Advise on visiting Hakuba after earthquake

Read the news about earthquake shook Hakuba and sad to know about the area badly damage. Hope everyone is safe and sound.

We are due to visit Hakuba in 2 weeks time by highway bus.

1) wondering will it be safe for tourist to visit the ski resort, will there be more aftermath and road block in days to come?

2) we will be going to Takayama from Hakuba, or should we give hakuba a miss and re-plan my itinerary?

3) below is my trip plan, hope to get some insight of the situation and your valuable advise should we proceed as plan or re-route and replace Hakuba?

Day 1: Arrive Tokyo - Shinjuku
Day 2: Hakuba
Day 3: Hakuba - Snowshoe
Day 4: Hakuba - Skiing
Day 5: Takayama
Day 6: ShinHotaka Ropeway
Day 7: Shirakawago
Day 8: Nagoya
Day 9: Depart Nagoya.

Read the news about earthquake shook Hakuba and sad to know about the area badly damage.

It's relative. If you watch the sensational news, you will think the entire town is damaged. But it is actually just a rather limited area where damage was very bad. Most of Hakuba did not suffer considerable damage.

1) wondering will it be safe for tourist to visit the ski resort, will there be more aftermath and road block in days to come?

Strong aftershocks are forecast for another week. Afterwards, it should further calm down. But even now, it is safe to be in Hakuba.

Trains from the north (from Itoigawa) to Hakuba are probably not back in service within two weeks, but train access from Matsumoto is likely to be resumed already tomorrow. Substitute buses should be running on the closed sections.

Road closures are currently affecting the road that connects Nagano with Hakuba, and the buses between the two towns are currently not running. I am not sure how long it will take to fix that road. It is possible to take a detour.

I am not aware of any damage to ski resorts. They should start opening over the coming days as more snow falls.

2) we will be going to Takayama from Hakuba, or should we give hakuba a miss and re-plan my itinerary?

If you go to Takayama, the fastest way is to take the train to Matsumoto and then the bus to Takayama. You should not encounter any problems via this route.

The highway bus between Tokyo and Hakuba was running normally even on the day after the earthquake.

The locals will be happy if tourists don't shun Hakuba this winter. Every cancellation adds even more damage to the town. But in the end, you should decide based on your feelings. If you don't feel good about visiting Hakuba now, you better skip it. Just don't let the sensationalist media influence your decision too much.