not they do depends on how much power usage can be cut back, and when additional power sources can be brought online. Very much a day-to-day situation.

Power blackouts are much more serious in Tokyo than in most places. A power blackout means no elevators (for most buildings), and no water in many buildings.

Tough decision. Of course you want to see family. They want to see you. Maybe it feels even more urgent now that this disaster has happened.

While well outside of the damage zone, we are still feeling the effects in subtle ways. Gas stations were crowded with people filling up as word of rationing got out. Power issues are serious, with Tokyo Electric customers on rolling blackouts starting today. Other electric companies have urged us to cut our own use, prompting factory closures, reduced store hours, and residents conserving as they are able. Transportation in Tokyo is running but on altered schedules. Going north out of Tokyo is tough going and only possible by airplane or helicoptr or car using secondary roads only.

Kyoto is business as usual so far, but not sure if power cuts will expand to the Kansai area as well.

There is a feeling of deep loss, sorrow and helplessness among people in unharmed Kanazawa - it is tough to go on with everyday life knowing that just a little ways away there is complete and utter devastation. The TV shows nothing other than quake and tsunami info. Most people have family or friends who have been affected. It feels wrong somehow to do something fun.

There is also the warning that came yesterday. It said that seismologists predict a 70% chance of another quake of magnitude 7 or greater within 72 hours, and if that occurs almost surely will be followed by tsunami again. Aftershocks are continuing, at any rate, and are expected to be severe for a month. The nuclear power plant crisis is still unfolding, with this morning reports indicating that efforts to cool the fukushimi Daiichi number 3 reactor have not succeeded yet and last night they warned of possible explosion from that reactor, too. In addition, two other nuclear plants are reported to be experiencing cooling failure, but I formation on the extent or seriousness is scant. At any rate, the first plant emergency is being handled seriously, with 200,000 people evacuated, 150 people being treated for radiation exposure (as of now), and iodine pills ready for distribution.

So - if you decide to make the trip, perhaps make it one of visiting with family and enjoying each other rather than sightseeing.

emmagus, I would be inclined to postpone. Is your mother in law mobile enough to travel? Perhaps you could bring her and another relative, or caregiver, to wherever you are?

Kim, I really value your personal observations. Take good care of yourselves!

I left Japan just a few days ago, and I am following the story with much sadness and I'd like to thank KimJapan for her update on the situation.

I can't help but wonder how power cuts will affect subways and trains in Tokyo that so many communters rely on.

emmagus, it's a tough call, as you're not travelling until April I'd wait a little while and see how things unfold before choosing what to do.

In Tokyo, commuters have been advised to not take the train. However, that is the main form of transport for most people, and as such, the stations have been packed with people waiting for trains that are running on much reduced schedules. This is shown on local news.

Rolling blackouts have been postponed for this morning as conservation efforts were enough to keep demand below supply. But, that doesn't mean they won't implement the blackout plan as early as this afternoon. It is expected for the power shortage to be quite long term, with initial rolling blackout plan covering the time until the end of April.

I'm up in the air also as I am supposed to leave in a little over two weeks - even though I am going straight to Kyoto via shinkansen and then to Kyushu for a week (the volcano there has erupted again as well...) I will end up in Tokyo for a couple of days - that will be almost the middle of April. My airline is allowing a change with no fee as long as you leave by May 10 - of course the period from about 4/29 to 5/5 is Golden Week so I don't think I want to travel then either....oy.....

Kim thank you so very much for your information. It really helps us understand what is happening. Perhaps you should start a new post with the topic of your updates. It has been many years since I was in Japan but it holds a very special place in my heart. The images we are seeing of the devistation are very sobering that is for sure. Take care & thank you again.

Mara - have you thought about flying in/out of Osaka instead of Tokyo, and staying in in the
southern areas?

Guys, I'm struggling with this very issue myself. Initially we thought since we're mostly going to southern areas, that this wouldn't be a big deal--but now reading about the nuclear concerns and what seems to be a chain reaction-type cycle unfolding, I'm seriously wondering if we need to change our planned April 8th trip.

This would be tough to re-plan given that we have to go those 2 weeks, but I suppose with some serious planning we could figure out a Plan B.

I guess my question is: given the choice (and even 2 or 3 weeks down the line) would you look for a Plan B?

I'd look for a plan B. Not as a sure thing, but we just don't know how this is all going to unfold. A second reactor at the same location as the first exploded this morning, but they say the container for the radioactive material is probably intact as readings for radioactivity around the plant have not increased.

More than the nuclear problem, though, which is 300 km north of Tokyo, is the overall damage to the power grid. Even Kanazawa, on the west coast, undamaged, uses power generated by 3 nuclear plants operated by Hokuriku Electric that are in the quake zone and are shut down. The whole country has been urged to conserve in every way possible. It's completely uncharted territory, no one knows what will happen.

It could be all improving from now, but it wouldn't take much to send things into a downward spiral again. A big aftershock, continued trouble at the power plants (it will be days or weeks before they have that under control), even bad weather...those things could all impact how things are panning out.

Today, Tokyo is pretty much a mess. The power cuts have reportedly started, but even here, local news stations are broadcasting sometimes conflicting information...one channel says power is cut in section 3, another says not but will be cut on schedule for section 4...

I'm inclined to think Tokyo will be OK, provided there is not another quake of significant magnitude. There is about 48 hours left on the 72 hour clock they gave for the 70% chance of a quake of magnitude 7 or higher occurring. It is also unknown where that anticipated quake might occur, so everyone has been urged to be prepared, regardless of location. Japan is, after all, sitting on multiple major faults.

2 weeks might make a lot of difference...but right now things just aren't going so well here. Even though areas like Kyoto haven't been affected directly, and life is going on as usual in unaffected areas, it feels a bit strange to me. Many, many people have friends or family members who were in the damage zone. It just feels almost wrong to go about normal daily life while relatively nearby people who survived the initial quake and tsunami are now struggling for basics like food and water. I'm just amazed at how very similar it is all looking to 2004. Japan is more developed and better prepared supposedly than Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka... but is having similar trouble getting aid to those who need it - the areas hardest hit and most in need of help are impossible to access.

I don't know what to tell you, except that from the perspective of being somewhere unscathed yet so close, it's weird, and a little scary. I also have no idea about things like food shortages and gas rationing, transportation schedule cuts...all of those things are happening now on a limited scale in addition to power cuts, and all of those things are local to damaged areas. But, when I bought gas yesterday, there were many doing the same, and the price had jumped ¥10/liter from the last time I had bought it a week before. We've been advised to stock non-perishable food like rice and canned goods.

There is just no telling what will happen. The full scale of damage is not yet known.

I am following this thread with interest as we have plans to go mid-April for a week to Tokyo and Kyoto.

I keep telling myself "it will be better by then" but now I'm starting to wonder. Since we bought a vacation package and our travel dates are inflexible, I think it would be a total loss if we could not go. But I have not called yet to see our options, choosing to "wait and see" right now.

I would wait and see. There is no knowing what is going to happen even in an hour right now. That's the trouble. There are way too many "what ifs" in the equation to make any sort of prediction. All I can tell you is how it is now, and what those around me are saying and feeling. No one is very happy at this time, understandably. But people are naturally pretty resilient and Japanese have a good portion of both "endure" and "do your best" in them.

Wait and see what happens, but have a plan B just in case.

Unfortunately my mother in law will not fly any longer. And I cannot ask two 7 year old boys to sit in her house for 10 days and yet sight seeing feels inappropriate.

I do understand the feeling of numbness and shock because I am in NY and was here for the WTC. And that was not nearly as devastating as what Japan is going through right now (although terrifying). But oddly, even though we were all numb, life returned to "normal" in a couple weeks.

My main worry now is the radiation with my children. I guess we just have to give it another week.

Although I'm lucky enough to have visited Japan last year, and have no plans to go back this year, I'm following this thread with interest. Many thanks to KimJapan for her updates, and much sympathy to everyone in Japan. As KimJapan says, no matter how developed and well-prepared a country is, nature can make all the planning moot. We don't realize how fragile life is until something like this happens.

The source for the most complete and up-to-the-minute English-language information is probably the streaming NHK news, which is live and dubbed, at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

lcuy - my airline(AA) flies to NRT or Haneda from JFK - I would have to change in Tokyo.....
Thanks for your reports, KJ!
rizzuto - I've been watching that online constantly.....

Thanks Kim for the updates and mood information. Being on an island here we know the feeling when a tragedy happens in another neighborhood. Everyone's psyche are affected,the fortunate feel an impassioned guilt. Hopefully the news and mood will be more positive soon. So glad you and your family are safe.

rizz, have been glued to that site.

Yes give it some time......time heals all....eventually even this.

Aloha!

I've just heard that the US State Department has issued a warning and is acting that non-emergency personnel avoid traveling to Japan, it looks like until April 1st.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_5382.html

The US State Department issues warnings and alerts every time the temperature goes above 81 or below 44 for any country on the planet. They are covering their butts rather than providing reliable information.

lol, rizzuto.
The US State Dept. issued its first warning the day of the earthquake even before the nuclear plant issue occurred....and my trip ins. co. doesn't think it's a disaster unless my actual hotel is uninhabitable - isn't that cute....

I usually read the UK rather than the US travel warnings, they're much less alarmist. The Canadian and Australian ones are worth checking, too.

The US State Department aren't exactly intrepid when it comes to travel. They have a very narrow 'comfort zone'!
The UK advice tends to be relaxed and vague along the lines of 'keep calm and carry on' but I've been watching the BBC live news all weekend anyway.

I'd be surprised if Japan can bounce back from a disaster of this scale within months let alone weeks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

Thanks for your updates KimJapan. It must be very hard to be so close to this disaster (emotionally as well as physically).

We are now thinking about canceling our trip in April but will wait a week or so before making the final decision.

Thinking of everyone affected by the earthquake and tsunami and hoping that the seismic activity winds down asap.

I appreciate the updates by KJ and others. Terrible situation, beyond comprehension really. Japan is in my thoughts constantly.

We have been planning a 5-week May/June trip for several months. Two weeks ago we finalized all our plans and reservations in Tokyo, northern Honshu, and Hokkaido starting May 11 and bought a 2-week JR Pass. Five of those nights we had scheduled for stays in what is now the red area on japan-guide.com's "earthquake/tsunami effects" map.

We're pretty patient (love that British "keep calm and carry on" attitude) and usually take a wait-and-see approach. We flew to Europe during the Iceland volcano mess last summer and made out fine, with just a few adjustments. We're also very confident that Japan will be able to recover and rebuild, and we want to support people in their efforts. One way to do that will be to continue to travel to Japan. But given the unfolding situation and the difficulties people are facing in northern Honshu, we regretfully decided tonight to cancel the northern Honshu part of our trip (Morioka, Nyuto Onsen, Kakunodate, Hirosaki) and reroute to Kyoto instead, with perhaps a Miyajima overnight thrown in (been both places but wouldn't mind returning). Then we'll fly from KIX (or Hiroshima if we go to Miyajima) directly to Sapporo for our final two weeks in Hokkaido. I'm starting to work on the reservations now. We can still use the 2-week JR Pass for the time between leaving Tokyo and flying to Hokkaido. Hopefully in the two-month interval between now and then things will get sorted out a bit. The nuclear situation is worrisome.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone in Japan.

