Have you cancelled the trip to Japan?

risk ANY EXTRA radiation to you and your family. So far very small amounts has been detected in milk, veg and water. Japan wind is strong. Family first and everything else second. This thing is far from over and it'll take some time to fix. Countries advised their citizens to leave for a reason. Right now on the nhk news they might release the pressure on one of the reactors.

we originally had no plans to change our schedule, until last thursday. we heard that the uk and australian governments were now reccommending "do not travel" to tokyo, and usually the irish foreign office follows suit on the uk foreign office. because it was st patrick's day it meant bank holiday so there was noone to update the irish foreign office page. we had a bit of a crisis meeting and decided to move our flights to osaka. we booked them ourselves that night and the following morning notified the travel agents that we would take a refund from them on the iriginal flights. the costs worked out within a euro of each other too which was very convenient!

i am a bit put out that we will be losing 3 days off our holiday, but we all have insurance and we need to make sure we don't do anything to invalidate it. we are holding tokyo til last and are fully expectant that we will be able to go; we have not cancelled our hotel there yet.

After a lot of thought I have still decided to go. I've got flight on 28/3. The only change is, I will avoid Tokyo, I have been there before so it is not massive problem (although wanted to go to parasite museum in Meguro)I do not know if my decision is the right one but on the other hand I know that if I cancell it, I will regret it later on.

p.s.In 1986 when Czernobyl exploded my country - Poland did not even know about explosion until Scandinavian countries detected radiation. It was too late to warn citizens to saty indoor (they gave us potassium iodate although it was too late)so basically we were all exposed to radiation.

I just thought I would share this link I read this morning posted on Aljazeera's Japan blog. I found it interesting and helped to calm my worries about radiation.

http://xkcd.com/radiation/

As of now my husband and I are still planning to go. Our trip is April 12-21st. First 6 days in Tokyo, then traveling to Kyoto for remainder. If things take a turn for the worst we will reconsider.

@ Sarah. Thanks for posting the link to the radiation chart. It is very useful and should be read by all, particularly the fear mongering media. How tragic for Japan that there is such a knee jerk reaction to this terrible event. Now China are not unloading cargo at Narita-see NHK.
We are still going to southern Japan on 28th until 13th April. I have more concerns about the numerous chest x-rays I've had over the last years than the possible radiation from Fukushima. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you have concerns then your holiday will be a troubled one.
The Japanese people have been so calm and gracious in their response to this disaster. Let's learn from that.

Can't remember if someone linked to this site or i found it on a google search, but for all those traveling to Tokyo, this is a wonderful photographic diary!

http://shoottokyo.com/

I've been following it for a couple of days, it's reassuring to see those photo's and that "Tokyo-ites" are getting on with life and moving forward in a new light.

I really feel relieved after having read what that reactor operator in your link had to say. That ist much more reliable and impartial than everything "the media" has published.
Thanks again.

I plan to go to Osaka and Kyoto, leaving on march 23, with 3 children and a husband, I would appreciate anyone who knows the latest situation, thanks

I have just cancelled our trip. I was due to travel with my bf on 1st April, however after long discusssions and reconsidering the pros and cons, we decided to postpone to next years's cherry blossoms. It was a very very painful decision. However, we have been saving money for quite a long time for this and we decided that if we go , we should have the most of our holiday - as it might be our first and last time. We don't want to see Tokyo in less than its full glory. If I knew that would have money for this and next year as well, then we would definitely go - at least to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka...

Good luck to everyone who goes! Keep my fingers crossed that next week with the start of Sakura, your holiday will be enjoyable and unforgettable!

We were going to cancel and make other plans but have just found out that cancellation cover was an optional extra in our insurance. Stupidly, I assumed that it would be covered as a matter of course. Our airfares and prebooked hotel stays are non-refundable. Now it's just a matter of waiting and seeing. It's a lot of money to walk away from.

Well i am due to fly on the 27th march staying in tokyo 4 nights to kyoto for 7 back to tokyo for 9 and am happy to do that now i was a bit apprehensive but all looks good now so off i go !!

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comm...

Ann Coulter says the low levels of radiation emitted by the Fukushima reactor may even be good for the Japanese:

As The New York Times science section reported in 2001, an increasing number of scientists believe that at some levelmuch higher than the minimums set by the U.S. government adiation is good for you. gThey theorize,h the Times said, that hthese doses protect against cancer by activating cellsf natural defense mechanisms.h

As an Australian I am not allowed to got o Tokyo according to the DFAT. My flight is still booked April 8 and I am just hopeful that things stabilise and they remove the DO NOT TRAVEL. IN any case a few days in Tokyo, even if there is slightly higher radiation levels are unlikely to have any effect

If someone plans to travel Tohoku area, it should be canceled because of the chaotic situation.

If someone plans to travel Tokyo area, it should be reconsidered because some inconvenience of transportation and electric supply.

Other area would be no problem.

