Tokyo Metropolitan Government to Subsidize Tours to Fukushima Only Next Year

Did you even know that the Tokyo Metropolitan government had such a program?

Not satisfied enough by accepting and burning disaster debris of varying radiation levels from Iwate and Miyagi Prefecture (in case of the Miyagi debris, it is to be burned all over Tokyo) and collecting fat fees for "facilitating" the effort, the Tokyo Metropolitan government will now focus on the tourism industry in Fukushima Prefecture. It will subsidize tourists who will visit Fukushima, starting the next fiscal year which will start on April Fool's Day.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (1/11/2011):

東京都は来年度、福島県に日帰り旅行する観光客について、１人１５００円を、宿泊客には２泊まで１泊３０００円を助成することを決めた。

The Tokyo Metropolitan government has decided to subsidize tourists who will visit Fukushima Prefecture starting the next fiscal year [that will start on April 1]. Tourists who visit on a day trip will be given 1,500 yen [about US$20], and tourists who stay overnight will be given 3,000 yen [about US$40] per night up to two nights.

　東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故で、観光客離れに苦しむ福島県を応援する施策の一環。旅行会社を通じてツアーを申し込んだ都内在住、在勤、在学者が対象で、旅行代金から割り引く。

It is part of the measures [by the Tokyo Metropolitan government] to support Fukushima Prefecture who suffers decrease in the number of tourists to the prefecture because of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. The subsidy will be given to people who live, work or go to school, in Tokyo who book tours through travel agencies.

　都は今年度、岩手、宮城を含む被災３県へ旅行する観光客を対象に、１泊３０００円を助成しているが、福島県の観光は回復が鈍く、来年度は同県に限り助成する。

This fiscal year, the Tokyo Metropolitan government has been subsidizing the tourists who go to the three disaster-affected prefectures including Iwate and Miyagi with 3,000 yen per night. However, the tourism recovery in Fukushima Prefecture has been slow, and the Tokyo government will subsidize the tourists to Fukushima only in the next fiscal year.

Travel agencies, if they are like other businesses in Japan, will inflate the package price. The government bureaucrats will be the last people to take any responsibility in the future for any ill effect on health for promoting the destination whose air radiation levels easily exceed 1 microsievert/hour in many locations.

Caveat emptor.

Or as Professor Hayakawa of Gunma University often comments, "If you don't educate yourself now and fast, you'll die."

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Japan Railway Pushes Tohoku as Must-Go-Now-Or-Never Travel Destination

One of my twitter followers from France sent me a link to a French blogpost titled "Christmas in Fukushima".

JR (Japan Railway) apparently has a special PR blitz that pushes Tohoku - Yamagata, Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima as travel destination. It has launched a TV commercial featuring young women having a good time traveling in the region.

The color scheme of the ad seems intentionally "dated" - it has a 1930's look to me. The first ad has a woman posing as if she was either shielding her eyes or saluting military-style.

The ad is for Fukushima Prefecture, and it says: "I'm coming, Tohoku" (in a diction used predominantly by men, colloquial, slightly vulgar); and "Nothing will happen unless I go there." (Hmmm, is it alluding to the decon volunteer work in high radiation areas in Fukushima?)

The second ad says: "If I don't go to Tohoku now, when would I go?" (i.e. "It's now or never" or "This is the best time to go.")

At JR East's website, you can download an ad poster for your favorite prefecture in Tohoku.

As the French blog points out, the ostensible (or "tatemae") reason for the PR blitz is to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) between Tokyo and Aomori), while the real reason is likely to be to prop up the sagging ticket sales and "help" the tourism industry in the disaster-affected area.

I personally do not think JR should be promoting tourism using young women in an area severely affected by the fallout from the nuclear plant accident. I don't think young women like those in the TV ad below should be in Fukushima for fun, but it's just me. Learned experts clearly have different opinions (here and here).

(H/T Aizen Kaguya)

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#Radiation in Japan: First International Flight to Fukushima Airport Since March 11

A chartered flight from Taiwan arrived for the first time since March 11 at Fukushima Airport, carrying tourists who will spend their vacations in locations inside Fukushima Prefecture.

I don't understand why they do it; my best guess is that they just couldn't pass up great bargains to be had in Fukushima. It could be the bargain that they didn't even need to pay for the trip.