Just a quick update from us: after much thought and back and forth, we've decided to forgo our trip to Japan in early April to a later date (possibly next year?) I don't think any of us felt "right" (nuclear and other immediate dangers notwithstanding) about going to a place that's been so devastated from its core out.

Japan has been through hell and I'm sure the Japanese have so much to sort out and make sense of on their own right now. I can't imagine burdening them with the whole 'put on a happy face and let's do a tour' thing. All-in-all, it just felt wrong at the end of the day to try and make this happen--that it was more for us than anything else...and that just wasn't sitting right with any of us.

The silver lining (if there can be one in such a time of terrible tragedy) is that we're going to piggy-back on the in-laws planned pre-Japan trip in China and blow that out to a full 2 1/2 week vacation for all 4 of us. Thank God we have a good agent at this point doing all the legwork--I couldn't even imagine trying to re-jigger this whole trip in just over 2 weeks.

So lots of work ahead, planning/canceling/researching. I'm excited that we're able to preserve our vacation (wherever it may be) but so sad that such a horrific thing has devastated so many people and it leaves all of us feeling small and helpless.

KimJapan, how is Teaghan?

FW, the way things are unfolding this morning, I'd say you've made the right decision. It is not getting better, but seemingly worse. My friend's sister in Chiba reports no gasoline, transport systems running on 30 - 50% schedules, stores sold out of water and batteries among other things.

MrW, Teaghan is great. She's going to be starting second year of junior high in April. Right now, they've been studying earthquakes and volcanoes...how very timely. She is far less worried than we are at this point. It's a benefit of being a kid I guess.

Today, the feeling here in Kanazawa continues to be down. People, while going to school and work still, are not chipper at all. TV is still dedicated to disaster coverage.

otoh, of course I am saying this from NYC - but since most of my trip is in Kyushu - maybe people there would be more likely not to be as down...plus I am going to a resort area - Yufuin - tourism I would think is a big part of their business - so if a lot of folks cancel things will be worse for them...just a thought.
I sort of remember after 9/11 we were encouraged by the then mayor to go out and spend money to help the local merchants...

Today I found out, according to the travel agent who sold us our Singapore Vacations package to Tokyo, that we can cancel and get a refund without penalty. While I am shocked that this is possible, it is a big relief should we need to cancel.

We have about 10 days to wait and see if things change before we have to decide.

Kristina - you're going around Easter, right? Mid April? I would wait if I were you....that's a whole month away - things could get a lot better or worse - no one knows at this point. Plus as far as getting a refund, that should go without saying but unfortunately it doesn't - I remember you had some issues when you made the reservations so I guess it worked out...

I am so sorry your Japan trip won't happen, Billy. I figured you were going to fall in love with Japan, and looked forward to your report.

Don't blame you though...the reactor problems are becoming more and more troubling. Besides the (big) radiation issue, I'm wondering what will happen when all the people stuck in shelters relocate and actually want to start cooking, doing laundry, etc.

So, good call, and I'm glad you are able to slide over to China so easily.

Kristina, lucky you still have a bit of time to decide. Could you transfer the trip to Singapore or China if you end up taking a pass on Japan? Or will you just take the refund and go another time?

Also as a New Yorker who went through 9/11....I don't think tourists would resent you at all coming to Japan. (what I remember feeling resentful was ghoulish types coming to gawk!). But the situation is just escalating this morning and IT SEEMS scientists are concerned about widespread clouds of radioactive material. I am going to see what kind of refund we can get from our airline. I will wait a couple more days to cancel but can't risk exposing my kids to high doses of radioactivity. We feel terrible cancelling as my mother in law is 84 and it is not easy for us to always have the funds to get all four of us over there and pay for a nice vacation for her.

Yes, we were planning to go mid-april, but I would like to decide in the next week or so. I'm still having a hard time believing that we can just cancel for a refund with no penalty, but that's what the travel agent said in an email. True to form though, getting the specifics from him was like pulling teeth.

Lcuy, if we cancel, we probably won't go anywhere until summer, and then it's unlikely it will be to Japan unless we can find a similar good deal.

The news is certainly unnerving, but it's really hard to tell what is the truth. What is the government downplaying and on the other side, what's overblown media hysteria?

I too have been following this thread as our family has flights departing on March 25th, and all of our friends in Japan are advising us not to come. In fact, most expats with children in Tokyo have now left for an extended Spring break, albeit reluctantly and with heavy hearts.

Our problem is that despite the US travel advisory, so far United/Continental is only offering waivers through March 18. I have called the 1K line twice already and they thought it would have been extended by now, but it has not-any advice? At this point, we would lose 1000 dollars if we change or cancel our 4 tickets.

Thanks for any help...

Hi Everyone, Thanks for sharing your plans (and changes of plans). Here's our latest update on air travel to Japan, featuring some of your personal experiences:

http://www.fodors.com/news/story_4478.html

I am relieved to hear that about T, KimJapan. Gambatte,

CO has just extended the waiver to cover till March 31. UA hasn't yet.

So American will give us a one year voucher. I always worry with vouchers that somehow we won't be able to use them (which seems to happen). And frankly, if there is a nuclear meltdown, I don't want to go to Japan for a while with the kids. Which makes this decision to cancel so difficult because my 84 year old mother in law refuses to fly.

So if we cancel.....help..... I can't think straight. Where would be a good vacation with two 7 year olds in April? Italy? We never take vacations anymore. Which thread should I go to?

Well, it's 8:00 am March 16. Overnight a 6.2 quake in Shizuoka was felt here in Kanazawa. Many other smaller quakes are occurring all over, more than usual, which is unsettling. They are now saying that Friday's events are not the long predicted "big one" and that is still coming, maybe soon. Who knows.

This morning a second fire broke out at reactor number 4 of Fukushina Daiichi, but now there are only 50 workers left on site. The other 750 were evacuated already. All six reactors there are in some state of trouble.

The whole Tokyo area is starting to panic it seems. Store shelves are empty. Actually, here too, yesterday we had to go to four stores to find bread. Other items were not sold out. Today, I'm going to buy a stock of rice and flour.

Trying to keep perspective is challenging. A Japanese friend living in Kanazawa called me last night to ask what English news was reporting about radiation because she's not trusting what she's hearing. She's thinking about taking her kids to another country. She's usually very level-headed so I am surprised, and worried that perhaps I'm missing something. I don't know.

KimJapan - can you watch the Rachel Maddow show on your computer in Japan? (Try http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/42080660#42080660 ) I'm watching it in France (my hotel TV only has French-language channels) and she has been doing some very good information pieces on how the reactors worked, how they've probably failed, and the effects of radiation. I don't know what I would do if I were living in Japan right now.

Thank you Kathy. I'm watching that now.

More bad news. From the MSNBC website:

""All the workers there [Fukushima Daiichi] have suspended their operations. We have urged them to evacuate, and they have," Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yukio Edano said, according to a translation by NHK television.

Edano said that a surge in radiation Wednesday morning meant workers were unable to continue even minimal efforts at the stricken nuclear plant."

Yes, CNN is now saying that ops at the site have been suspended.

At lunch, the reporter asked an expert how will we know that the situation is "really bad" [my words, might have even been "out of control"]. He said that would be when the workers onsite evacuate the plant.

The expert on CNN is saying that he hopes that the government statement about the workers evacuating isn't the whole story. He's hoping that they will clarify the statement, saying that they took these workers out and are putting another group in, that they are not just walking away from the plant.

One of them, CNN or govt spox, said that the radiation levels were too high for them to work.

The evacuation order for the 50 workers on site has been lifted about 1 1/2 hours ago. It was in place for about an hour. Now they are trying to get #5 and #6 cool in addition to the trouble with #1 - #4. This is from NHK live broadcast.

Saw the same at Yahoo!

I've been pretty disappointed with CNN tonight. Usually I like Anderson Cooper and tonight it was all a bunch of speculation and conjecture. No one had a clue as to what was happening (they didn't know if the last 50 workers had abandoned the plant or not) so they just kept talking about "what if" as if it were fact.

Anderson Cooper is not doing so good, I agree. He bailed to Akita and is now in Hachinohe. The guy now with the pretty pictures is just putting on a show.

Earlier, they had some good experts on with a deceent interviewer. The GE whistleblower and the guy before him. They were talking like the nuclear engineers that they were, not like reporters.

They said that the defects in the design of plants of those make/model were found in 1972. The NRC or said in the 90s that there was a 90% chance that plants of that design would have some type of failure (I don't recall the specifics). The other guy resigned over those designs and was talking about the Fukushima reactors from first-hand experience.

CNN is repeating the closure report with the words "Breaking News" in the report. Below is a crawler saying "Breaking" - the workers returned. CNN is a mess now.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

The above carries an English language translation of NHK tv....if that is any better than CNN....

According to my relatives, the streets in Tokyo are empty. My mother in law has friends ordering bread on a sort of "black market"because the store shelves are bare. We are in the process of cancelling our trip

Hey all. I am so glad I tripped across this. I was scheduled to fly into Tokyo on April 7th. As it stands, Continental/UA will not change my flight without paying a $250/per ticket fee. I actually purchased travel insurance for once in my life and they also will do nothing. Unbelievably frustrating.

Regardless, it's been really good to read everyone's comments here on both whats going on in Japan as well as people in my situation. Thank you all!

The United travel waiver for Japan is currently through March 31. There is a link in the middle of the united homepage.

Thanks for NHK World link, Mara. I was watching the channel on cable in a hotel recently and enjoyed their programming. There were some good programs about life in Japan. It is not on my home cable.

mrwunrfl - I don't have it at home either, and I also watched it in a Chicago hotel of all places when I was there briefly last July...but now it doesn't appear to have the regular programming, just news or news repeats.....my cable company and others, I think, are giving free access to TV Japan but that's all in Japanese....

This is a reply to Emmagnus regarding another possible destination in light of the fact that you will not be traveling to Japan. I do know that Europe is insanely expensive during the summer (I am not deeply regretting my promise to take my step daughter there as a graduation present). I would suggest, if you haven't been already, that Costa Rica is a MOST excellent destination for 7 YR's. We were there this past July, It's only 2.5 hours away from Miami, and there are a million things to do in Costa Rica for kids. It is safe, with great infrustructure, wonderful people, and not insanely expensive and I do think American flys directly to San Jose. We saw dozens of US kids of all ages there, having a blast! And we really enjoyed it ourselves.

I just got confirmation from our travel agent; we have until April 1st if we want to cancel for a full refund minus a $100 fee. I'm going to hold off, at least for a few more days. At this point, it's really to late for us to book a trip elsewhere for our dates (airfare just too expensive to Europe for example).

Kristina, Hold off until 3/31.....what have you got to lose at this point? The next ten days will tell us a lot more one way or the other.

Aloha!

