With the current condition in Japan, where health could be at risk, would you tr

1. 75

   Ingeniraposted 12 years ago

   With the current condition in Japan, where health could be at risk, would you travel to Japan ?
   
   The travel package to Japan has gone really cheap. Some airlines even offered free flights, or dirt cheap flight tickets.

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2. 88

   kerlynbposted 12 years ago

   Oh I would, definitely
   
   Not  the whole of Japan is affected by nuclear radiation.  Only the northeast part called Tohoku region is under serious threat.
   
   I would like to go to Kyoto in Kansai region that is in the middle of Japan.  Would like to see the historic temples and shrines and the explosion of beautiful autumn colors.
   
   Hokkaido in the northern part of Japan would also be a lovely place to visit - the snow, the seafoods, and the nature are all first-rate.

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3. 61

   AngelTraderposted 12 years ago

   No I wouldn't travel to Japan. The situation there is far worse than the main stream media would have you believe, that's if they are even bothering to report it anymore.
   
   On the 8th November the Japan Times newspaper, in its editorial, listed the concerns facing the current and future health of the Japanese people. While the greatest threat to health applies to the workers at the stricken plants it is also to being felt among the general population including the Royal family.
   
   Areas of Tokyo have increased levels of radiation, including Chiyoda-Ku where the Imperial Japanese family live, oh and the food they eat comes from their farm in Nasu, Tochigi prefecture which has even higher levels of radioactive cesium.
   
   So to be honest I'd give Japan a miss for a while.

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4. 0

   gkanekoaposted 12 years ago

   I just came back Japan about 3 weeks ago.
   
   I wouldn't say I noticed cheaper flights or even free flights. I had to pay an arm and a leg travel from Hawaii to Japan via Hawaiian airlines. I paid about $900. I made my gf pay for me because the yen is so strong so she ended up paying close to $800 in yen.
   
   As for free flights, I think you're talking about the ones that the Japanese Tourism Agency is trying to get the Japanese government to improve?
   
   As for risk: JAPAN IS THE SAFEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, STILL.
   
   Just don't go to Fukushima or anything above Saitama.
   
   I stayed in Tokyo and had a great time. I even went to a farm in Chiba and ate the dairy and the vegetables there.
   
   The only risk you'll take going to Japan is spending too much money and having too much fun.
   
   So to really answer your question: I would travel to Japan. I have traveled to Japan. And I look forward to going back.
   
   Did I mention I was in Tokyo Disney Sea during the actual big earthquake?

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5. 61

   Dan in Japanposted 12 years ago

   Hi, I live in Japan.  Although I do agree with the answerer who said "It's worse than the Japanese media says," that's not saying a lot.  The media in Japan is not really a watch-dog, muckraking media like we have (had?) in the West. 
   So yes, the media and the shady bureaucrats who run the country have not been as open about the disaster as they should be, but you're asking about travel.
   A good guide for travel info the US State Dept.  If they tell you not to go, don't go.  But, check the link.  There is not significant danger.
   http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_ … _5454.html
   
   
   The immediate area of the radiation leak is fairly removed from just about any place in Japan you'd visit, unless you had plans to travel to Fukushima.  Tokyo is relatively close, but it is still quite a distance from Tokyo.  Other areas that tourists frequent, such as Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Okinawa, are very far away. 
   People tend to think of Japan as a very small country where a disaster like Fukushima shuts the country down, but for nearly all of Japan, it's business as usual.  Fukushima, again as has been mentioned, is in the Tohoku region, which tourists do not frequent.  Not to make light of the disaster, but other areas including Tokyo go about their daily business, and vegetables, dairy products and other resources are produced country-wide, well out of range of the radiation in most cases. 
   However, the immediate area is probably worse than the authorities are letting on.  But there is no need to travel anywhere near the affected areas.  I was in Tokyo a few days ago, and really I saw no discernable dip in foreign tourists.  (I did of course notice it in March and April.) 
   The main downside to traveling now, as gkanekoa mentioned, assuming you are coming from the USA, is that the Yen is extremely high compared to the dollar right now, so everything is quite pricey.  Even if you find a bargain on a flight, the exchange rate and cost of everything inside Japan will be even more expensive than it usually is.

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