Travel to Japan

by charvaka Thu May 05, 2011 7:10 pm

We were planning to go to Japan this year (before the earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima all happened). Now it's time to execute on the plan, and my wife is having second thoughts. My perception is that the danger has passed, and it is actually a good opportunity to visit the country when tourist volumes will be lower than usual. Strangely enough, the alternative place we were thinking of was Egypt. And I think Egypt is still a lot more volatile and potentially dangerous for tourists than Japan is. If you had the opportunity do so, would you go on a vacation to Japan so soon after the nuclear accident?

by Guest Thu May 05, 2011 8:25 pm

charvaka wrote: If you had the opportunity do so, would you go on a vacation to Japan so soon after the nuclear accident?

We were supposed to go to Japan on vacation but have decided against it. I have two kids and so that's certainly a big factor in playing it extra safe.

by charvaka Thu May 05, 2011 8:47 pm

blabberwock wrote:
charvaka wrote: If you had the opportunity do so, would you go on a vacation to Japan so soon after the nuclear accident?

We were supposed to go to Japan on vacation but have decided against it. I have two kids and so that's certainly a big factor in playing it extra safe.

Yeah, I wouldn't go now if I had kids. But I am tempted to go, and need to find a way to convince my wife that it is safe. Unfortunately our back-up plan is a no-go (I feel it is too risky) so we will end up doing nothing at all.

by .|Sublime|. Thu May 05, 2011 9:29 pm

charvaka wrote:We were planning to go to Japan this year (before the earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima all happened). Now it's time to execute on the plan, and my wife is having second thoughts. My perception is that the danger has passed, and it is actually a good opportunity to visit the country when tourist volumes will be lower than usual. Strangely enough, the alternative place we were thinking of was Egypt. And I think Egypt is still a lot more volatile and potentially dangerous for tourists than Japan is. If you had the opportunity do so, would you go on a vacation to Japan so soon after the nuclear accident?

i had the opportunity but decided to change vacation plans. i was supposed to be there for 4 days and although i had no plans on visiting northern japan (had planned on tokyo and around it, kyoto, hiroshima), any changes in train schedule etc would have messed up plans. japan is not fully up yet i think. might be better to wait some more before you go on a vacation there. if there was no other choice, i would probably have gone to japan considering they are such an efficient country. but family etc were worried about radiation and more earth quakes.

strongly recommend that if you decide to go to egypt, do it with a tour group. i do not like organized tour vacations, and egypt has been the only one so far, but due to security considerations it makes sense to travel with a group. US and UK citizens are provided extensive security in egypt. it is not easy to go to places in egypt on your own - first language is a barrier and outside of the city, services are poor.

have you been to turkey, greece etc?

by charvaka Thu May 05, 2011 10:12 pm

.|Sublime|. wrote:japan is not fully up yet i think. might be better to wait some more before you go on a vacation there. if there was no other choice, i would probably have gone to japan considering they are such an efficient country. but family etc were worried about radiation and more earth quakes.

That's what my wife is worried about -- "not being fully up yet" and aftershocks. But we live in a seismic zone which is overdue for the Big One, so I am not convinced we raise our risk by going there.

.|Sublime|. wrote:strongly recommend that if you decide to go to egypt, do it with a tour group.

I don't feel confident about going to Egypt this summer. I am looking at August, and they have elections due in September. So I will wait until next year for that one.

.|Sublime|. wrote:have you been to turkey, greece etc?

Yes, one of our best vacations ever. We spent two weeks in Turkey last year. No language issues at all, although we went into the interior a little bit.

by Guest Thu May 05, 2011 10:27 pm

How about south africa?

It is a beautiful country but it was hard to overlook the history and not feel depressed. I plan to go there again with my kids - they will enjoy the Kruger national park.

I did a "township" tour too.

by .|Sublime|. Thu May 05, 2011 10:50 pm

blabberwock wrote:How about south africa?

It is a beautiful country but it was hard to overlook the history and not feel depressed. I plan to go there again with my kids - they will enjoy the Kruger national park.

I did a "township" tour too.

on my list.
so many places to see, so little time.

by .|Sublime|. Thu May 05, 2011 11:44 pm

charvaka wrote:But we live in a seismic zone which is overdue for the Big One, so I am not convinced we raise our risk by going there.

radiation is also a consideration. japan has always been brutal about food safety but do not know how well they have this under control now.

charvaka wrote:I don't feel confident about going to Egypt this summer. I am looking at August, and they have elections due in September. So I will wait until next year for that one.

good decision. also probably not a good idea with everything thats happening in neighboring Libya. let me know if you need any travel tips for egypt.

other choices to consider in asia: cambodia - angkor wat is supposed to be awesome. indonesia - heard the cruise/ferries to islands is a must-do. china: beijing
africa: african safari tour
new zealand: if you are interested in scenic beauty
scandinavia?

by Hellsangel Thu May 05, 2011 11:51 pm

by charvaka Fri May 06, 2011 12:46 am

.|Sublime|. wrote:let me know if you need any travel tips for egypt.

Thank you. Will reach out to you when we make plans for Egypt.

.|Sublime|. wrote:other choices to consider in asia: cambodia - angkor wat is supposed to be awesome.

Done, and recommend it highly. I even blogged about it on Sulekha a long time ago.

.|Sublime|. wrote:indonesia - heard the cruise/ferries to islands is a must-do.

Also done, at least Java and Bali. Heard really good things about Sulawesi, but not sure when we will go.

.|Sublime|. wrote:china: beijing
africa: african safari tour
new zealand: if you are interested in scenic beauty
scandinavia?

So much to see, so little time.

by doofus_maximus Fri May 06, 2011 7:47 am

no mention of South America..

dudes..you guys travel a lot..

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