For those future travelers to Japan, the Japan-Guide site often mentioned here has a thread on going in their forum section that has live and updated reports from travelers on the ground in Japan right now on any inconveniences(if any) they are experiencing in Tokyo and throughout Japan.

Aloha!

Yes, I agree, ht - japan-guide is invaluable - the webmaster is doing a magnificent job there with frequent updates plus now posts show the time (JST) which is a new feature.
Also the Japan forum on tripadvisor.com has a lot of current reports.

FWIW, we have cancelled our trip to Japan (March 26th through April 8). My travel dates are covered in United's Travel Waiver but I do not know if I am entitled to a refund or I can only reschedule my trip without having to pay a fee.

Thanks,
D

KimJ, any idea on the postal service in Tokyo? Wondering if I can send provisions to my relatives and friends there.

Depends where. In unaffected areas post is fine. I received a package sent from the states last thursday on Tuesday. I would not try to send anything to affected areas but others ok. Insure it or send it Fedex.

From an NRC press release:

Under the guidelines for public safety that would be used in the United States under similar circumstances, the NRC believes it is appropriate for U.S. residents within 50 miles of the Fukushima reactors to evacuate.

The United waiver policy waives the change fees. So, dukkar, you are not entitled to a refund. Looks like you have until April 30 to make the change I would call and ask for a refund though. You could try to get a refund online.

If a flight is cancelled, or if there is a United-controlled delay of more than 2 hours, or if there is a schedule change of more than 2 hours then you can get a refund. There is also a policy for "involuntary refunds".

Might be a good idea for a person who wants a refund to wait and see if there is a 2+ hour schedule change or a flight cancellation.

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,52939,00.html

I don't know about United but when I called AA they said I could get a voucher good for a year and it doesn't say that on the website - just that you can reschedule for free by May 10th...it can't hurt to call and beg....

http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=566799182

Interesting interview from the British Embassy in Tokyo - about the Fukushima nuclear plant....

mrwunrfl and Mara:

Quick update: My travel agent called United and he said that I will be getting a full refund.

Thanks,
D

UA/CO are now allowing cancellation and refund of trips to Japan through 3/31. Doesn't include those just transiting to other destinations - for those cases, you're still allowed one free change, but not refund.

Oh, sorry, just read their news release again. Actually, it seems like you can indeed get your ticket refund even if just flying through Japan on UA/CO through 3/31.

I'm currently in korea and people over here don't really see why not go to osaka and kyoto.
But even still, I CANCELLED. I'm in a bit of a situation now because my korean tourist visa is about to expire (28th) and i haven gotten the refund from my airline and hotels yet to book another flight somewhere else. but still better be safe than srry and not have loved ones worring. i wrote about it more in my blog....
http://nutball.weebly.com/japan.html

For those who don't have link, here's ....
http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0018.html


Also, as of last night, there was quite a disparity between what US was suggesting for any Americans in Japan vs. what Japanese govt was saying ..... specifically, US advising that all Americans should maintain at least a distance of 50 miles from nuclear plant site locations, whereas Japanese 20 kilometer range.

Mara, AA is also offering a refund for flights from now to April 10, 2011.

Here's a link that I found:- http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Travel_Notice/japan_earthquake1.jsp

Hope this helps.

RJames - I tried to figure out that link...thanks. It seems to apply to TAs and I bought my ticket from AA and they are only offering rebooking by 5/10 or a voucher....

I just checked the AA website - you can now rebook until 7/10 without a change fee.....of course, that doesn't mean there's a seat available in your fare zone or whatever they call it...but it's something.
Still haven't made my decision....

Mara, there is a long thread on Flyer Talk about AA's policy on flights to/from NRT and HND. I will be connecting via NRT and I'm hoping that AA will have a policy that will allow me to make changes. I've been following that thread and got the link above from the thread, while the page maybe geared towards travel agents, somepeople have reported being able to get a refund from AA when cancelling their ticket. Here's a link to the thread it is fairly long:- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-aadvantage/1193271-japan-earthquake-related-aa-events-flight-diversions.html
Obvioulsy, if you are going to cancel than a refund is much better than a credit voucher. I know it is a difficult decisssion, good luck.

I hate vouchers.....it is a lot of money.....like a store credit you may never get to use.

Really, they should be offering refunds. I got a refund from Tunisair (minus a 30 euro processing fee) when I canceled at the end of January, even though the situation was looking somewhat better then.

Thanks, RJames, for the link to flyertalk - I was thinking of checking them out but didn't get around to it - I have now read all 14 pages in that thread - evidently toward the end someone posted that the twitter and/or Facebook entries that full refunds to original form of payment were available have since been removed....

hi,

I know how you feel, I just cancel my trip to japan 2 days ago. This was my baby project (3 years in the making). My dream package tour was bought over 9 months ago for my 35th birthday. I'm from Canada. I don't even know if the insurance will give my back the money. Because I was going on april 16. They have many clauses, if the warning not to fly to Japan is removed withing 48 hours of the date to my departure, I will lose my money (over 3,500$). But I do not have the heart play the tourist when the coutry is stricken by desaster. I cannot see my self indulging. It just wrong, my heart goes to them. Well there was my little thought.

ev and others......please suffer my opinions and thoughts.....

First of all my heartfelt thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences go out to all of the Japanese people. I want to express as much support to their cause as I possibly can right now as you do

With that said I hope I don't offend most when I suggest you support and help by not canceling but altering your trip or your plans to include Japan and try to visit another "safe and convenient" portion of the country which would support them in spirit, body, mind,their pocket books and soul.

I realize that the question of radiation is still not clear and tourists especially with children should certainly pass.....but until we know (and it should be within two weeks) if the radiation problem will be tantamount then a great way of support is to carry on with your trip to the unaffected parts of Japan (which are many) and support the Japanese by spending your money there and not abandoning them in their time of greatest need because of the guilt we are feeling. Anyone who thinks they will be catching the Japanese at their worst will be in for a shock as you will get to witness first hand the fighting spirit which makes up their persona. You will not be getting in the way in the unaffected parts of the country and you will be shoulder to shoulder with the Japanese showing your support(with your tourist dollar) for them in person and experiencing first hand the reasons why a great society doesn't turn to looting and chaos in its time of need.

Those are a few of my thoughts of another way we can help the Japanese people. I hope I didn't offend anyone as I respect all of your opinions.

Aloha!

thanks for expressing so well the same thoughts as I have, hawaiiantraveler.

Mara the thread was shorter yesterday when I posted the link on this forum. I am sorry I didn't want to get your hopes up, I just wanted to let you know a refund was a possibility, at least at that time. Shame on AA for changing that.

The situation is bad enough, thousands of lives lost, many people forced to move to shelters, extensive damage, and all the airines can do is capitalize on the situation. (AFAIK, none of the airlines have had special fares for those wanting to leave Japan, some airlines do not have any rebooking/refund policies for customers holding tickets to Japan, etc).

HT, great point about looting, I too was discussing the subject recently and inspite of somepeople having lost everything there is no looting, can't say the same would be the case had the earthquake and tsunami happened elsewhere. Japan is a haven, I can travel there without fear of pickpockets, scams, touts, food poisioning, etc. I hope things improve for the Japanese people, they have always been wonderful hosts when I've visited their country.

Mara the thread was shorter yesterday when I posted the link on this forum. I am sorry I didn't want to get your hopes up, I just wanted to let you know a refund was a possibility, at least at that time. Shame on AA for changing that.

The situation is bad enough, thousands of lives lost, many people forced to move to shelters, extensive damage, and all the airines can do is capitalize on the situation. (AFAIK, none of the airlines have had special fares for those wanting to leave Japan, some airlines do not have any rebooking/refund policies for customers holding tickets to Japan, etc).

HT, great point about looting, I too was discussing the subject recently and inspite of somepeople having lost everything there is no looting, can't say the same would be the case had the earthquake and tsunami happened elsewhere. Japan is a haven, I can travel there without fear of pickpockets, scams, touts, food poisioning, etc. I hope things improve for the Japanese people, they have always been wonderful hosts when I've visited their country.

RJames - I called AA last night after I found some other link on their own website and I was told I can get a refund to my cc.
However, I am still planning to go as of this moment.
I live near the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn NY and it just crawls with tourists. A few minutes ago I was crossing the street and saw an Asian guy with orange dyed hair. I started a conversation and turns out he is visiting here from Tokyo. In my broken Japanese I told him when and where I was going and he seemed to think it was fine - not that I am relying on some guy I met in the street but it was nice to get an ordinary Japanese person's viewpoint....
A little OT but some phone companies - mine is one - are giving free calls to Japan.....

I am still on the fence. I keep waiting for some definitive information about the nuclear issue, any kind of change or improvement which will help me decide and so far it has not been forthcoming.

HT, thanks for your thoughts on this. I could not agree with you more, and if we do go, it will be for all the wonderful reasons you mentioned.

HT- I hope you don't mind, but I re-posted your thoughts on travel to Japan on my blog's Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/wired2theworld

It's been difficult to answer our friend's claims that we are either crazy or selfish to continue to consider going on our trip and I thought your words so eloquently expressed how we felt about going to Japan right now. Thank you.

HT and others on this forum- you helped me with my plans to travel in few a weeks to Yokohama, Hakone and Kamakura.

I agree HT that it would be an important step towards recovery for Japan to maintain their visitors industry to the parts of the country which were not directly affected.

It's true that every area is affected directly or indirectly with rolling outages, supplies, altered train schedules, etc.

It's true the mood may be somber.

My plan is to ask the owners of the establishments we are visiting whether they recommend we come. If they says yes, I have full confidence that we should go.

Kim Japan, do you think this sounds reasonable ?

kristina, here are some typical street photos taken yesterday by a foreigner living in Tokyo. He has posted other snapshots at night showing establishments still open but have cut back on lighting, and stores shelves still well stocked with goods, although rice, bread, and toilet paper sell out quickly every morning (due to hoarding). I thought these photos give a more real view than the news coverage which often is too sensationalized.

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26054/Tokyo+Evacuation.html

Looks like Singapore Airlines has postponed the introduction of an A380 for LAX-NRT. There are other changes to their service.

http://donotstuck.blogspot.com/

Okoshi2002 - I guess you know there are some issues with travel in the greater Tokyo area - above link seems to be a good listing that's frequently updated....of course there is more info if you can read the Japanese websites....

Plus Japan-guide does more general updates:
http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0018.html

Thanks HT!

We were feeling a little "guilty" I guess but do see your point. We will now be altering our June trip to include the southern island of Kyushu instead of our planned time up in Tohoku. We watch and pray for a safe outcome for all the people of Japan.

I've been following this thread--as have so many, I'm sure--but I don't know/remember when different posters have trips planned. I also think HT's perspective is to be commended--and would have agreed wholeheartedly until this evening. We just came back from dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant in Manhattan and a long conversation with one of the owners. She usually spends half the year in Japan,half here; her brother who lives in the south of Japan, has advised her not to plan on coming for at least a couple of weeks until it's clearer how things settle out. Apparently the aftershocks are starting to affect areas south of Tokyo and are "moving south". I've seen/heard nothing about this in the news here, but she watches the Japanese network and is in regular touch with her family in Japan.

