AFTER assessing the situation in Japan following the recent spate of earthquakes, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has reaffirmed that the vast majority of the country is still safe to travel to. Nearly all the country is operating as normal, with the exception of the locally impacted tsunami area in the vicinity around the Fukushima nuclear plants.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), with the full re-opening of the Tohoku bullet train on April 29, the situation for visitors is virtually back to normal in all of Japan, including most of Tohoku region, the area in northeast Japan where the earthquake and tsunami had most impact. Trains and subways in Tokyo and its surrounding areas are operating under a near normal schedule. However, in an effort to reduce consumption of electricity, some train lines may be operating at lower frequencies.
On the aviation front, there was a significant drop in demand for flights to Japan after the crisis. While flights into Tokyo have been adjusted due to lessened demand, there are still ample options. The new direct route between New York and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport will resume this summer. All airports in Japan are open and in operation. Sendai Airport has also re-opened with flights to and from Haneda (Tokyo), Itami (Osaka), New Chitose (Sapporo) and Centrair (Nagoya). Most tourist attractions, tourism facilities and transportation services are operating as usual in Tokyo and all areas outside of the tsunami impacted locations.
Japan open for business
Comments | 0
