[Japan trip report 3 weeks after the quake (long)]

[sorry for the delay in this being posted, hhaidar did try to post this earlier but for some reason it wasn't appearing.]

 

I would like to thank everyone on the forum who helped me out with planning my trip/giving me info about Japan, and encouraging me to come after the events of March 11th when everything at home said don't go. I also appreciate that people read what I wrote and took the time to comment on it and also to criticize. I'm hoping I can clear a few things up with this response.

To address some specific criticisms...in the line about "Fukushima being under control" all I meant there was that it no longer looked like it was going to explode or fully melt down, (which for a week or two was a real concern). Its certainly going to take many years to deal with the damage there...I just meant it didn't look like it would affect our trip.

Here in the US, the media has completely run away with the Japan radiation story, obviously sensational headlines sell. There is no conceptualization that Japan is a large country, some areas are going to be hurting for a long time, and other areas (such as where I was) are ok to travel to. This year's northern hemisphere travel season is about done, but I wanted to encourage people to consider Japan in their plans for next year.

I will be the first to admit that I was only in Japan for 9 days, and those were ALL spent in tourist areas that didn't get hit as hard (or in Niseko's case at all). I was only there for a week and a lot of forum members live there. I hope you can appreciate that I was in no way trying downplay the very real struggle and suffering that's going on in many parts of Japan.

At the same time there are many parts of Japan that are safe for travel and I would strongly recommend Hokkaido as a snow travel destination for next year. The last thing the economy needs is everyone to pull out and go elsewhere.

Thank you for reading my very long, rambling post. I have a lot of respect for the snowjapan forum and hope to stay active here... I felt I owed the Forum a response.

Thank You,

Hanna

p.s. I'm not in the travel or marketing business. I am a snowboard instructor from Warren, VT.

 

 

 

 

 

[Japan trip report 3 weeks after the quake (long)]

Hey everyone. My girlfriend and I visited Japan three weeks after the March 11th Earthquake and Tsunami. I would like to take a moment to thank the people on this forum who encouraged me to come when so many at home were discouraging. We had an unbelievable experience. -hanna

 

After the Earthquake: Japan

 

“Why you don’t escape Japan?†This is the first question I was asked by a local when I arrived in Japan with my girlfriend Patti less than a month after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. There was a sense of frustration in our bus driver’s voice. In addition to the obvious physical destruction Japan has also suffered economically due to a mass exodus of foreign visitors and tourists. Our first glimpse of this was showing up to a nearly vacant arrivals terminal at Narita International Airport. It was eerily quiet.

 

To be honest, there was a period of 2 weeks where it looked like we wouldn’t be able to go. News of continuous struggles to control the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was constantly streaming across Western media outlets. Headlines with words like “meltdown,†“blackouts,†and “food shortages†had the entire country of Japan sounding like a war zone.

 

As our departure date neared, things began looking up. Fukushima was mostly under control, subways were running, and friends in Tokyo assured us Japan was safe and implored us to come. It was one of the best travel decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

 

We began our trip at Niseko United Resort on the northern Island of Hokkaido. It was snowing hard as we rode the train from Sapporo to Niseko and I was much too excited to sleep that night.

 

The next morning I stepped out of the Grand Hirafu gondola and right into my dreams of riding fresh powder in the trees of Japan. Aussie local Andrew was kind enough to show me some woods stashes and lead me on a mission hiking up to the summit and riding down through the back bowls to Annapuri. For this East Coast rider it was a hell of an experience. The resort was nearly a ghost town and we had fresh tracks in the trees for the next three days. After that initial snowstorm, spring weather showed up and we enjoyed sunny spring conditions for the rest of the trip. The riding was insane, the scenery breathtaking, and the crowds nonexistent.

 

With the riding portion of our trip concluded we traveled on to Kyoto, which is by far the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. We timed the trip perfectly; the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the weather was warm and sunny. Kyoto was bustling with Japanese tourists but once again almost no Westerners. We spent two whirlwind days walking around the city. We saw massive temples and neon signs, bustling street markets, and caught a stunning glimpse of a real life geisha through a window. We sampled all types of delicious foods, many of which were unrecognizable. We both agreed that we could have stayed in Kyoto for weeks if not months.