The other owner just left for Tokyo but will be returning Tuesday, and will be able to confirm more immediately what makes sense for travel plans.

My husband's company cancelled his upcoming May trip to Tokyo. He visits about once every two years on business and the advice was to wait until things have stabilized and the availability of consumables has increased for the citizens of Japan before venturing there. At that time, Japan will welcome visitors again. Right now is just not the time.

He was sent this link this morning:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/20/in-disaster-stricken-japan-third-world-scenes/?icid=main%7Chp-laptop%7Cdl2%7Csec3_lnk1%7C206726

If even 10% of this report is accurate, it is compelling in its portrayal of a country in great crisis that is widespread, far-reaching, and immediate.

Prayers to all who are affected.

Our relatives have asked us NOT to come. They feel it is a difficult time to be in Japan and puts a burden on them as far as finding food (the shelves are often bare), transportation (many of the local lines are not running), electricity (my mother in law is without power 4-6 hours per day) and not wanting to be enjoying a vacation when so many are suffering. In addition, there are still aftershocks. Our trip was for April 17. So after much haggling on the phone, I did manage to get the supervisor at American Airlines to give us a TOTAL refund--Which I would like to say here how much I gratefully appreciate that.

I would only ask people to be practical. I know several posters are recommending trips to Japan on this forum as well as the japan-guide forum. I just cannot come to terms with visiting Japan and having a frolicking time while the country is mourning. And it doesn't matter whether you are visiting Western or Southern Japan. Cancel your trip (if it's a non-essential trip) so you do not strain the resources that the Japanese residents need.

If you really want to help Japan recover, donate your money to American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/). If you have already donated money, then donate the amount that you were planning on spending in Japan on your vacation. You can always make your Japan trip when things get to normal out there. This way, you will be helping the country twice over!

I wish for the safety and quick recovery of Japan and its residents.

Wow Dukkar, I sure wish I could donate $5k to Japan, but I gotta admit....I can't afford that kind of donation....
As I mentioned, I live in NY and lived here on 9/11 and we really had no problem at all with tourists coming to NY while we were in a state of shock. We were resentful of the ghoulish tragedy mongers, but by no means at all, did we feel resentment towards those who had travel plans here and were eating out and living their lives. It helped bring us back to normal.

I'm still waiting to see how things change there because my trip is not until next month. I won't be going if the situation at the nuclear power plant deteriorates.
It's an entirely personal decision and I certainly don't think less of anyone who chooses to go or not go.

However, I cannot see how my staying in a hotel room for which I've already paid, and eating out at restaurants which are suffering from a drop in business, is putting a strain on resources. People are canceling their trips in droves. What is going to happen to all the people who live in unaffected areas and depend on tourism for their livelihood?

I'm not going to gawk at the tsunami aftermath, take food out of the mouths of children, or beds from the elderly. I'm going to be a tourist. Perhaps my trip won't be "frolicking" but I will certainly appreciate every moment of it and I seriously doubt the residents of Tokyo and Kyoto will resent my presence there.

I am just now joining the discussion although I have been following it from time to time. Kristina, I agree with you. I really do think that as long as we are sympathetic and respectful, there is nothing wrong with visiting and helping their economy by leaving our tourist money there.

My husband and I are supposed to go on Apr 7, 5 nights in Tokyo, then 5 nights in Kyoto. We have been seriously discussing postponing our long awaited trip to next April, but have yet to make the final decision. On one hand there seems to be improvement to the situation at the nuclear plants and signs that things are stabilizing and will slowly get back to normal enough for us outsiders not to know the difference (this is our first trip to Japan). On the other hand, how can we think of going when we see in the news that foreign goverments are sending special charter planes to evacuate their citizens. It would be silly of us to go to the very place that everyone else is trying to evacute. My husband still thinks that a lot can change (improve) in two weeks, especially with such industrious and determined people such as Japanese, but I am not so sure any more. I even tried to look into booking another trip some place else in the world, but just did not have the heart for it. If we don't go to Japan, we'll probably just shorten our vacation time and drive up to somewhere local for a few days just to relax.

BTW, if there is a silver lining in this tragedy, it's that I (along with everyone else I talk to) have developed a whole new level of respect and admiration for the japanese people - they are a true inspiration for the rest of the (sometimes self-absorbed) world! If anything, it makes me even more determined to want to visit this wondelful land as soon as possible.

I spoke to my friend in Kyoto yesterday and she said life is normal there and sees no reason why I shouldn't visit. My friend in Hyogo prefecture is taking weekend day trips as usual and posted pictures of a little town's festival on her blog.
The rest of my trip is in Kyushu and from some reports I read online all is fine there.
I live in NYC and after 9/11 life did not stop for the living.
Of course, the area where the earthquake and tsunami hit the hardest may never get back to normal....and families and friends of the deceased and missing will never be the same either.

No problem Kristina and thanks.

Mara, how apropos, and you will be there during the cherry blossoms which will have a special meaning this year. It will be a year when everyone remembers the fragility of the sakura and its true meaning....

Every time I am there during the Sakura I always hear Ken Watanabe's voice in my mind as I stare mesmerized at the blossoms.......The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life

Hoping this will be a special trip for you all.

Aloha!

My husband and I are scheduled to leave for Tokyo on May 8th. The plan was to spend 7 days there, taking side trips to Kamakura and Nikko, spend a night in Hakone, then go on to Kyoto and Nara. We had pretty much decided to pull the plug on the trip, and I've started planning a last-minute trip to Paris instead. But I'm torn. I think now that the Kyoto part would still work, but I'm just not sure about Tokyo. I keep hearing about rolling blackouts, reduced transportation, lights off at night, even food shortages. And of course there's the question of radiation--most people on the streets are wearing masks. This wouldn't be the Tokyo we wanted to see. We probably won't be able to visit more than once; it makes sense to me to reschedule for next year.

I guess my question is--does anyone have a sense of what Tokyo is like for a tourist now? (I realize nobody can predict 6 weeks out--but that's not very far away.)

Mara I think your plans are sensible . Thanks for the links to keep abreast of the train schedules.
We will continue to follow the developments daily. By April 1 we hope to have a better idea of where things stand. Unless new set backs occur we plan to leave April 7 as planned.

What the Japanese people need is not pity. Nor do they want to be shunned or avoided, all of which unfortunately occur in times of tragedy or loss. We can be present amongst them, quietly and with dignity, and share in their difficult moments, even if only as a transient visitor can.

Japan, as one of the richest countries in the world, does not rely on tourist dollars to support their economy. You want to support their economy now, buy a car for yourself and everyone in your family. The argument that tourist dollars would somehow be needed at this time is weak.

I'm having a bit of a hard time comparing this cascade of disasters in Japan to the tragedy of 9/11 in New York City. 9/11 was an absolute disaster on Every level, but the area of damage in the City was contained and it was a 'singular' event contained within a specific area of Manhattan. I am Not diminishing, in any way, the importance of 9/11 but simply referring to obvious geographic differences.

In any event, most people stayed away from the city for awhile that fall and let the appropriate mediators do what they needed to do to get things up and running again as quickly as possible. People weren't 'shunning' New York, they were getting the heck out of the way so others could do the job right. Japan's situation is fragile and very unstable. It isn't the right time to go there.

As I said, my husband's May trip was cancelled and his August trip has now been cancelled. The truth of the situation in Japan is beyond my understanding and scope, apparently, but common sense should prevail. I can't imagine that using up consumables, taking up space, requiring the citizens of Japan to cater to a visitor's needs in any way would be a way to show support to a country absolutely plunged in tragedy.

Again, prayers to all those affected by this ongoing disaster.

"Japan, as one of the richest countries in the world, does not rely on tourist dollars to support their economy. You want to support their economy now, buy a car for yourself and everyone in your family. The argument that tourist dollars would somehow be needed at this time is weak."

I think the owners of many family-run businesses like ryokans and restaurants near the popular tourist sights would beg to differ with you on the idea they don't need your dollar now. While I agree, it might be best to at least keep a weather eye on the situation if your travel wasn't planned for a couple of months or so yet, my understanding from a number of friends in various parts of Japan is as follows:

Wouldn't recommend ground or ocean travel north of Tokyo right now in any scenario except if you are an aid worker. Wouldn't mind if the foreign media went home, either. Tokyo has some inconveniences due to the 1/8th reduction of total available power currently experienced. Warmer spring weather is expected to bring a reduction of blackouts for spring, if only slightly, and perhaps the other two plants currently offline in the earthquake zone will be able to get back online. Even if not, some experts think blackouts might even cease to be necessary soon until the hot weather of June, July and August entice people to start up their A/C.

If travel is necessary but can be confined to western Japan (Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, etc) then so be it. With all the stress and upheaval, I hate to say this, but I would think hard whether travel to see an 84 year old mother might be termed necessary travel, especially if you could visit with her in Kyoto. This is a bit different than going and expecting to be catered to.

TravlinGertie, In our case, my 84 year old mother in law specifically asked us repeatedly NOT to come as I mentioned above. 1. She lives South of Tokyo but is having food shortages and people are scrambling for the basics. What stores are open, the shelves are still bare. Neighbors are finding ways to get food and share it and we would be bringing four people to her house. 2. While the train service has been restored she still has rolling black outs of 4-6 hours daily. 3. She is experiencing two aftershocks per day. 4. Finally, she said she had no desire to go to Kyoto this year as she felt it was inappropriate to be touring when so many who are suffering (she is Japanese....this does not pertain to those who are visiting from abroad). Believe me, we were VERY torn about cancelling this trip as she is getting older and we were all very excited to see each other again. Our kids are growing fast.

The reason I compare it to 9/11 is that it was an unprecedented disaster in a first world country and tourist destination. While there were no food shortages or power shortages after 9/11, the city was in grief and shock and most of us were also frightened (as I imagine those in Tokyo are feeling). Every airplane flying overhead made us cringe as I understand all the aftershocks are making Japanese nervous. Loud bangs on the subways made some people cry. I am not sure if a tourist would notice the fear we felt and as I said, it didn't bother any of us to have tourists here. And they were here once airline restrictions were lifted--especially from Europe to shop because the dollar was so weak. (The souvenir hawkers and hole gapers still bug me at ground zero!)

bowsprit, What troubles me about what you wrote is the misrepresentation of the facts. In case you have forgotten, 9/11 was not only an attack on NYC. There was an attack on the Pentagon in Washington DC and the first defensive battle of the war took place over the skies of PA which ended on the Pennsylvania fields. How dare you forget and make such lite of the day in order to try and prove your point. I guess the left winged media in the US did their job.....

Also stating that Japan,or any other developed country for that matter,does not rely on tourist dollars is naive and simply not true.

As another noted here earlier, whether you go to Japan or cancel depends on where you plan to be and what the nature of the trip is.

A company trip being canceled in May and August can mean something entirely different and not have anything to do with travel conditions.

Clearly there are high emotions about whether to go or not- what I would like are facts to base this decision on.

