Is it safe to travel to Japan. A lot of people have been asking me this question lately. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, along with fears of aftershocks and radiation from the Fukushima nuclear reactor has been deterring tourist from travelling to Japan. Japan was hurt badly by the disaster but Japan needs tourists to help it heal. Before the disaster, Japan was on a high and experiencing its most tourists on record in the first two months of the year. In March the figure fell drastically due to the disaster. Let’s get back to the key question here, is it safe to travel to Japan. Japan was hit hard by the disaster, but only 0.1 per cent of Japan was affected by the tsunami and the area that was affected is not a popular destination for tourists to Japan. Most tourists to Japan either visit the ski resorts in the north island of Hokkaido, which was not affected, or follow the “Golden Route” from Tokyo along the southeast coast to Hiroshima. The route include Hakone, Nagoya, and the traditional cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Okayama. Most tourist attractions in Japan are now open, although some may have shortened opening hours to conserve power. All international airports are operating and this even includes Sendai Airport, which was damaged by the tsunami, and the bullet trains are all running as normal.
With all this occurring, tourists are still unsure whether or not to visit Japan mainly due to lack of information and not researching. The smart people who have done their research realize that Japan is pretty safe to visit.
This is my submission to the
2011 Special Edition of J-Festa
How to become an English Conversation Teacher
Great post! I also get that question often, hope to go to Japan again soon.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, me and my family will absolutely visit Japan in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteThanks Daphne & Lina, it's good to see you guys have no hesitation in heading back to Japan in the near future.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I are going to Japan in Sept. I have done lots of research, and have concluded that it is safe for us to go. I am happy to help Japan by spending lots of tourist dollars!
ReplyDeleteNo hestation other than money issues. XD
ReplyDeleteNow, if only the Yen is as the USD. The USD is low against our RM now. I wish the Yen isn't as strong. :(
No place in "safe" in the world, if you love that place, you will just go.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa, glad to hear you are heading over and plan to spend lots of tourist dollars. It is just what Japan needs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lina, yes the Aussie dollar is really strong at the moment too and is close to $1.10 USD.
Thanks Antleeli, people who love Japan will also visit it no matter what!
I'm planning my next trip to Japan right now. Not sure yet about the date, most probably in August/September. Wanna travel more this time (^_^)
ReplyDeleteGreat post - and I definitely agree!
ReplyDeleteIt's almost back to business and the flights here are really cheap now on top of that. ;)
Thanks Muza-chan, glad to hear you are another not afraid to travel back to Japan.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ri, yes flights from Australia to Japan are really cheap at the moment as well. Hopefully more people start to travel back to Japan and tourism picks up again.
This is an important topic and it is vital that we, Japan fans, spread the message about the safety of travel to Japan (well excluding areas surrounding Fukushima)!
ReplyDeleteSo many people told me that I should never go back there as it is "all radioactive". This is so mis-informed. I've written a few posts about it and think I should write another one, just to reiterate the topic!
Thanks PJ, it is an important topic and we should all be spreading the word that it is safe to travel to Japan and it is a fantastic destination to visit.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - Just came back and had an awesome time! 2nd time going to Japan in a year and I advise everyone reading to go to Japan. They want tourists to come, here are some messages of support (in Kyoto) from some foreign visitors:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kyoto-magonote.jp/en/topics/top110301.html
Thanks Benny, glad to hear that you have just visited and had an awesome time. Japan needs visitors now more than ever and lots of people have been visiting and enjoying Japan.
ReplyDeleteThere are some great fares, and if I had enough holiday I would love a quick trip there. They need support and it's a good opportunity to see a great country - wholeheartedly agree with you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ms Chef, Lots of great deals at the moment which makes it very tempting if you have the time off. They do need the tourists to help boost the economy and move forward from the disaster.
ReplyDelete