Japan travel still crippled following quake
UPDATED: Monday, 10:45 a.m ET
By Laura Bly, USA TODAY
With a death toll expected to surpass 10,000, fears of radiation leaks from damaged power plants, and dozens of strong aftershocks following Friday's devastating 8.9 earthquake and tsunami, travel to and within Japan remains crippled.
The U.S. State Department is advising Americans to avoid travel until April 1, noting that "strong aftershocks are likely for weeks." In an alert updated March 13, the department said it was not aware of any casualties among the estimated 160,000 Americans in Japan, including about 1,300 in the prefectures most affected by the quake and tsunami. The offshore epicenter of Friday's quake, which has been followed by more than 100 aftershocks, is about 200 miles north of Tokyo near the coastal city of Sendai.
A March 14 State Department warden message, meanwhile, said the "Japanese government is asking the public to reduce the amount of electric power usage as much as possible and not to go out unless necessary. TEPCO advises residents in the Kanto area (comprising the seven prefectures of Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa) to avoid traveling, to conserve electricity as much as possible even outside of the Kanto area, and to avoid driving because traffic signals may be out. Due to the blackouts, trains and subways in Tokyo are cutting back on their service. Reduced service will impact commuters during rush hour as well as throughout the day and night."
Flights are departing with some delays from Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports, the State Department said. Many airlines are letting passengers delay their trips to Japan without penalties; on Sunday, Delta extended its travel waiver for flights through March 20, while both United and American's waivers are good through March 18.
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea resorts, where some 20,000 people were stranded overnight following Friday's quake, reported no injuries or major damage but will remain closed for about 10 days, reports the Japan Times.
Roy Liao of California-based Super Value Tours, which had about 200 clients in Japan when the quake struck, said that all are safe and have either left the country or are continuing on their scheduled itineraries. The company has canceled departures to Japan through March 15.
While communications disruptions make it "difficult to get a clear picture," Liao said " we're hearing really positive reports for Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka," the primary destinations for most U.S. visitors. One major problem, he added, is that the closure of major highways has hobbled airport access: "A trip from Tokyo to Narita that normally takes two hours was eight hours," he said.
Sky Whitehead, a Los Angeles-based business development manager who arrived in Japan last week, was about to enter an office elevator in Tokyo's Toronomon district when the quake struck Friday. "There wasn't a lot of panic, but it was pretty intense," Whitehead said Saturday. Despite fears of rolling blackouts because of power cuts from nuclear power plants closer to the epicenter, Whitehead said the city is "apprehensively, cautiously getting back to normal." He plans to return to the U.S. as scheduled next Wednesday.
All ports in Japan remain closed; Cunard canceled the Queen Mary 2's scheduled call at Nagasaki Saturday and Azamara Club Cruises has canceled its planned Sunday call in Osaka.
"The entire country of Japan is still assessing the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami," the line notes in a statement. "While initial reports suggest that Kyoto (Osaka) did not sustain major damage, we feel that the recent events and continuing aftershocks have the potential to seriously disrupt Azamara Quest's experience and our operations in port."
About 8.6 million foreign tourists visited Japan last year, including 727,000 Americans.
Posted Mar 13 2011 5:02PM