Japan doesn't rely on tourist money as much as other countries do. That is true, but some Japanese rely on tourists more than other Japanese.

Buying a Toyota for $25,000 does help Japan's economy. A Toyota worker might spend some fraction of that money at a ryokan - or other Japanese business (for food, shoes, fuel, etc.).

But 30000 yen spent by a foreign tourist at a ryokan gets money directly into the hands of a ryokan owner who depends on foreign tourists. Same for other tourist oriented businesss (and indirectly to the businesses that rely on them).

Of course, it is not literaly handed over directly, hand to hand. You put it in the little dish and then the proprietor picks it up.

Really, hawaiian? That's what you got out of my post? Read much?

Go, don't go. Whatever. But don't make it seem like you're going there to 'help' anyone. You're not helping anyone by going. The shops shouldn't be selling Anything to tourists; they should be making their shelved goods available for sale to their neighbors. Restraint would be best; stay home and stay out of the way for now.

My husband's company cancelled both trips because it was deemed unsafe to travel to Japan at this point. As I said, do what you wish. I'd like to say, 'Have a great time!' but that's just so inappropriate.

I'm still going. Leaving May 11 for a 5-week stay. We did cancel the Tohoku part of our trip (substituted Kyoto and Miyajima), and are now flying from KIX to Hokkaido for the last 2 weeks of the trip rather than taking the train north. We're starting with a week in Tokyo.

I heard a report on "Marketplace" on NPR tonight that discussed the impact of the loss of tourism for some individual businesses highlighted in the report. Business down 98%; in one case the owner has laid off all his employees and is doing the work himself for now. I'm generally not a high-impact traveler, but I will be giving business to hotels, restaurants, and shops, which I hope will be helpful.

My only problem at this point is that the reservation firm Japanese Guest Houses for some reason canceled our reservations at 3 ryokans (in Kamakura, Takayama, and Shirakawa-go) despite our confirming with them that we wanted to keep them. It's a puzzle. Trying to get them to restore the reservations but haven't been able to get a response so far. Maybe tomorrow.

mrwunrfl, after all these yrs., I still love reading your posts..."Of course, it is not literally handed over directly, hand to hand. You put it in the little dish and then the proprietor picks it up."

Such a good understanding of Japan and how things are done.

thinkig about the years emd? you have ANOTHER hbd coming up soon, e, sooner than last year.

bowsprit, thanks for telling us what to do. I had been thinking about making a trip to Japan and your post has helped me decide. I will start planning by seeing if I can find the plans for the Kamogawa Odori are this year. Having seen the Miyako Odori in the company of two wonderful women, I wanted to see what kind of show the Pontocho hanamachi puts on. Your post, bowsprit, spoke to my stubborness and I already have a Toyota.

Not quite sure what left wing or right wing has to do with this topic. Can we please avoid that kind of stuff in here?...this is what makes us different than the Lounge.

KimJapan, how/where are you?

I'm here in Kanazawa. Life marches on. Here we only see somber mood and that batteries and flashlights are sold out or close to it everywhere. Gasoline prices have increased. Other than that, Kanazawa is unaffected. We watch the news. Sometimes it's good - a 16 year old boy and his 80 year old grandmother rescued after 9 days trapped in the collapsed house that was shifted 100 meters by tsunami, luckily trapped in the kitchen with a few supplies accessible in the tipped over fridge. Both doing well.

And sometimes bad news...like reactor number 3 spewing smoke again forcing evacuation of workers again, and radioactive iodine detected in Tokyo tap water at a level acceptable for adults but not for infants so parents are being urged to not allow children to drink tap water. And 11 types of vegetables and milk from the affected area have too high levels of radiation....Poor farmers.

KimJapan: Sorry for what you're going through. I hope things improve soon.

I'm not going through anything. But a lot of people sure are.

Exactly.

Precisely!

Glad you are ok Kim, karma neh?

I have always wanted to see the Kamogawa Odori geisha but we were only there once in May and we were up north. My daughters have two Nissans.

April, I know that Kamakura, which is just outside of Tokyo, is affected with rolling electricity black outs which is why they may have canceled you. The problem of electricity in the Kanto area will be ongoing for a while and even predicted to get worse this summer before getting better so the less time there in that area is better for all concerned. As I know you know by your itinerary, Japan is a big country and there are other areas to visit. I wonder if anyone was asking people not to travel to LA or Orlando after 9/11? I think some here might have been....

One of the main reasons I love the Asia board is that it's members don't try to censor you like they do in the lounge.

Aloha!

I just wanted to write and say how affecting this column was to read. Thanks to all who wrote their opinion and knowledge as sometimes people in such columns can be quite irrational, rude or insensitive...but not here. We all share concerned for Japan and its people and wish them strength, hope and love. When things calm down, be sure to visit, as there is no place as unique or special as Japan...that is clearly evident right here!

Didn't realize I was censoring. Sorry to have offended. Just was hoping to keep a non-political topic non-political.

I'll exit this conversation now.

ht, your memntion of 9/11 and travel after it brought back a memory of my first trip to Japan. I talked to a young Japanese woman on the train who was surprised at my trip. She wondered why I wasn't afraid to travel, because of the terrorism. This was in November, 2001. Not that this story is relevant to this thread, it just popped into mind. I also remember on that trip seeing a Japanese news broadcast on TV and the only word I recognized was "Tariban". The reporter was talking about U.S. action in Afghanistan.

Good to hear from you KimJapan and that you are well in Kanazawa.

For those interested a site up by the Japanese Govt now shows radiation levels now throughout Japan. You will at least get a lesson of the different prefectures that make up Japan. Note the areas most affected are in the Northern Tohoku region.

http://www.mext.go.jp/english/radioactivity_level/detail/1303986.htm

Aloha!

More bad news this afternoon. Three workers suffered radiation burns yesterday from water inside reactor number 3, and this has prompted investigation into how so very high a level of radiation got into the water they encountered. They are speculating that the water is leaking from the reactor or perhaps the pipes leading to the reactor, and they are worried that the containment vessel is not containing the fuel/water. They are advising people in the area 20 - 30 km around the plant to prepare for mandatory evacuation. They have also advised that people in areas with high radiation should voluntarily evacuate as soon as possible to ease evacuation efforts. A big problem is that there really are not any evacuation centers left with so many quake and tsunami victims, and now nuclear victims too.

Thanks for the update, Kim. Very sorry, but not inordinately surprised, to hear that. Stay safe.

Have been following this thread, and indeed all the updates on the catastrophic situation in north-eastern Japan as my sister, her husband, their two adult children and close family friends with a 6 month old baby have decided not to cancel their flight to Osaka (500km south of Tokyo) this Monday.

They're not tourists exactly - it's a wedding celebration, a traditional Japanese ceremony at Edo Castle in Tokyo no less, of their youngest son who has lived in Japan the past five years and fallen in love with a beautiful local lass.

The wedding has already been traumatised by the unexpected death of the bride's mother a month ago - and after overcoming so many hurdles with the acceptance of a 'round eye' in a very culturally traditional family, the couple were determined for the wedding to take place as planned.

In spite of horrendous aftermath of earthquake, tsunami and now atomic fallout devastation, they are still determined that the wedding will take place as planned.

Love conquers all!

But heck, I will worry about my nearest and dearest, who have decided that karma will rule on their safety and wellbeing and that life must continue on in the midst of grief and deep sorrow both in the family and in all of Japan.

An update for ticket holders with UA. They have extended their refund period through April 30th.

Malone, congratulations to your nephew and I wish your family a safe trip.
I hope the cherry blossoms are at their peak for the wedding! Love conquers all

We just got a full refund from UA through faregeek.com, after a bit of struggle with the agency.

UA updated their travel waiver to April 30th:
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52939,00.html

A different view of life in Tokyo than we've been reading about taken just last Sunday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFXuOxdskn8

I go by what my relatives say.....they are having a hard time getting some of the basic staples like rice and milk. They have asked us not to come.

I personally don't think things are being over reported but life does go on and does go back to normal--especially if you have kids.

It depends where you are. I'm not in Tokyo, but Kanazawa. Life is going on. But people are still somber. We cancelled on onsen trip...not because of fear or lack of supplies, but because we just plain didn't much feel like going. I'm quite sure many are the same, which is a shame for the hotels and restaurants, but it's a fact.

In the Tokyo area, we can of of course see life going on as usual, just like here. What else is there to do?

The question of whether or not to cancel should be answered on a case by case basis, based on things like itinerary, comfort level with the risks involved, general and overall feeling about traveling in a country that has really been devastated as a whole although the visible physical damage is limited to the northeast area of Honshu. The effects will be longlasting and wide in scope with the to impact just about everyone on some level.

Thanks for your good wishes, Emmagus.

Developments at the Fukushima Nr 3 reactor have escallated in the past 24 hrs, with Japanese PM stating the situation was 'dire' in a recent press interview, and the exclusion zone has been increased by another 10km to 30km radius.

Keeping fingers crossed that the wedding and travel plans to Osaka in just 36hrs are achievable, and all stay safe, in view of the worsening crisis at Fukushima.

Such a huge anxiety for all in Japan, my heart is with them. I experienced the toxic cloud from Chernobyl in 1986 and the wave of fear right throughout Europe at that time, especially as the explosion was kept secret for almost four days and the radioactive cloud had already spread over northern Europe and Scandinavia.

Kim, what you say is so true. My sister did say that if the trip was for vacation, she would have cancelled; even now she does feel uncomfortable about visiting a country that is in the midst of so much death and devastation.

But as it's the wedding of her son, that takes priority as a tourist visit can always be postphoned, but a missed wedding is forever missed.

My other sis is very upset they are going, saying they have no right to put themselves at risk, and take up resources that should primarily go to the local residents.

So, two sides of the coin in a trilogy of sisters.

Point well taken, we are all very somber.

Yet,I cannot abandoned the strong feeling of support I feel for the Japanese people and their country right now. I still feel that no support for them now in their time of need is the wrong thing to do. To sit at home and feel compassion is not helping anyone but your own conscience. By staying away or canceling we now are hurting that little restaurant owner or the maid who cleans rooms along with the taxi drivers, gift shop owners,cooks,train employees, ryokan workers, the list trickles down to just about everyone.

Most Japanese locals will be staying home now and canceling their domestic vacation plans as is their right seeing that these catastrophes are happening to them not us. Are we to stay away also? This only exacerbates the situation imho.

I will plan our next trip there to be conscious of the Japanese peoples feelings and desires while also spending when and where I can. We won't be getting in anyone's way or eating food meant for the afflicted. We won't be "looky loos" and travel to N Tohoku but to the other parts of the country that were physically unaffected by the disasters. I can't believe that some here on this thread actually openly wish ill will foreign to travelers to Japan now as witnessed by this line. The shops shouldn't be selling Anything to tourists; they should be making their shelved goods available for sale to their neighbors

Others may be of the opinion that Japan travel is not important right now or a selfish and foolish thing to do and that is your right too.

Aloha!