News - NO RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL TO JAPAN
http://www2.icao.int/en/NewsRoom/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=37
http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2011-03-18-02.aspx

WHO | FAQs: Japan nuclear concerns
http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/faqs/en/index.html

IAEA Update on Japan Earthquake
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html

However, no one can't guarantee the risk of nuclear power plant and after shock at this moment. Please reconsider your trip if you can't be comfortable with both.

Please come back later if you cancel your trip.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington yesterday left the Japanese port of Yokosuka, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) south of a crippled nuclear plant, as a precautionary measure.

gMoving the USS George Washington is a precaution given the capabilities of the vessel and the complex nature of the disaster,h the 7th Fleet said in a press release. gThe forward deployed carrier is scheduled to remain in the local waters off Japan.h

U.S. Navy ships and helicopters have been involved in rescue efforts following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japanfs Tohoku region on March 11. Radiation detected on U.S. aircrews operating near Fukushima prompted the relocation of some ships on March 14.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iOcjsDiGUg

The US Navy Had moved aircraft carrier George Washington away from south of Tokyo due to winds blowing radiation over Tokyo. So unsure what to believe

Hey everyone.
We had to cancel our part of the trip that was in Tokyo (the Do Not Travel from Aussie DFAT and the fact our airline did not seem keen at at all to fly us into Narita) and we are now in Osaka! Been here 4 days and about to head to Hiroshima, then onto Kyoto, Nara, (maybe a few more side trips), Kinosakai and back to Osaka to fly out. We did not want to cancel our trip at all but thought Tokyo would be difficult! We will come back to Tokyo next year!
But I must say, there is nothing wrong with down here in the south!!!!! There's a few people (foreigners) who are leaving their partners in Tokyo and coming down south but other than that I havent seen any extra people or panic at all. Plus, all the Japanese down here are SO SO SO NICE!!!!!!! Everyone is super helpful and seem to love having us here!

Hope this helps someone make their mind up! Will post on the travel blog once I get to Hiroshima!

As an Australian I am not allowed to got o Tokyo according to the DFAT.

You are certainly allowed to go to Tokyo- a travel advisory is a recommendation, not an order- I haven't checked, but I think you'll find Qantas is still flying here. Whether or not to go is entirely up to you.

I arrived in Tokyo on the 20th and so far I have not had any problems. Narita Airport was a breeze to get through. It only took me 20 minutes from the time I landed until I was on a bus to Shibuya. The airport was noticeably emptier than the last time I visited and I did not see any of the hordes of people trying to flee the country that the news has been showing. The buses were completely on schedule and so far I have not had to wait more than 8 minutes for any train (most trains have come within 3 minutes). In Tokyo itself, you can see that people are trying to save power. Most of the buildings have fewer lights on so you don't get assaulted by a barrage of lights and noise when you walk around. Some stores close early but none of them were ones that I wanted to go to so that is not really a concern for me. Most of the scheduled blackouts have been canceled since all the energy saving things people are doing have made them unnecessary. If anything, some people are complaining since they were planning on blackouts that didn't happen. There are a fewer people in Tokyo but I would not have noticed if I didn't have previous experience to compare to. There have no aftershocks during the two days I was in Tokyo but I heard that they had a bigger one last night. Some convenience stores have some empty spots on their shelves but it was only where snacks and ramen would be (they all had a full aisle of bread products).

I have spent the last few days in Kyoto and Osaka and there is no sign of any damage here. Everything is running as normal. All of the shrines I have visited have been busy with lines to get into them. Restaurants are full and trains are busy.

My recommendation is that if your trip is planned for anywhere south of Tokyo then come because there really isn't anything that would adversely effect your trip. If you are planning on visiting Tokyo and you are nervous about the news stories then you might want to postpone until you feel better about your trip. As I mentioned earlier, there are some things in Tokyo that could effect your trip but I found them to be minor inconveniences if at all.

"If someone plans to travel Tohoku area, it should be canceled because of the chaotic situation."

As someone who plans to go to Tohoku, in Akita to be precise, I am also quite worried at first. However, after communicating with a friend in Akita, she said that the area is not affected and the people are proceeding with their lives as usual and not even fearful of the radiation because of the distance.

Anyone begs to disagree?

Hi everyone,

I've been following this thread, umming and ahhing for days now. Thanks for all your opinions:)

I'm traveling from Syd-Narita 15th April, and flying back 29th April (so yes, Australian airlines are still flying into Tokyo). In fact it looks like the flights a very cheap...!

I'm considering changing my flights to Osaka. Or maybe flying into Osaka hoping to make it up to Tokyo briefly, if it feels appropriate.

I haven't booked any hotels or anything, and I'm still checking the travel advice pages constantly, but I think I will still go. Unfortunately my friend has pulled out so here comes some solo travel.

.. for your sensible posting.

I am still undecided whether or not we should go to Tohoku in July/August (Neputa matsuri, Kanto matsuri, Dewa Sanzan, Shimokita-hanto).

I am worried for two reasons:
- radiation of caesium and plutonium (radioactive iodine will be composed till then)
- the railway connection from Tokyo to Aomori goes via Fukushima and probably is broken by earthquake; uncertain if that will be repaired within the next 4 months

What is your opinion?