Travel to Japan March 2012?

Question:

my family and i are considering a trip to tokyo and saporro in March 2012. Is it safe to go there now ? my parents are a bit worried about possible earthquakes and radiation ?
im not sure if they are overreacting, but i really want to go to japan!

Answer:

As for the radiation, since Tokyo and Sapporo are located far from Fukushima nuclear plant which exploded a while ago, radiation have barely affected these areas.

And as for the earthquakes, unfortunately it's possible because Japan lies above the area what is called the Ring of Fire, so that earthquake can strike Japan anytime.
It's not a question of whether an big earthquake will hit Japan, it's a question of when.
And Tokyo is located near the point where three plates (Eurasian Plate, Philippine Sea Plate, North American Plate) push each other, so that approx.10% of the volcanic activities in the World happen near around Japan.
I'm not saying that Japan is a dangerous country. As mentioned above, Japan is a country of earthquake, you might go through several tender earthquakes if you stay Japan a year or so, but as for the big one, it's rare, even for Japanese ppl.
Even if a big earthquake unfortunately should hit Japan while your staying, you will be safe because Japan has a very strict building code and most of the building and houses (new ones are all designed to meet the code) have been built, fulfilling the code, thus most of the building will be able to withstand a big earthquake or even multiple strikes.

Bottom line, as to the radiation, no problem; as to the earthquakes, possible but the possibility you encounter one as big as the one hit the Tohoku region 3 months ago is probably lower than the possibility that the airplane you will board on falls to the ground along the way.

CNN, BBC or other western media apparently like to broadcast stuffs sensationally, which has resulted in people overreacting in their countries, I guess.

Don't be so nervous, come on in! We're looking forward to your family.

Hope this helps you.