I don't think anyone thinks travelling to Japan now is selfish.....and foolish depends purely on your circumstances and where you are going. It is an individual choice. For us with young children and a nuclear reactor situation still not under control...we feel it would be foolish to put them at risk. And for us, visiting relatives who are scrambling for staples, it would be an inconvenience to them. But for Malone to go to a wedding makes total sense and for others who want to travel and put money into the local economies, that makes sense for them.

In lieu of our trip, I made a large donation to the red cross

Hawaiin Traveler: You've taken my words out of context Again to try to make your point. Again, I ask you: Do you not understand what you've read? Just to make it a bit easier for you: The shops should not Have to sell anything to tourists now; to take essential consummables away from Japan's locals is irresponsible and egocentric at this point. Nobody is wishing anyone ill will. Get a life. Twist that for your own purposes.

Sadly, things haven't improved enough for tourists to make a non-essential trip to Japan at this time. The evidence is clear.

emmagus: I agree with your decisions. My husband and I and his company have also made our first donation to the Red Cross.

Boespirit, are you I.n japan? I don't think so.

If you are not going to affected areas., you really will not notice anything except mood, and only that if you talk to people. There is really nothing a tourist would need that would be better used for recovery. Hotel rooms are not being used as shelter, and they won't be. It's not practical. Food is not in short supply unless you are talking about the affected areas, where deliveries are interrupted. Souvenirs will be blight by no one except tourists.

I'm in no way saying don't travel to japan. And I'm Aldo not saying do travel to japan. It is not a simple yes/no issue. As I said before, it depends on where you plan to go, your comfort with risk as well as your comfort with travel in a place that has experienced disaster. I never said that japan won't welcome tourists because I don't think that's the case - no one will begrudge any tourists for coming, and hotels and restaurants will be happy to have customers.

There is no danger outside the affected areas. Here in Kanazawa, and across much of the rest of the country, life is going on as usual with hardly a hiccup - unless you want to buy flashlights or batteries, you turn on the neea,or you talk to people about it. Only then will you realize something is not right.

The nuclear plant - that's a very serious concern and it's somewhere you won't see me or most others going near. People even in Kanazawa are talking about leaving, and in fact, some have indeed left even though the nuclear effects are not felt here. Will they be? Who knows.

Blackouts and wafer cutoff - limited to TEPCO customers and the afffectex area. Everyone is conserving. But we don't have power cite here and out tap water is fine.

So again, it's a choice not to be taken lightly, but it just is not true that the whole country not prepared or able to host tourists. That is far from the truth.

I have been in touch with the various establishments where we have reservations in Kamakura and Hakone. They have been frank and said they welcome us if we are comfortable with possible inconveniences. I don't think they feel they can tell us to come or not come, simply they say we are welcome if we elect to keep our plans. And that is all we ask- a frank assessment of their situation. My friend in Nagoya who will meet us Yokohama feels it is appropriate to make the trip.

Bowsprit, that's the second time you rudely asked if I could read so I will answer your question. Yes I am well read, thank you for asking.

I actually cut and pasted your remarks so no matter how you try to spin it or try to change what you wrote the words and their meanings are all yours baby.

Here is something else you wrote:

Sadly, things haven't improved enough for tourists to make a non-essential trip to Japan at this time. The evidence is clear.

What is the source of your evidence so we can verify. Please use something other than what your husbands company has told you to do. We have heard that(I am tempted to use the word weak here but you've already used that adjective)excuse used several times already.

I don't care what you do.


KimJapan: I am not in Japan at the moment. My husband's partner is in Japan. His family is also in Japan. The advice is: Don't visit now.

There are plenty of places where it would be fine to visit. Hokkaido. South and west of Tokyo. Kanazawa is fine; I'm here. Making a sweeping generalization to not visit Japan is too broad and does not take into consideration any of the things that need to be considered.

Interesting piece in the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/world/asia/28tokyo.html?hp - "In Deference to Crisis, a New Obsession Sweeps Japan: Self-Restraint"

Some quotes:
"There are also doubts about whether it is proper to partake in the seasonal pleasures that regulate much of Japanese life. "

"In fact, cherry blossom viewing parties and fireworks festivals have been canceled. Graduations and commencements have been put off. Stores and restaurants have reduced their hours or closed. Cosmetics and karaoke are out; bottled water and Geiger counters are in. "

But none of that is applicable in Kanazawa. Which is why I keep saying that come or don't come depends on lots of variables.

If your plan is Tokyo then I'd cancel plans for right now and have a plan B for near future plans. If your plan is limited to Kansai and west and south, you could come and enjoy - with the understanding that you may encounter low spirits in some people if you engage in disaster conversation. Tourist stuff, though, in those areas, is ok. Hanami is happening.

If you are worried about radiation and the worry will spoil your trip then cancel. But know that radiation has not come near us (so far at least). Food and water - Japanese consumers are very skittish about food safety. Mistakes happen, but as a rule, you can be pretty sure what you eat falls within legal limits for not only radiation but chemicals, too. I wouldn't worry about that.

Here in Kanazawa, no one i know is obsessing except my one friend previously mentioned. I've yet to see a Geiger counter, though I probably wouldn't know one if you hit me over the head with it.

Overall, I think people need to be careful to not lump all of japan together - most areas are fine. It's kind of like not visiting Boston when Three Mile Island was a problem.

"It's kind of like not visiting Boston when Three Mile Island was a problem."

There were no immediate deaths (although I would guess many died subsequently as a result of radiation exposure)as a result of the mess at Three Mile Island. Also noticeably absent was damage from an earthquake followed by a Tsunami.

I think Thursdaysd NYTimes report pretty much sums it up:

"In Deference to Crisis, a New Obsession Sweeps Japan: Self-Restraint".

This isn't limited to Tokyo.

There were no immediate deaths (although I would guess many died subsequently as a result of radiation exposure)as a result of the mess at Three Mile Island

What? You guess many died subsequently? Please get your facts straight before posting fiction as fact.

"In Deference to Crisis, a New Obsession Sweeps Japan: Self-Restraint".

If self restraint is a new concept to the Japanese people then I suggest the NYT author do just a hint of research before writing such a foolish statement. Then again it doesn't surprise me being the NYT. Kobe in recent history would be one example of restraint and after all this isn't the first nuclear crisis in Japan, or have you and the NYT author forgotten those also.

I know that I trust KimJapan's assessments, no sensationalizing, just the truth about what's happening on the ground. She has earned our trust, well at least mine.

Aloha!

Bowsprit - you've said already that you are not in japan. How would you have any idea how it is here?-5 best you have word of mouth anecdote.

The article is limited to Tokyo - every example and comment is about Tojyo. I can guarantee you that the Hanami parties are happening in Kanazawa. Electronics shops have toned down the volume here but we aren't shopping in the dark - how do I know? Because I went to one the other night for light bulbs. It was bright and as usual except e err tv in the place was not switched on at high volume - a relief to be honest.

Restraint new? No. Don't forget that jJapan is a country that has endured much hardship. There are words that have no good English translation that includes the nuance of overcoming hardship and surviving - gambaru and gamansuru - roughly try hard and endure. The English translation in no way captures the spirit of these words.

The NYT writer has indeed done a good job capturing his/her impression of Tokyo now and is clearly a skilled writer. The writer, though, has even missed the point that much of Tokyo is living live as usual, working around difficulties. When you think about it logically, then you realize that there is little else to do.

The nuclear plant deaths - workers in the plant. I don't discount the value of their lives but you can't extrapolate from that and say people are dying in the general population. They are not. Have there been quake and tsunami deaths - you bet. That's not going to affect a tourist skiing in Niseko or cherry blossom viewing in Jyoto. Japan has earthquakes daily. They don't disrupt life save for the very big ones. Remember Kobe 1995? The city hosted the big high school baseball tournament (which is a major event) just three months afterwards. No one forgot the quake, its victims or damage, but life went on. . Tribute was paid to victims and games were played. This year, the team from Sendai, heavily impacted by the quake, attended and played in the tournament.

So while the article is factual, it's not appropriate to generalize the things stated there to a woke population and a whole country. Bowsprit, until you are actually in japan it might be wise to refrain from commenting on how things are, because you clearly have no idea about either how things are or about Japan now or ever; you're not only not here now, but you haven't spent time amongst the people and in the culture. You may have visited but you haven't lived here. 16 years on, living local rather than expat package style - I've got a clue, but recognize that even after all this time still haven't completely got it. There is no way you get it or even have a clue from a distance or from hearing what your husband's expat packAge coworker says, or from news sources. It's just not possible. So please, keep your mislead judgments to yourself.

HT - thanks. . You've got to get to Kanazawa someday soon.

Gambare Kobe, yes I remember that slogan now after the Kobe earthquake, thanks for reminding us Kim.

We are actually planning a koyo this mid Nov after Shanghai with two or three days in Kanazawa. We were planning day trips to Yamadera and Matsushima from Sendai but......

If we can pull it off I will definitely let you know. Would love to finally meet you. Just waiting for everything to calm down and fall into place.

Gambare Nippon!

Oh btw, by not admitting it, I think you do get it

Aloha!

You realize you can fly Shanghai to Komatsu (Kanazawa)?

Has anyone noticed any changes with airlines flying to Japan? Our local low cost carrier, Jetstar, are reducing the number of flights from Australia to Japan, because of the reduction of Japanese people travelling. I would also guess that fewer Japanese will be travelling overseas for leisure in the near future with the thought that they may think it's extravagant expenditure (my opinion.)

I know that checking the travel e-mails I get that almost no airlines are offering specials to Japan in the near future.

I think this is a real shame, given that as previous correspondents (and myself) have said, Japan needs our support trhough tourism, and there are plenty of other places where the locals will not mind, but implore you to visit.

KimJapan: With all due respect, I do trust the word of my husband's Japanese business partner over anyone else's. His advice has been constant and prudent: Don't visit Japan right now. The company is following his recommendation, of course.

As I said: I don't care what others do.

Sydney, we flew Hong Kong to SFO via Narita this past Saturday. I don't know the reason, but our flight on ANA from Tokyo to San Francisco, couldn't have been more than one-third full.

He is foreigner in Tokyo on an expat package? Or Japanese providing advise to corporate partners? Either way, it seems his advise is tailored to your husband's company staff visiting Tokyo. There are several things that can easily explain and discount his advice.

Plenty of foreigners in Tokyo have panicked, which is certainly understandable given they are in a foreign country and assuming they lack fluency in Japanese. If they are also living the expat life, they are insulated very well from reality, living in expensive subsidized housing with other expats who are similarly panicked. That can lead to an overall feeling that things are much worse and much more widespread than they really are. Someone living the expat life in Tokyo is absolutely disconnected from life in Japan anywhere. There are supermarkets and mail order services here that cater to foreigners who can't bear to not have their familiar products. One such company lists items like paper towels and shampoo as best sellers, at prices triple or more what we can buy the same of locally, for example. Expats relying solely on English language resources like CNN and the embassy, will be needlessly led to believe the world is coming to an end all over Japan. Believe me, it's not, but it is hard to break out of that expat shell if you are in it.

