As you all know, an Earthquake of 9.0 Magnitude took place on March 11th 2011 in the Tohoku District of Northeastern Japan.  We the staff members of Tohoku Travel Service Inc. & Yokohama Travel Inc. would like to express our heartfelt Sympathy & Aloha to the People of Japan in their recovery efforts in these challenging circumstances and hope for their success in these trying times.

Yokohama Travel Inc. Office did not suffer any serious damage and thank the people of Hawaii for their warm support and concern.  They are doing fine despite a few shortages of some products in the stores. The electricity black outs have been cancelled by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and will instead institute a voluntary electricity conservation policy from July to September in a limited area around Tokyo.  Most of the stores, restaurants and department stores have also resumed functioning normally.

The big issue among the Japanese People now is whether to refrain from any enjoyment.  But, this would impact the Japanese Economy and all the businesses that are trying to recover from the disaster.  Japan is a country of islands. It is also a country that encompasses a huge land area. The Yokohama Travel Staff are anxious for the people of Hawaii to show their “Aloha for Japan Spirit” in participating in the tours that Tohoku Travel is offering.  These tours have been revised so as not to be near the Tohoku Region of Japan. Your participation in the tours offered will not only be a big help to Tohoku Travel & Yokohama Travel but also to all the hotels, restaurants and shops in the areas visited.      

The areas of Nagoya and vicinity, Kansai Region including Osaka, Kyoto, Shikoku Island, Kyushu, Hokkaido, Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan Sea side, Chugoku Region (Hiroshima, Okayama), and Okinawa did not receive any impact from the disaster and there is no shortage, no electrical black outs and no radiation scare.  It is safe to travel in these areas and every effort will be taken into consideration to ensure everyone’s safety.

None of us want to believe in the devastation caused by the huge Earthquake and Tsunami that hit the coastline of the Tohoku Area. The biggest support you can give the victims, their family and evacuees is to help Japan get back to their normal way of life by supporting their economy which impacts not only the people of the Tohoku Area but all of Japan.  What the people of Japan needs the most now is something to boost their morale and “GAMBARE SPIRIT”.
Late March and early April is supposed to be the most beautiful season to visit Japan because this is when the Cherry Blossom is in bloom all over.  We had to cancel our spring tours though since your safety is the most important thing.    Right now the Tohoku Region including Fukushima Prefecture where the founder of Tohoku Travel came from is struggling to recover and get back to normal.  The rest of Japan is also in a mood of restraint from any enjoyment. However what Japan needs most is the energy to get back to normality.  Your participation in traveling to Japan and warm smile will be the biggest help to not only the people of Japan but also the Staff at Yokohama Travel who are anxiously waiting to welcome you to Japan.
 

New York City, New York – April 15, 2011: The first month after the most major earthquake in the northeastern Japan has been an important recovery time for Japan, despite that international media release floods of extensive coverage on post-catastrophe situation. Thanks to international relief supports and Japan’s resilience and hard-working effort enables the country to recover the infrastructure as well as commercial activities at a surprisingly fast pace.

Following the British and Canadian governments’ ease on travel restrictions to Japan, on April 14, the US Department of State has reduced the travel alert to Japan only within the 50 miles radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which excludes major cities such as Tokyo and Yokohama, and Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports.

You can view Today's Japan through live cameras and YouTube videos.

As international organizations release clearer figures and assessment, the current situation has reached a reasonable safety level for international travelers, with detailed data as of April 15.

Can We Visit Japan Today? – YES!

The majority of regions in Japan including popular leisure travel destinations, are outside the areas affected by tsunami, earthquake and radiation, and received no disruption to infrastructure. Everything in these areas continues to operate as usual. The greater Tokyo area has already retrieved the usual condition, and there are no more periodical blackouts. The other regions are unharmed, and safe and normal as before.

How is the Radiation Level? – NOT DANGEROUS!

Except for the proximate areas near the nuclear power plants, there is no dangerous level of radiation detected in Japan. Tokyo is not within radiation contamination concern area, located over 200km (124 miles) away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant facilities. The radiation level in Tokyo is similar to that of New York City. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other international organizations confirm that the radiation level in the atmosphere is within a reasonable safety level to human health.

The accident in Fukushima is now categorized as level 7 with the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). However, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) estimates the amount of radiation released to the atmosphere is as a mere 10% of the Chernobyl accident. Since the INES category doesn’t have anything higher than level 7, both incidents fall into the same category in spite of the huge difference in the radiation levels and the size and structure of the accidents. See more details here.

In addition, please see the daily updates on radiation level in major cities in Japan here.

Are Food and Water Safe? – YES!

There is no shortage of food or water, and products distributed to the public are all safe.

Is Public Transportation Working? – YES!

Japan's sophisticated public transportation systems have been recovered to the regular service levels everywhere, except for the tsunami-affected regions.

Daily Updates

Since the 3.11 earthquake, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) continues to release updates on its website, including radiation conditions, transportation, events and other travel-related information.

Daily updates are also available online at JNTO’s North American website.

Please note that all the pre-tour luncheons are currently held at the following location
Place: Hawaii Tokai International College Cafeteria
2241 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii
Time: 12:00 PM (Noon)

Tohoku Travel Service has just launched its new website!
We hope that this site will provide you with all the information you desire about Tohoku Travel Services and all of our offerings. Should you encounter any problems during your stay, please forward them to us via contact us form.