By Mark Hodson, Editor, 101 Holidays
Is it right to visit Japan on holiday so soon after the earthquake and tsunami devastated much of the country earlier this year? Is it insensitive? Will your travel plans be wrecked?
This is a dilemma I have personally seen many times over. Most memorably, I was the first UK travel writer to visit the Maldives after the tsunami of 2004 and found that although there was little physical damage, the local economy was being destroyed by the sudden disappearance of those all-important tourists.
Two weeks later I visited the affected regions of Sri Lanka and Thailand where – although the damage was much greater – local people were again desperate to see the return of foreign visitors.
We’re now seeing the same in Japan. Although it is a wealthy developed country, there are many people in Japan whose livelihoods depend on tourism. The longer we stay away, the longer we prolong their suffering.
One of the tour operators recommend by 101 Holidays is InsideJapan Tours. It’s a true specialist, run by experts who are passionate about Japan and work closely with the local people. We liked the way they honestly reported the situation on the ground on their Facebook page throughout the aftermath of the tsunami, and we trust them to give the facts straight.
Their view: now is the right time to go back to Japan. The infrastructure is back in place, they say, and the welcome for tourists is warmer than ever.
But often the best way to assess the situation is to hear from tourists that have recently returned. Barrie and Marilyn Ellison from Derby booked a two-week trip with InsideJapan Tours to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and – despite the devastation – decided to go ahead, returning earlier this month.
Here, Barrie describes what they found:
“We did consider cancelling, but we decided against and we are so glad we did. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with open arms. The Japanese people were genuinely glad to see us and the lack of tourists meant we avoided queues and the large crowds you could expect in famous temples in Kyoto and Universal Studio’s in Osaka for example.
“We started our trip in Tokyo; a fabulously vibrant city with a terrific mix of traditional and modern areas. Tokyo has some of the best shopping in the world, especially if you are into electronic gadgets.
“After three days we caught a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hakone for a complete change of pace. Here we had booked into a traditional Japanese ryokan where we were treated like royalty and enjoyed a taste of Japanese life, sleeping on futons, wearing yukatas and eating traditional Japanese food, (after some instruction from a very kind waitress).
“Whilst in Hakone, we travelled by mountain railway, funicular railway and cable car to see some of the most spectacular scenery, with views of Mount Fuji and sail across a volcanic lake by pleasure boat – an absolutely idyllic break. From here we caught another Shinkansen to Kyoto where we would spend the next four nights. From Kyoto, we were able to visit Universal Studios in Osaka and the city of Hiroshima.
“Unfortunately our time in Japan was coming to an end and from Kyoto, we travelled back to Tokyo for our flight back to UK. This felt far too early and we could happily have spent another four weeks in Japan.
“I would just like to thank our travel agent, Carol at Ilkeston Travel, InsideJapan and – most of all – the people of Japan. This was without doubt the best holiday Marilyn and I have ever had. It surpassed all our expectations and was one of the most varied, exciting, friendly, safe and polite countries we have ever visited and we would have no hesitation in booking to go back.
“Japan needs the support of tourism to help rebuild those parts so recently devastated by the earthquake & tsunami and to keep local economies going. Please don’t let the recent problems put you off travelling to Japan.”
* Tell us what you think. Would you go to Japan now, or would you rather wait? Please leave a comment below.