If he is Japanese, I can even more easily see him advising corporate partners not to come. He does not want them to experience any discomfort or inconvenience of any sort. If the offices and lodging are in scheduled blackout areas then he will for sure advise against a visit. If there is any chance of any discomfort for the guest, the Japanese host will advise against the visit - it could harm business. Japanese are very cautious and conservative in this way. The way business is conducted relies on things like entertainment, much business being conducted outside of the office, after hours in bars and izakayas.

The advise not to come to Japan is probably prudent for the company's situation and needs, though perhaps it is a bit cautious. It cannot be universally applied to the country as a whole or to every potential visitor.

You can certainly feel free to heed his advice for your situation. I don't think anyone, your husband's colleague included, would apply this advice in the way you are, extrapolating Tokyo and Tohoku to mean the entire country, and your company situation to everyone. It defies basic logic.

So again, immediate plans to Tokyo - if you are uncomfortable with the possibility of rolling blackouts (which do not happen every day nor in the central areas), reduced transport schedules, the chance of aftershock or quake (which is not much different than the every day risk), then visit. If not, cancel. Radiation is not a problem in Tokyo at the moment, and even when levels are elevated above normal, take that elevation in perspective and you'll see that it is not so alarming.

Plans to Kyoto, Kansai area, Hokkaido, southern and western Japan, no problem. If you sightsee only, you won't notice a thing except perhaps fewer people, which is good. The is no reason not to visit these areas, which is the majority of the country, unless you feel that visiting will be difficult for you emotionally or affect your enjoyment in light of the disaster. There is no physical damage to be seen, no shortages except batteries, and you will be welcomed.

So Bowsprit, take the advice you've been given and use it for yourself and your situation, share what you've been told, but don't apply it to every situation and every potential traveler, because you just can't do that. Get out a map if you must, but know that the affected areas are but a part of the country. Understand that we are living here as we always have, perhaps watching the news a bit more often.

Sydney,
Yes the events in Japan have taken their toll economically around the world. Ours friends son who is married with a new baby and worked for JAL as a flight attendant was laid off last week. My wife's workmate's sister had her hours cut in half as a stewardess on NW. She has been with the company for almost twenty years. Future plans by airlines have been curtailed and the list and losses go on and on. If the slide could have been stopped before it happened it might have been better but looks like the avalanche of cancellations have already started so from a business standpoint you know what that means. A few interesting things happening.

http://tinyurl.com/6amkqdr

http://tinyurl.com/6a7ndr6

http://tinyurl.com/4ctjos8

Kim, No I didn't know about PVG/KMQ, thanks again! We were going down to Kumamoto and the Kurokawa Onsen area so had thought about flying into KIX and starting from there then making our way around down south then eventually to Kyoto, Kanazawa then back to Tokyo where we would fly out. But why not Kanazawa first? I've got to do more research obviously but that's the fun part. I need to chart when the koyo will start this year in the Western part of Japan and not the Northeast as previous plans were for.

Aloha!

p.s.

bs, you have a lot more to learn from your husbands Japanese business partner. btw, why are you reading this if you don't care?

I decided to cancel my trip scheduled for 3/30 - 4/13 last night after I spoke to my friend in Kyoto - she was concerned about the Fukushima plant and was worried that it might somehow affect my transportation home if things escalated - even though I still felt confident since she thought I should cancel I did....sadly....possibly I will go in the fall for koyo....

hawaiian travel....does it matter if BS is not comfortable travelling to Japan now or if she is comfortable taking the advice of a person she knows? A stranger on this board has kindly offered her perspective that she believes travel is safe. BS's husband's business partner said no. Others with friends in japan say yes. Some of us with relatives say absolutely no. I don't think there is a clear cut answer on this question. It depends on the individual traveller's comfort level. Those of us who cancelled feel sad...I know I do. But in our case, i won't risk exposing our kids to radiation in order to boost up Japan's economy. The situation still seems unresolved and the information on the radiation still seems sketchy--in my opinion. I wouldn't talk anyone into going to Japan now nor would I say it is their duty to keep their trip plans to boost the economy. It is just a terrible tragedy all the way around.

emmagus, no it does not matter to me at all that bs is not comfortable traveling to Japan right now. I don't think "she kindly offered her perspective" but that is my opinion and I am not supposed to be able to read according to some here. I know your situation and sympathize with you and agree with your wholeheartedly in your decision. It is the misinformation and out and out untruths that I have objected to. Its not only about the economy but the future. Sorry you see it that way

Interesting articles, ht - if AA flew to KIX I probably wouldn't have canceled my trip.....in my case the folks who seemed most against my trip were Japanese, both in Japan and others I know in NYC - I discounted my American friends who although concerned hadn't the vaguest idea of Japan geography....

nor did I say it was anyone's duty to keep their trip plans.....

Mara, sorry you had to cancel, hate when things like this happen at the last minute but there is always the fall, good luck!

Aloha!

I am sure this thread will still be going when I get back from Japan and I will be glad to report to you.

Getting first hand information is invaluable which is why KimJapan's perspective is so important.

Is there anybody else on this thread who actually lives in Japan or has been there in the past week ?

Okoshi, have a great trip. I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions.

Mara, sorry that you cancelled. Your friend's point is valid. If the nuclear situation worsens to a point where there is a mass exodus it could get messy. The chance of that happening, is not so high, and the chance of your existing ticket not being honored also slim. But a risk, and I understand why you chose to cancel. Your Japanese friends showed the point that I talked about earlier....they are cautious and conservative in terms of their recommendations...they do not want anyone inconvenienced or troubled so will recommend you don't come. Understandable as long as you keep in mind where theapan will still be here when you decide to visit again.

Oops..

Understandable as long as you keep in mind where they are coming from. Of course, you don't visit friends when they've told you that they don't think you should.

Sorry to hear about the cancellation Mara. I feel familiar w/ your travel style (lots of planning re the intinerary, like so many of us here), and your level of anticipation and excitement about your Japan trips. I also wish AA flew out of Nagoya or KIX.

There is a front page article in the Washington Post today about Masataka Shimizu, the president of Tokyo Electric Power Co., and how he was last seen in public 2 days after the earthquake and has since vanished.

Visit Japan! the areas KimJapan mentioned are great and Japan needs the revenu!!!! My sister is in Hokkaido and they welcome the tourist to see the lovely cities there.

<<<Is there anybody else on this thread who actually lives in Japan or has been there in the past week?>>>

I passed through Narita on Saturday, and in the airport, it was absolutely business as usual. No shortages that we could see of food or drink, or employees. As I mentioned above, the only shortage was passengers (our flight to SFO was about one-third full).

Have a good trip okoshi! Some live reports from travelers are starting to turn up on this site. Check them out.

http://www.japan-guide.com/community/twocats/report-150

Aloha!

Thanks, ht, KimJapan and emd - I am still pretty depressed about canceling but feel I had no choice after speaking to my Kyoto friend....

Japan-guide.com is doing a magnificent job of updating the situation as well as having the current trip reports posted...

emd, that was such an interesting article about the pres. of Tepco - I read today in the NY Times that he is now hospitalized...actually if this had been Japan a few hundred years ago I guess he would have committed seppuku....like I've seen in historical jdoramas...

Things are normalizing in Tokyo as expected by most. Of course there is still the problem in the Sendai region but life goes on towards normalcy everywhere else. Another on the ground report from a fellow traveler.

http://www.japan-guide.com/community/momel/report-156

Aloha!

Our friends from Japan just visited. Too late for them to change a visit to relatives here in Hawaii. They live in Fukui. A city on the Japan Sea coast south of Kanazawa north of Kyoto. They are unaffected by what is happening on the other side. Sad and caring and concerned but life continues on for them.
Our other friends live outside of Amano Hashidate. He makes car parts for Toyota. Although economically it hasn't hit him yet their concern is what will happen to his income next month when the loss of demand from Toyota finally hits his very small cottage industry company. There are others so much worse off then they. They don't complain they accept with grace what is happening to them. I envy that part of their culture and make up. Oh to just have a bit of it in my everyday life. Gambare...now I think I know what my mother tried to teach me.

My children's Japanese teacher cancelled her own upcoming trip back to Tokyo next month (she still has a house there). Her relatives and friends who are living there told her not to come now. Not sure exactly why. I will find out when she comes over for their lesson.

I have a Japanese friend who lives in Kanazawa she works in the tourism field and has said it's business as normal, which is good to hear. From my understanding from exchanging emails with her the number of tourists hasn't dropped much in the region, of course the region is not in the area where the earthquake hit.

That's interesting to hear partyon. I'm in Kanazawa, and there are far fewer tourists than usual. My friends, who are Goodwill Guides, told me today that every single booking they had for guiding in April has been cancelled, 100%. They had had 17 bookings for guides, now none. I usually see many people around the Ninja Temple, which is minutes from my house....recently very few. Not none, but very few.

That aside, life certainly is going on as normal, just without as many tourists. Kanazawa is safe, no radiation, no quake or tsunami damage, no trouble with power or water or food supply. But tourists who cancelled their trips because of Tohoku and Tokyo, and Tokyo is a place the vast majority go, of course won't come to Kanazawa either. I wish they would.

I live in Tokyo. Everything is pretty much back to normal here. No problems at all. It's amazing all the misinformation out there. I agree with all that KimJapan has said here about the current situation in Japan.

When I cancelled my reservation at a Kyoto inn for the end of April I was told by the owner that every single reservation had been cancelled and it was a big financial hit for him for the next few months. I feel bad for him but just don't want to travel until the radiation situation is under control (I have young children and don't want to risk them unnecessary exposure--I am sure it is safe for older adults)

I'm still following along with this thread and as of right now, we're still going on our trip. We leave in about 2 weeks.

I admit the decision has been difficult, but I feel strongly that if things are safe in Tokyo and Kyoto we should still go.

I continue to be amazed at the sensationalism of the information out there and at the heated opinions of people both online and in person.

My husband has been on the fence longer than me but an incident at his work pushed him over the edge a couple of days ago.
A coworker who is Japanese-American with relatives in Japan has been saying since the beginning that he should not go. All of her reasons have been doom and gloom. He's remained neutral. When she asked him again if he was still going and he said yes, she called him "stupid", cited radiation found in milk here in CA (ignoring that it was 5000x lower than what is considered safe) and told him he would be using up precious resources needed by locals. She kept repeating that there were water and food shortages there, in Tokyo (which we know not to be true now).
Needless to say, he was furious and insulted, especially because this conversation took place in front of other coworkers. In his opinion, she's being irrational and not looking at the facts and now he wants to go more than ever.

At this point, my biggest concern (besides a change in the situation at Fukashima) is trying to plan an itinerary in the next two weeks. All of my planning process halted March 11th and I have done almost nothing since.

Off to post a new question asking for itinerary help!

It's truly a case of sensationalism. During the first two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami, things were unstable even in Tokyo and I would have said it wasn't a good time to travel here. Now things are back to normal. Most expats have returned. Some never left. The international schools here in Tokyo have reopened as of last Monday (The American School in Japan, The British School, etc.). They wouldn't be reopening if they thought there was any risk. They were closed for two weeks just after the disaster.

