Japan 2014 Discussion

[HostDave]

I did some digging on the subject and it looks like we could stay in Miyako and get a good sense of what happened. A couple of decent hotels have re-opened there. Problem is that it is very out of the way. There is a Japanese company running tours of the area from Sendai, but it is a bus tour. It had good reviews from Japanese tourists, but the article said it wasn't very popular, so I doubt they'll still be offering it by the time we get there. It is still a long way off, so I'll see what I can come up with. A private guide is probably going to be the best bet though. You've given me a lot to consider.

[FeAudrey]

Always happy to ride along with you guys!


On language learning (from your blog):

"Strangely enough, you are often better understood if you write it down and show it to them."

Not all that strange; probably an artifact of how Japanese schools teach foreign languages, relying on reading and writing and slighting speaking and listening.

NHK, the national broadcaster, has Japanese lessons both on line and via shortwave radio:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/index.html


There are numerous cherry blossom fansites in Japan, many with some English-language content. A stay within commuting distance of one of the big festivals may be your best bet. I got the impression that the regulars sop up the accommodations at various Grounds Zero.


There are several recent English-language books on the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis. I have one on request at the library right now (Strong in the Rain, social/political emphasis), and may read a second (Facing the Wave, more literary) that is on order for my local branch. Should I report back?

[HostDave]

Any information is appreciated. I've been researching a stay in Miyako which is technically feasible, but very off the beaten track. The train line that connected the coastal towns has not been re-opened making it inconvenient and time consuming to get there, although I see on Google maps that many of the stations have already been restored. I think we're going to have to do whatever tsunami investigating we can from Matsushima and/or Sendai. This is assuming there is anything to see by then. The towns we can get to are, logically, the ones that have made the most progress in cleaning up and starting to re-build. If nothing else we can take the train to Sendai airport and walk to the coast easily from there. Walk? Hmmm, might have to think about that I'm sure I'll be shuffling things around before I start making any reservations.

[Mike808]

We're on that cruise. Looks like we'll get to meet in person.

If you're going to spend some time in Japan, something you might consider is vrbo.com. I'd check rentals in Kyoto if you have time to spend there. Close to Tokyo is Kamakura, which is kind of like Kyoto lite. It's great for a day trip. If you have the option to fly into Haneda, I highly recommend it over Narita.

We're just going to spend a couple of days in Tokyo prior to the cruise. We'll hotel it in the Ginza so my wife can shop. She won't buy anything but that won't keep her from shopping.

See you on the ship.

[HostDave]

Kamakura is already on the itinerary. We're not going to Kyoto this time. I feel like we've pretty much covered it with two prior visits. We're focusing on northern Japan this time.

I settled on a two-night stay in Kesennuma for the tsunami "experience". It is the only city that is reasonably easy to get to that fits our itinerary. The itinerary and map has been adjusted to accommodate this change. I took one day off the Tokyo stay, but we'll still be there for two nights prior to the cruise. I haven't decided where we'll stay yet.

We're limited on what flights we can take because I intend to use the free companion ticket for business class from Amex. I haven't researched it yet, but I"m hoping to fly from San Diego rather than LAX. I know the flights are available, but I'm not sure the two-for-one fare is. I'll probably start making some reservations in about a month.

[FeAudrey]

(follow-up, per request)

Strong in the Rain tells the personal stories of about half-a-dozen mostly blue-collar Japanese (and one ex-pat American of Asian descent) who survived the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant failure. The group includes a school food-service worker, a student, an English teacher, a commercial fisherman, the farmer-mayor of one town, and a nuclear power plant worker. Everyone speaks very directly.

The Fukushima worker makes it clear that the energy company and goverment officials were lying their heads off -- even the janitors knew within hours that the plant was doomed, and that major heroics were going to be needed to keep it from taking a major chunk of Fukushima prefecture with it.

It's probably a good introduction to what people went through, but you may want more background on the actual events. The affected area is kind of a backwater; there is little about the impact on even Sendai, let alone Tokyo.

[HostDave]

Thanks! I just downloaded it to my Kindle.

By the way, one of the side effects of flying to Hokkaido instead of taking the train was adding a day to the stay in Sendai. That way if I come across a way to investigate what happened we'll have the time to do it. I plan to contact someone at the city of Kesennuma before we arrive. They have been actively posting on Facebook trying to get tourists to come back and have been very informative about the successes and failures with the rebuilding efforts.

[YFlower]

Enjoyed catching up and reading about the lodging reservations! I admire your taking the chance on not getting a "guaranteed" non-smoking room. I'm not sure I could do that. My mom/the agent she used was particularly vigilant for our trip this past summer; three of us have mild asthma. I suppose we paid for the assurance.

[HostDave]

When you go off the beaten tourist track in Japan there is no way to guarantee a non-smoking room...assuming they even exist. Last time, the room at one of the best ryokan we stayed in reeked of smoke. It is so shocking because we're not used to it at all anymore. Luckily we were able to air it out, so I do look for places with windows that open if they don't have non-smoking rooms. On the plus side, many places provide air purifiers in the room as a standard feature. I didn't realize what they were last time, but I'm more aware now so we'll probably make use of them. What I really hate is when the bedding and towels smell of smoke. I'll have to learn how to ask in Japanese for them to be changed.

By the way, I have had very good luck with JAPANiCAN for booking hotels that don't have direct booking sites. I had a question/problem of my own making with a credit card for one of the reservations and had to contact them via email. I received a cheerful, accurate response assuring me all was taken care of with 24 hours. I was also happy with Rakuten Travel (through a link on our site), but they have a more limited selection of hotels to choose from. Prices were the same through both, but Rakuten has more specific room types/included meals to choose from. JAPANiCAN is a bit vague in that regard, especially with what type of meals are included.

I may sign up as a travel agent after all of this

[HostDave]

I was able to contact someone representing the city of Rikuzentakata, the city that was nearly wiped off the map by the tsunami. I'm hopeful that I can arrange a way to fully report on what they are doing to recover. I'd guess having a PR director is part of that I tried to get a response from Kesennuma, as well, but no luck so far.

Here's a picture of what's left of the town: