Check it out!

Here are a few of the things we’ve got planned:

• MANGA:

  Meet manga artists for an intimate look at their process, and if you’re an artist yourself, you can even sell your work at our booth at Comitia! We’ll even head to the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, to see how the modern medium got its start.

• FASHION:

  Hear how Tokyo’s innovative fashion scene came to be with tours of Shibuya 109, La Foret and other big sights from local experts, then work with our professional photographer to produce your own version of Japan’s influential street fashion magazines.

• ANIME:

  Yes, there’s the Ghibli Museum and Akihabara – and you can bet we’re going there – but PJT goes deeper, with a visit to a working anime studio and the chance to meet some of anime’s all-time greatest artists.

• THEATRE:

  See Japan’s theatrical culture from every angle, with a show by the world-famous all-women Takarazuka troupe, a taste of traditional stagecraft in Osaka and a late-night burlesque that blends equal parts kabuki and Vegas.

• FOOD:

  For the first time, PJT will include the option to buy meals with the tour group. We’ll serve you up everything from staples like sushi and ramen to exotic regional cuisines and well-kept secrets.

• HISTORY:

  Enjoy an interactive private tour of Kyoto, one of the world’s great ancient cities, including a hands-on calligraphy experience in an authentic Gion teahouse, a picturesque outdoor feast over the Kamo River and temples nearly as old as the imperial line itself, set against some of the nation’s most elegant and beautiful wooded vistas.

Yes, all of these things will happen on the same tour. We want to celebrate with the ultimate Japan experience!

So mark your calendars! PJT’s triumphant return begins Aug. 29-Sept. 7!

We love sharing all the great things Japan has to offer! So, even though tours are postponed, we want to let you know some of the resources we use so you can get started your own adventure. =)

Planning is so important and absolutely necessary for your trip to go smoothly. Lack of proper planning can lead to situations where you’ll not only waste precious time where you could have been doing something awesome, but can also cost a lot of money you’d rather be spending on unique souvenirs.

Below are websites we like to use for planning, with a short description to follow:

Japan-Guide.com – A great comprehensive English resource for those travelling to Japan! Includes descriptions, transportation details, admission fees, and features a forum you can post your own questions to.

Japan National Tourism – Another resource for more Japan inspiration. The festival and events list is helpful too, though many smaller local festivals are not included.

Hyper Dia – A website that lets you calculate your train route and fare from city to city. You can make it more specific to not use certain types of transportation. =)

Kayak – Yes we use online airfare searches too! This site is one of our favorites – it compares several sites quickly and has an intuitive interface.

And here are some English assisted tours that you can throw into your trip that we love:

IACE Guided Tours – We’ve worked with IACE for many years now and have offered some of their tour options on our own group tours! We highly recommend the Mt. Fuji & Hakone 2-Day Onsen Trip, Nara Afternoon Tour or the Kyoto & Nara 1-Day Tour, & the Kyoto Maiko Night.

JTB Sunrise Tours – We also work with JTB Japan. Several of their tours are also available online and many of them have pop cultural themes! Our favorites include the Ghibli Museum Afternoon, Ninja & Samurai Tour, Tea Ceremony Experience Tokyo, Kimono Wearing in Gion Kyoto.

Of course we’d love to show you Japan ourselves for a uniquely PJT experience, so check-in every so often for updates. =)

We hope to be up and running tours again soon enough!

-PJT Team

This year we were especially looking forward to our anime tour in March, but because of the current events we will be pushing the dates back to April.

Please know that we are NOT postponing the tour because Tokyo is in danger of radiation. While it is true that the radiation level in Tokyo has risen, the levels are too low to pose any harm. The radiation levels are just higher than our regular daily dosage, around the same as we would get from taking an international flight for being at a higher elevation. This is news as taken from the Japanese government and Nuclear Safety Officials. Why do we trust them? Unfortunately, because of WWII they have 50 years worth of radiation history to know how radiation travels, what is and what isn’t harmful, and what measures people need to take to stay safe. They have also disclosed the situation about the plants publicly and know very well that those at the plant are risking their lives to prevent radiation from spreading to the area. We trust what they are saying, but we leave it for you to decide what to believe.

Here is where we are getting our news information:
Yokoso News – an English broadcast from Japan (site also has the english broadcast link for NHK world)

And here are some articles that we would recommend:
The British Embassy’s Stand
What Would Happen in the Worst Case Scenario

For your reference:
Radiation measurement chart in Tokyo
Measurements of Radiation and dosage examples

People in Tokyo are still working, still going to school, and still living their lives as normal as possible.

Currently the US embassy also requested that citizens stay a safe 80km away from the power plant, and Tokyo is around 200km from Fukushima.

However, because the situation at the nuclear plant has not been stabilized, we do not want to conduct the tour with doubt and fearful expectation of what could happen. No matter how much proof we can give that the area is safe, we feel the overall emotional condition of Tokyo will prevent us from providing a quality tour experience.

Another main factor that we have to consider is that right now Tokyo is experiencing scheduled blackouts in order to conserve energy. This has significantly reduced public transportation and would be a huge obstacle for us to run the tour itinerary effectively.

At this time we are making plans to move the trip to late April (the US Embassy lifts the advisory against travel to Japan April 1st), in order to still enjoy the spring season of Japan. We understand that the new dates may not fit everyone’s schedule, but we will be offering an extended cancellation policy as well as the ability to switch tours if possible. The tour would essentially be the same, but without an anime convention (as ACE and TAF have already released cancellation statements for their events in late March).

Because we will be pushing back the March tour to April, our April tour, we are sad to say that the Sakura Spring tour will be cancelled for this year.

For those still interested in going to Japan, the Anime Insider Tour will be open again to take sign ups.

Enough with the tour updates – Let’s discuss how we can make a difference!

For those who want to help, we would not encourage you to take a flight out to Japan and help in person. Right now they are having enough trouble getting supplies and professionals out to the area, and actually with the severe weather conditions, language barrier, and aftershock effects, so those not prepared would actually be more of a hindrance than a help. There are groups that you can sign up with that will be able to coordinate help to the area at a later time. Overall please carefully research the options that you’d like so that you can effectively help (and also so that you won’t get scammed)!

Here are some reliable ways you can contribute as a fan of Japanese culture:

Manga and Anime fans give back! – Join other fans to give back to the country that gave birth to our beloved hobbies.

Akadot Retail Cranes for Hope – If you already shop at Akadot, you can purchase Cranes for Hope. Also, 10% of DMP book purchases will be donated.

Other ways you can help:

Earthquake Relief Options (Huntington Post) – This article summarizes several options you can take to help.

Google Crisis Response – Google hosts 4 fast and reliable ways you can donate.

We continue to hope for Japan’s swift recovery in all affected areas. Tourism will definitely take a hit for now, even in the areas not effected by the quake, but we want to be there, showing everyone all the great things Japan has to offer, and continuing to support Japan’s economy when we can!

While Tokyo is considered to be a safe area of Japan, it still suffers some setbacks in energy and transportation. You can see how the trains have been effected here (In Japanese, but you can translate it in Google Chrome or another page translator): http://traininfo.jreast.co.jp/train_info/kanto.aspx

On that page it also announces that there are scheduled blackouts in order to conserve energy needed to keep the city running due to the power shortage.
Again, you can hear live news or the latest news recording at: http://yokosonews.com/live/
He is broadcasting from a safe part of Japan (Mie Prefecture), and also translated the latest news on the nuclear power plant.

The nuclear plant’s status in Fukushima is not going well according to the latest report. They are trying to control the situation, and it is being carefully monitored.
Earlier, there was a hydrogen blast at one of the reactors, however, the cause was induced by the plant in order to release pressure. At the moment there is no clear word on if they can successfully cool down the reactors, so it has caused everyone to worry. Please note that because people do not generally know that much about nuclear technology it may sound scarier than it actually is. For example, the radiation released from the initial hydrogen blast to nearby civilians was as much as you get from an international flight. During the most recent announcement from the Prime Minister and the power plant, they have not changed the distance of the safety zone. The only new measure was requesting residents that are 20-30km away from the plant to stay indoors. Tokyo is still very very far away (around 200km or 124mi), and so according to current news would not be effected.

UPDATE 3/15/11 @ 1:45PM PST: Tokyo is registering levels of radio activity, presumed to be trace elements blow from the plant by the wind. However at this point it is not enough to harm human health, and they are urging residents in the Tokyo area to not panic.

Here is an article that we thought had a clear level-headed view on the events: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/03/13/some-perspective-on-the-japan-earthquake/

Tokyo also expects to still have some aftershocks. Today it was registered at a 3.0 scale (minor on the Richter scale – may be felt but rarely causes any damage) and the largest of these will be felt up till March 18th. More on the Richter Scale for your reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale
Yesterday, because of the news scare, grocery and convenience store supplies were at a low for resources, however we expect this to bounce back in the next few days.

The good news: Despite the setbacks, and while our hearts go out to those in need in the north, people in the Tokyo area went to work and school, and everyone in the other areas such as the Kansai region remain untouched and fully functioning. Help from several other countries have arrived and are working towards recovery.

Alright, that was a long update but we want to make sure everyone is well informed so they can make the decision they think is best!

Okay, now for the tour update:
PJT will announce on Wednesday, March 16 if the Anime Insider Tour will continue.
We apologize for the inconvenience this causes for those who plan to fly into Japan, however we are at the mercy of how fast the recovery process will be.
While Tokyo is still regarded as a safe area and most businesses are up and running, it would be difficult to tour with everyone if some of the train systems are down.
We say Wednesday because by that time we should be able to tell if things will indeed improve or not by the time the tour is set to start.
If the tour proceeds we ask that everyone understand that the itinerary may be adjusted in order to compensate these things.
We want to let you know that we are hopeful, as Tokyo is built to withstand such events and we feel it will bounce back quickly. However we can’t continue just on assumption and are waiting to see more evidence that we can still provide everyone the PJT touring experience they’ve signed up for.