Asahi Shinbun (11/19/2011) reports:

東日本大震災と東京電力福島第一原発の事故の後、約８カ月ぶりとなる国際線のチャーター機が到着した福島空港の国際定期線再開に向けネックになっているのは、放射能汚染を心配する各国の規制だ。福島県は、各国・地域の航空会社に再開を要請し続け、１９日の運航にこぎ着けたが、「次便は未定」（観光交流課）という。

The first chartered flight since the March 11 earthquake and Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident arrived in Fukushima Airport. Regular international flights to and from Fukushima Airport haven't resumed, due to the restrictions placed by foreign countries for the fear of radiation contamination. Fukushima Prefecture has been requesting the resumption of the international flights to the international airlines in foreign countries and regions, and November 19's flight is the first result of the effort. However, according to the tourism section of the Fukushima prefectural government, the next flight is not scheduled.

　福島空港は原発から約６０キロ離れ、放射線量は毎時０．１～０．２マイクロシーベルト台と低い。しかし、日本政府観光局が把握しているだけでも、１２カ国・地域が福島県への渡航制限などを続ける。この日、福島に向けチャーター便が飛んだ台湾も、「福島県からの退避勧告」を出しており、観光客たちは自己責任で来県した。

The air radiation level at Fukushima Airport, 60 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant, is low, between 0.1 and 0.2 microsievert/hour. As far as the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) knows, twelve countries and regions continue the travel restriction to Japan. Taiwan, from which the charter flight to Fukushima today was originated, recommends "evacuation from Fukushima Prefecture". The tourists came at their own risk.

　成長戦略の柱として外国人観光客増加を目指す日本が期待する中国も、依然として「深刻な被災地への訪問自粛」を勧告している。政府は各国に規制解除を働きかけるが、「色よい返事はない」（観光庁）という。

Japan is looking toward China as the growth engine for international tourism, but China continues to maintain the recommendation not to visit the areas seriously affected by the disaster. The Japanese government has been working on the foreign counterparts to loosen the travel restrictions, but so far received "no favorable response", according to JNTO.

Since when 0.1 to 0.2 microsievert/hour became "low radiation" level? It used to be 0.03 to 0.06 microsievert/hour in Fukushima before the accident.

JNTO has a website specifically targeting Taiwanese tourists, and has been heavily promoting Tohoku region including Fukushima.

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Obama Signs Bill to Boost US Tourism Promotion

Obama is now Travel-Agent-In-Chief.

Obama signs bill to boost US tourism promotion (3/4/2010 Breitbart)

"Looking for an edge in the global war for tourism dollars, US President Barack Obama Thursday signed into law moves to attract more overseas travelers.

"Obama signed the act "which establishes a corporation for travel promotion to encourage international travel to the United States," the White House said in a statement.

"The effort is to be funded through a matching program featuring up to 100 million dollars in private sector contributions and a 10-dollar fee on foreign travelers who do not pay for a visa, with no money from US taxpayers.

"Supporters of the law highlighted a forecast by the impartial Congressional Budget Office that it would create some 40,000 US jobs -- and cut the ballooning US deficit by some 425 million dollars." [The article continues.]

Charging 10-dollar fees for travelers from countries with the visa waiver program is supposed to encourage international travel?

Huh?

What am I missing? Visa waiver program participants include most of Europe and wealthier countries in Asia/Pacific (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand). The travelers from these countries already suffer a newly added inconvenience of having to register online with the U.S. embassies before they travel to the U.S. and obtain approval.

The bill the president signed was H.R. 1299 "United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009", "which establishes a Corporation for Travel Promotion to encourage international travel to the United States; and makes miscellaneous amendments to authorities of the United States Capitol Police" according to the White House statement.

What a joke. How things have NOT changed. Capitol Police administrative amendments and a creation of a government-sponsored travel promotion scheme on the same bill.

Section 9 of the bill, TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT OF 2009, details out the plan.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion is to be a non-government, non-profit corporation receiving the money from the government and supported by the Department of Commerce. (How could that be a non-government corporation?) The government will give $10 million seed money, and $100 million per fiscal year for which the Corporation will have to raise the matching fund.

Breitbart's article says "no cost to taxpayers", but it sure looks to me that it will cost taxpayers.

In addition, the Department of Commerce will create the Office of Travel Promotion to act as a liaison with the Corporation and do some research on tourism promotion. Hey more new jobs will be created in the federal government, making the government even bigger, and we should all cheer.

It looks like a win scored by the travel industry. Instead of trying to do the tourism promotion on their own, they have managed to get the government to match the fund for promotion. They'd better hope that wealthier travelers from Europe and Asia wouldn't mind being assessed a $10 fee each time they come to the U.S with a threat of penalty for not paying, and wouldn't mind the hassle of having to obtain a pre-approval for their trips.

If the industry and the Obama government believe all this will boost tourism, they are delusional.

Oh by the way, did you know that the Patriot Act's extension was recently approved, without any debate, with all the abusive spying program intact, as it was attached to the bill that deals with medicare reform? What else has snuck in in disguise these days?

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