 

From Kyoto we traveled to the bright lights of Tokyo via Shinkansen (bullet train) at 186 miles per hour. Public transportation in Japan is unbelievable. Everything runs precisely on time and directions are easily available in English. Japan is the easiest to navigate foreign country I’ve ever visited. When we couldn’t figure things out on our own, people were always very quick and happy to help us find our way.

 

Life was back to “business as usual†in Tokyo despite there having been a small aftershock the morning we arrived. While the city seemed totally normal, the absence of foreign visitors was very conspicuous. Even in the fashionable shopping districts of Shibuya and Harajuku we ran into almost no Westerners (I counted 3!).

 

Everywhere we went in Japan, we were warmly welcomed and made to feel appreciated for visiting at a time when so many others had left or are cancelling their plans to visit. This ended up being the trip of a lifetime for me and I would strongly encourage people to continue with their travel plans. Despite the sensationalist headlines in the global media Japan is extremely safe right now and functioning normally outside of very isolated areas. With the lack of crowds this is a great time to visit and there is certainly no better way to help Japan’s economy in this tough time than by bringing your travel dollars. Go ahead and plan that dream trip to Japan for next season and you won’t be disappointed!

 

I have to take a moment to thank all of the Japanese people we met in our travels who helped us find our way around and were so quick to share their culture. They were truly some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. Arigato! I’d also like to thank Andrew for going above and beyond to help us out during our stay, not to mention the guided tour. We also have to say thank you to Niseko United Resort for their support.

 

Finally, if you can’t make it to Japan, please consider making a donation to one of the many relief efforts. While most of Japan is back to normal, many people have lost everything. Japan is a country that has been quick to step in and donate when other countries have been affected by natural disasters…please step up to help them out in their tough time. If you don’t where to donate the Red Cross Japan is a great choice.

[Cancellations + the season from now]

Well, its been a long day but we made it to Niseko this afternoon. The train ride from Sapporo to Kutchan was beautiful...and it snowed most of the way here! Niseko itself felt like a ghost town this evening...the combination of late season and the current situation seems to have cleared the place right out.

We ran into VERY few non-japanese between Haneda and Niseko. I say that just as an observation, not a criticism one way or another. I look forward to riding fresh snow at at an almost empty resort tomorrow. I will say this...I am very happy we decided to come to Japan. People have been extremely hospitable and helpful EVERYWHERE we've been for the past two days.

[Cancellations + the season from now]

The girlfriend and I are in haneda right now about to head to Niseko. We are happy to be able to continue with our plans and bring our business to Hokkaido. If anyone is going to be riding between april 3 through april 5, say hi! I rock a grey ak jacket w/a never summer evo. All the best.

[Cancellations + the season from now]

Just my .02 and I hope I don't get torn apart for it...there seem to be some very strong opinions in this thread. I had booked a trip to Niseko for april 2-6 about a month ago. When the earthquake/tsunami happened I nearly cancelled, it didn't look possible to go. I'm sure many people did. At this point though, the situation in Japan looks much better to me and we are going. I feel that the foreign media (ESPECIALLY here in the US) does a lot of fear-mongering to attract attention. Does that mean I think everything's fine at Fukushima? Absolutely not. But I do feel safe continuing with my plan to visit Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Kyoto. I think that the best thing I can do to help is continue with my travel plans and write about the trip.

I'll be riding Niseko and if any snowjapan people are going to be there I'd love to take some runs!

-hanna

[new here...april in niseko advice?]

Hi all,

I'm a new member here, am very impressed with all the info on the site. I'm hoping for some guidance on where to stay in Niseko for 4 nights, April 2nd-5th. I know its late season and things start slowing way down...so we would want to be close to Hirafu.

I'm looking for a private room w/bath..doesn't have to be luxury, but more than a hostel. I'm traveling with my GF and would like her to be comfortable..if it was just me it would be hostel all the way. Does anyone have any recommendations?

About the trip...if you're interested. I'm writing a children's snowbooard travel book. Its a sequel to my 1st book, which is a surf travel book about Costa Rica. So the trip is part research trip, part shred vacation for me and the GF. I wish it was for longer, I wish it was in late january...but the timing is what it is and am still SUPER stoked.

Thanks for reading,

-hanna