I was in Akihabara yesterday and was shopping in Yodobashi, a major electronics store. It was hard to find a parking place in the giant parking complex and inside there were as many shoppers as usual. It was so busy like it always is. After that, I went to a Spanish tapas bar in another part of town and that was business as usual also with people enjoying their wine and pitchers of sangria. At the international supermarkets a couple of days ago, it did seem the international community had returned and I saw plenty of foreign kids in the international school uniforms in the park and buying ice cream.

I think it would be good to read this article from yesterday's Japan Times:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110402n1.html

The title is "Despite Crisis, Radiation in Hong Kong Exceeds Tokyo." I agree with the point that fear of the situation in Japan may do more harm to Japan than the situation itself.

I agree with the point that fear of the situation in Japan may do more harm to Japan than the situation itself.

I agree 100%!

Aloha!

We are sending portable lanterns to my mother in law today who doesn't have electricity every night (although that is starting to decrease)....she lives outside of Tokyo.
My Japanese in laws are depressed. But people should do what they feel comfortable doing as far as travelling there. If you are comfortable going, I am sure the tourist industries will appreciate it (although tourism is only 2% of Japan's GDP which is very low compared to other countries and the state department has reissued its warning against non essential travel to Tokyo). Everyone has different comfort levels and should do what works for them without saying that others are listening to sensationalism--the people of Japan are still in the midst of this tragedy and I would hardly call what many are enduring as being sensationalized. Nor would I call the 2nd worst nuclear disaster after Chernobyl (which has not been resolved) to be sensationalized. So take your trip and enjoy it....but don't belittle what has happened or downplay it.

Get over yourself. We all know what happened in Japan and no one is making light of anything. The media has it's agenda and the agenda is extremely obvious except to a few. If you really think 2% of a country such as Japan is a small number I have an oceanfront property in Kansas you need to see. Billions is a small number nowadays I guess.....what would happen to you community if billions were taken away from it I wonder.....btw that figure I would bet without Googling is only for International tourism and not the domestic.
Please don't belittle our opinion to suit yours. Mealea lives in Tokyo and is a trusted contributor to this forum. We who travel trust her on the ground reporting. She has earned it on this site. If people were panicking in the streets Mealea would tell so. I trust what she says more than Anderson Cooper and their bunch and you should too bit that's obviously your decision to make.

For those of you who have cancelled, did you purchase a JR Pass? Here in Australia I am reading stories of people who cancelled their trip, only to find that when they tried to cancel their rail passes the agent charged a $100 per ticket fee on top of the 10% cancellation fee!

We got a 100% refund on our JR pass. I won't post anything more so that I don't antagonize anyone's wrath here.

All 4 of our passes were refunded 100% (minus a $10 administrative fee)

Cancel an unused JR Pass and get a refund at the agent you bought it from - full refund minus handling and communication fee, which as it's unstated, can vary from agent to agent.

Get a refund at an exchange office in Japan - purchase price less 10%.

http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en008.html

Thanks Emmagus for not commenting further because your posts are sounding more like sour grapes than anything useful.

Thats nice ladytravels. This is a wonderful forum--glad I stopped by with my predicament only to be insulted by strangers. Sour grapes? Nope, we are taking a fantastic trip elsewhere in two weeks and will return to visit our relatives next spring when they tell us they are ready for visitors.

Good luck to the rest of you and your decisions on whether to travel to Japan now or not. And for those who decide against it, I hope you are able to get refunds on everything.

I'm sitting at my desk at the Dai-Ichi hotel in Ginza. We arrived in Tokyo yesterday, despite all the negative comment on this thread.

Japan and Tokyo are open for business. The cherry blossoms are at peak. Tomorrow the clouds should part. The Japanese people are the friedliest I've ever met. And we saw only 6 Western tourists since we've been here (we started at 5 AM, since we're still on Eastern time). Plug for this hotel: absolutely wonderful staff, 2 blocks from Shimbashi Station (take the JR Rapid Airport Narita for 1450 yen and you'll be here in 92 minutes, no transfers, and you'll meet some of the locals in the bargain), great room, and you can buy it in dollars on Expedia (and may other sites) before you come (yes, you can cancel).

The only evidence of a reluctance toward tourists was at the Tsukigi fish market. There's a big sign at several places on the fence stating that the tuna auction is closed to tourists and that tourists should keep out because of the quake. These guys have an ax to grind, so I think they are happy that non-paying tourists are out of the way of their insane loader drivers. Just my opinion.

The rest of the tourist camp around the market were happy to see us this morning. Big "gazaimus," and chow down to some sashemi.

Bottom line: be very sensitive to the destruction, but don't worry about food, water, radiation, etc.

wcroom-Thanks for reporting back, we'll be going next week!
Did you eat anywhere in particular at the Tsukiji market?
BTW, from what I've read, the vendors inside the market, especially in the Auction area, have long wanted tourists to keep out (and probably with good reason).

We arrived Friday night into Haneda via Hawaiian Airlines. What a pleasant flight ! The attendants were helpful and food was very good ! The flight was not full and it appeared almost all were returning Japanese citizens.

We caught the Keikyu Bus to YCAT for the 30 minute ride to Yokohama and took a 5 minute cab to our hotel the Sakuragicho Washington Hotel.Even though our flight landed at 1000PM and it was even later when we checked in there were a number of customers doing the same. We did learn that the hotel is booked both this weekend and next.

The rooms at the Washington are very small. However, they are laid out very sensibly and spotless and not worn. For $137.00 a night via Expedia we are very pleased.

We spent the following day walking from our hotel near Minatomurai to Motomachi along the pier, the parks, and shops.

We took in the Yokohama Art Museum as well which can be covered fairly quickly as it is a small collection though some notable artists are shown there including Picasso, Salvador Dali and a lot of pieces by Max Ernst. There is also a collection of Japanese artists. The collections seems to focus on pieces with a Yokohama connection althought not entirely, and there were little English explanations but I enjoyed the art work.

We walked into the Royal Yokohama Landmark building which appeared quiet from the outside and we were astounded to see that there is a bustling complex of shops and eateries, just teeming with people.

Finally capped the day off in Chinatown with a fabulous meal. Chinatown appeared very busy though our taxi-driver did comment that he has noted a significant drop in visitors and he personally is seeing at least a 30-50% drop in revenue. The Chinatown in Yokohama is one of the nicest chinatowns were have ever seen. There are over 300 restaurants. It felt bigger than the ones in San Francisco or Vancouver.

Yokohama is such an international city that thrives on it's "foreigness". We are looking forward to our next destination Kamukura which I think will have an entirely different feel.

We have not encountered any inconveniences so far on our trip. The city of Yokohama appears to be functioning normally minus the tourists. We saw less than half a dozen obviously non Japanese people the entire day.

We are in Kamakura now. The JR trains were running as usual with some holiday schedules for some routes but none of the routes were have used.
The town is bustling with local visitors to see the cherry blossoms. There was a special event at Hachiman-gu with Shinto, Buddhist and Christian ceremonies in memoriam to the earthquake victims. It was a very somber ceremony. Clearly the effect of the disaster is very palpable though everybody continues with their lives.

okoshi, nice to see what you are experiencing. So fortunate to be there at the peak of the cherry blossoms. Thanks for continued live updates which are so helpful to those here.

Aloha!

I thought I'd share my thoughts on going to Japan.

http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/04/11/on-deciding-to-go-to-japan/

This is basically the beginning of my trip report, which I will start on another thread when I return of course.

Kristina, I'm looking forward to your report. I appreciate the comments here from Fodorites living in Japan and those traveling to Japan.

We are back in Yokohama after a few days in Hakone.

Needless to say we have had a great trip but will not expound on the details but just want to say that everywhere we went we were told by the shopkeepers and ryokan owners they are hoping that the visitors will return.

An article in the Japan Times today discuss the half million cancelled hotel reservations to date since March 11 and the unfounded fear that travel to Japan is not safe.

The fact is that our trip was not impacted any point by power outage, lack of food, water or service. We consumed seafood, meat and vegetables abundantly.

Life appears to carry on for citizens ,and those whose livelihood depend on visitors are clearly pleased to have customers, both foreign and local. They seem to feel that is the best way to help in the recovery effort.

Kristina,

Sorry I haven't been in touch sooner. We just roamed the vendors outside the market just north of the Tsukiji. They hawked the food, and we chose a little stall where the server gave us a menu in English and we pointed. They made it easy. A "Ohio-guhzymus" at the beginning and a "arigato guhzymus" at the end will get you where you want to go. If you're feeling really perky, say "oshi ketta" (that was delicious) and everyone bursts out laughing at your mispronouncing something really nice. Enjoy.

Came back and read up, and wanted to leave this comment. If 84-year-old grandma is adamant you not come, of course that is the thing for you to do, and I did not mean to imply otherwise. My point was rather if I had an 84-year-old grandma who wanted me to come to Japan because she wanted to see the family, I would not call that unnecessary travel due to the fact grandma is 84. Though you hope they're well and safe for a long time to come, at 84, who can tell?

We ended up taking the full refund offered us when it was available for our trip, and I think it was the right thing to do given the scale of the damage and the whole situation as it appeared at the time. We had it in our minds to wait and see how things would be at the summer, and then I heard they will be looking for groups of volunteers to help with the rebuilding come May and June, regardless of Japanese language ability. Yokoso News has said they will put up full information on their site. Providing the radiation situation is well in hand by that time, we plan to give some time as volunteers and some time to just enjoying touring areas outside the disaster zone. I suppose that might sound like patting ourselves on the back, but really, it is just a way to salve our consciences over really not wanting to put off the trip we have worked and saved so long for. I don't think it is all necessary everyone who visits volunteer, I just think it is the right thing for us.

We just got home from Japan; super fast flight NRT-LAX was only 9 hrs! We loved our trip, had a fantastic time and are so happy we did not cancel. Hope to start my trip report soon, have so much to share.

"oshi ketta" -> oishii kata desu (oh-ee-sheee kah-tah dess)

Here's a terrific video comparing Tokyo now to Tokyo in December:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ChRZunYaw

Welcome home Kristina! Hope you two had a good time. Can't wait for your report.

Aloha!

"oshi ketta" -> oishii kata desu (oh-ee-sheee kah-tah dess)

Actually, it's oishi kata desu (oh-ee-she kah-tah dess)

i-adjectives lose their final i when conjugating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugations_and_adjective_declensions

But most Japanese people will be pleased no matter how correctly or incorrectly you say it.

mrwunrfl,
Bill, I know you asked earlier about the pines of Matsushima and I had also wondered. Here is our answer:

http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/schauwecker/110421.html

Aloha!

Thanks Travelin' Gertie! We just got back from Costa Rica last night (used our trip money for that). We are looking forward to visiting Obachan next spring (she has no heat so the winters are painful and frankly claustrophobic--she has a traditional home). All of our Japanese relatives cancelled their trips home to visit relatives and friends, so for us, it was the right choice. Glad others are able to make their trips.