For all future tours:
All other tours are set to depart after April. The US Government advisory against travel to Japan ends April 1st, so it would be safe to travel to an unaffected area of Japan. Of course safety is our top priority, so we are still closely monitoring all news to all tour locations. If anything changes, we will update all parties involved.
We thank everyone for their patience and kind understanding at this time.

As we went to collect our bags, the shaking began. The earthquake wasn’t so bad here, but that didn’t stop the authorities from evacuating Narita Airport, letting us through Customs without bothering to check our bags. As we awaited news of the flight we were scheduled to meet – the flight carrying the participants on our Argyle/DMA Japan Invasion Tour – aftershocks kept coming, each one making the police and airport staff look slightly more paranoid than before.

Long story short: our tour participants are safe in a hotel in Hokkaido. As for us, we got free sleeping bags, water, and Ritz crackers from the airport and just woke up after a night of napping on the Narita Airport terminal floor. The aftershocks are still coming and kinda getting old – but they aren’t that strong. They finally re-opened the convenience stores so people are getting food – seeing people this happy to have cup ramen is an odd experience all its own!

I know this all sounds pretty dramatic (and believe me, it can feel that way when the authorities have a permanent look of worry on their faces), but I would be lying if I said this hasn’t shown us another side of Japan’s world-famous hospitality. The distribution of food and sleeping bags was orderly and safe, people are volunteering to help translate emergency messages into countless languages, and there’s a group of guys playing a loud game of “Uno” in the center of the terminal – making the best of the situation by having stupid fun. We’ve made friends with our neighboring “camp”, a group of young Japanese people who just returned from a trip to Mexico and were kind enough to share some snacks with us (we shared back ^_^).

We’re still not quite sure how all this will affect the upcoming Anime Insider Tour, but believe us when we say that we will do our utmost to make the tour a reality. We’re at the mercy of the authorities, but we’ll do what we can.

In the meantime, if you wanna come say hi, we’re in Narita Terminal 1, and just woke up after sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags generously provided by the airport. I’m gonna find those “Uno” guys and see if they’ll take a few extra players. XD

- Evan ^_^

If you would like to help, you can go to this website for some of your options:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/how-to-help-japan-earthquake-relief_n_834484.html

In response to the quake, The Red Cross has already launched efforts in Japan. Visit Redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.

A little bit more about the earthquake – the epicenter of the quake hit off shore in the Pacific Ocean near Sendai:

http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Right now the area near the shore & nearby cities are devastated. Up to date live news can be heard here: http://yokosonews.com/live/
Areas in Tokyo also felt the quake (and many aftershocks) and Narita and Haneda airports are currently closed, all highways are closed, and train lines are down to check for damages.
Although the quake was large in magnitude, it looks like the Tokyo area has not suffered much damage, and the Kansai regions (Kyoto, Osaka) are still in operation.
Tsunami warnings have been issued to all coastal areas. According to the JR East website, trains in the Tokyo area are expected to return to partial service at around 8AM (3PM PST), all other trains are postponed.
It will take 1-2 days to access damages and to tell if it will affect any of our current travel plans.

So, to update those concerned about if their tour will be running, the answer is, we’re hopeful but will have to wait.

ANIME INSIDER TOUR
If you have arranged your flight to get into Japan earlier than the 14th, you may want to see if they have a policy to change your flight to a later date. Your hotel reservations may also have a policy allowing you to reschedule in the case of an emergency. For those flying with us from LAX, Korean Air has not made any changes to our flight schedule. Ultimately we will have to wait to hear word on the status of the Tokyo area and we will keep everyone updated.

SAKURA SPRING TOUR
Because this tour starts in the Kansai region, it will not be affected. For those taking the extension to Tokyo, we will have to wait to see what the status is, however by April we expect all transportation to be up and running.

FANGIRL PARADISE TOUR
Well into May, we presume this tour will be good to go.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please do feel free to contact us.

Thanks,

-Gigi
Tour Coordinator – Pop Japan Travel

UPDATE 03/11/11 3:55PM PST:

JR Lines in Tokyo have begun to partially running.

JR stations have release information saying that some of their sensors were damaged so they are unable at access the northern area fully.

Half of Japan is completely safe. Coastal areas have tsunami warnings, but areas far from the epicenter like midland Hokkaido, the Kansai region (includes Kyoto, Osaka, etc.), and Okinawa are untouched. Areas with devastating damage by both earthquake and tsunami: Miyagi, Fukushima, & Ibaraki prefectures

If you would like to help, you can go to this website for some of your options:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/how-to-help-japan-earthquake-relief_n_834484.html

In response to the quake, The Red Cross has already launched efforts in Japan. Visit Redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.