hhaidar 0 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 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. Link to post Share on other sites
@tokyo 14 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Interesting thanks. I'm not sure when Fukushima became 'mostly under control' and life in Tokyo was 'business as usual', but it's good that you obviously had a good experience yourself. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Yeah you sure are going too far with some of those comments there mate! Seriously, who paid you to write it? You may have got that impression in your limited time visiting with nothing to compare with, but things are functioning normally outside very isolated areas is not how I would say things are going. Glad you had fun though. Link to post Share on other sites
igloo 3 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Good on you! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Thanks for sharing your experiences. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Glad to hear Fukushima is under control, we needed that good news! Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 While I am glad you had a fun time yourself, I'm sorry but I find some of your comments bordering on irresponsible. A quick look at all the foreign embassy sites and/or talking to someone who lives in that half of Japan and you will quickly see that northern Japan (excluding Hokkaido) is not considered to be a perfectly normal destination. Fukushima is still considered to be very serious. There are still an average of well over 50 earthquakes happening a day, a fair few of them quite strong. Life if far from being normal for a very large chunk of the country. We all want Japan to recover quick. That goes without saying. The media may talk in extremes, but going to the other extreme does not really help either. Quote: 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. ... Life was back to “business as usualâ€. ... 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 don't know if those comments are all simply out of enthusiasm or something else but they sure sound like they are from some travel agent promo. Link to post Share on other sites
Nisoko 6 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Well, at least you say you got to check out the slopes up here. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Glad you had a good trip, hhaidar. Any pictures to share? I'm inclined to cut him slack. He means well, and is trying to do his bit to counteract the sensationalist excesses of the foreign press. If some of the emphases seem off, I would say for the amount of time he spent in the country he probably went away with a better perspective than most of the idiot reporters who blew in for a week. Link to post Share on other sites
rider69 18 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 A bit harsh Griller considering the situation and context of the report. Life certainly isn;t back to the normal, not the normal that was post March 11th. It is not as bad as it may seem either. A Trip to Niseko then to Kyoto isnt really going into the effected areas now is it. You cant get into the Fukushima areas that have been effected by the power plant problems. The other areas effected by the Tsunami are not your average tourist hot spots either. I have some friends in the earthquake zone and although life is not back to normal, they are not dieing of hunger. You can directly ship them things that they need as well. We have done this for them. Mostly we have sent them fruit that they have a hard time getting. At this time of year the main tourist spots are Kyoto and southwest Honshu for the Sakura and spring colors. There is no reason to say that life isnt close to normal as normal can be there. This is the Canadian Embassy report. http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=140000 Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Bit harsh? Quote: Fukushima was mostly under control Quote: From Kyoto we traveled to the bright lights of Tokyo Quote: 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 Quote: Japan is extremely safe right now and functioning normally outside of very isolated areas. No, I don't think so. I work in marketing myself and I can sniff it when I see it. Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Does read like an airline magazine piece. Quote: Kyoto, which is by far the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen Not been out much then, mate? Link to post Share on other sites
LordSalt 0 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Kyoto has some very pretty areas, scattered around a big area, but I sure wouldn't call it generally beautiful. Most beautiful city in the world?! Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Out of interest, how did you get down from Niseko to Kyoto? Link to post Share on other sites
rider69 18 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 We have to remember the news is are telling people how bad it is in Tokyo. As a person on vacation I would expect no lights and line ups for bottled water. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 And so? Go the other way and say life is normal in Tokyo? It ain't. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 So for the record, what combined disaster effects would you expect the average 'in town for a couple of days' visitor to notice if: 1 - It was their first time there with nothing to compare it to? 2 - If they had a few trips to Tokyo under their belt? Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 How are things in Tokyo right now for your guys? Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 bsih, I can't speak for other people but getting back to something like normal - but not feeling like normal, somehow. Certainly better as the days go on. Evenings are when you notice things most with not as many places open and things darker than usual. At least the vending machines not blaring out is a good thing! A lot of people are pretty tired, generally stressed out and wary from all the earthquakes. There's a kind of subdued feel. I think many people kind of blocked the subject out of their minds as much as possible but now this has all happened it's hard to avoid and on peoples minds. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 pretty much back to normal now, down in Shonan. It is a little darker as companies/shops keep street side signs un-lit but all places are open for business Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Good to hear that Fukushima is under control hey. They keep on saying it isn't here. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 It isn't, 2pints. It will take at least 3 months, as per the news yesterday, to get any kind of control. They had robots trying to get in there today that told them that people can't enter, too dangerous. Today they used the word "melt" for the first time as well, according to the Yomiuri: 経済産æ¥çœåŽŸå力安全・ä¿å®‰é™¢ã®è¥¿å±±è‹±å½¦å¯©è°å®˜ã¯ï¼‘８日ã®è¨˜è€…会見ã§ã€ï¼‘～３å·æ©Ÿã®æ ¸ç‡ƒæ–™ãŒã€Œæº¶èžã—ã¦ã„ã‚‹ã¨æ€ã‚れるã€ã¨è¿°ã¹ã€å†…閣府ã®åŽŸå力安全委員会ã«å ±å‘Šã—ãŸã“ã¨ã‚’明らã‹ã«ã—ãŸã€‚ ä¿å®‰é™¢ã¯ã“ã‚Œã¾ã§ã€æ ¸ç‡ƒæ–™ã®æå‚·ãŒï¼“％以上ã¨ã—ã¦ããŸãŒã€ã€Œæº¶èžã€ã¨ã®è¦‹è§£ã‚’出ã—ãŸã®ã¯åˆã‚ã¦ã€‚ Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 The general feeling from what I am hearing on the serious news here in Japan, seems to be that with all the problems there seem to be every single day, those time frames are very optimistic. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Originally Posted By: Captain Stag So for the record, what combined disaster effects would you expect the average 'in town for a couple of days' visitor to notice if: 1 - It was their first time there with nothing to compare it to? 2 - If they had a few trips to Tokyo under their belt? None?? A few less lights than normal?? It wouldn't be that HHaidar was more or less right about Tokyo being business as usual in the context of being a tourist in the City would it? Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Originally Posted By: Hokkaidough The general feeling from what I am hearing on the serious news here in Japan, seems to be that with all the problems there seem to be every single day, those time frames are very optimistic. Lets hope they are realistic. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts