Foreign Passengers Using Narita Drops 63% for Biggest Drop Ever!

This information just in that further confirms what the chairman of the Association of Tourism and Representatives (ANTOR) told me the other day. The Yomiuri newspaper reports that foreign passengers using Narita airport are down 63% since the earthquake of March 11. Here's a quick translation:  


Narita Foreign Passengers Down 63%
Yomiuri Newspaper

The number of foreign passengers on international flights using Narita airport in April has dropped 63% compared to April a year earlier. It was the largest ever drop.  

The earthquake, tsunami and problems in eastern Japan along with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident further reduced travelers using the airport by 34%..



Of course, not all of this drop can be attributed to the earthquake as many international carriers began overseas service out of the more convenient Haneda airport nearer central Tokyo, but this is still a massive drop and a surprise to all.

成田の外国人旅客、６３％減…過去最大

読売新聞 5月26日(木)19時44分配信

　成田国際空港会社は２６日、国際線を利用した４月の外国人旅客数は３２万１６２５人と前年同月比６３％減となり、過去最大の下げ幅になったと発表した。

東日本大震災や福島第一原発事故の影響で、３４％減だった３月からさらに落ち込んだ。

Geiger Counter Sales Skyrocket in Tokyo (I bought one too!)

Well, I've always bragged that I was a trend leader...

LENA LOVITCH - NEW TOY

On this blog, I've written extensively about how you can't trust the government (nor can you trust the mass media) and the best way to protect yourselves and your family is to gather information yourselves. This has been especially true during the recent nuclear accident at Fukushima. 


While the situation in and about Fukushima is very serious, due to weather patterns and distance Tokyo is still a safe place. I've listed educational and science institutes and other places where you can check the daily radiation levels in Tokyo in the air and water everyday here and at the top of this blog daily. Even so, I thought it would be fun and interesting to do checking on my own. So I bought a personal geiger counter.

Well, I should say, I ordered a personal geiger counter from Amazon Marketplace. It never arrived. I almost got cheated by a dishonest dealer (named Frontline Mobility) who now, it seems, has lost their contract with Amazon after many people (including me) complained. That was a dealer in the USA.


Then, I ordered one from a dealer in Japan using Amazon.co.jp Marketplace.... Hmmm? Same sorts of problems, it seems. It's been weeks now since I ordered and still no geiger counter. This has happened even though when I ordered the dealer claimed to have it in stock and that shipping would be within three days....


Now this! Just today I found an article on Yahoo that says that sales of personal geiger counters have skyrocketed in Japan! 


Reuters reports:

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) – With a nuclear plant just 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo still leaking radiation, demand for personal Geiger counters has skyrocketed in the Japanese capital and manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand.

Engineers are battling to plug radiation leaks and bring the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control more than two months after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami that devastated a swathe of Japan's coastline.

With many people unsure of who to trust for their information, some buy Geiger counters to check for themselves.

In Akihabara, Tokyo's electronics mecca, many stores have sold out and are unable to keep up with demand for the devices.

"Nobody even looked at or even knew the name (of the Geiger counter), but ever since the earthquake struck people have become very interested," said Makoto Ogasawara, sales manager at electronics store Akibaoo.

"We are selling 100 times more."

(snip)...

"We are producing four to five times more of the Geiger counter (than usual)," said Michihiro Kitazawa, Fuji Electric CEO.

Most of the Geiger counters at that factory are hand-made, which takes roughly 3 to 4 months. It makes about a dozen different types, producing about 2,000 per type each month.

Kitazawa said his company has also benefited from efforts to make the devices less complex so anybody can use them.

"Of course, there was the earthquake, but in the past 2-3 years, we have been trying to produce Geiger counters that are easier to operate," he added.

But most of the Geiger counters made at the factory will still be used by those working inside nuclear power plants, prompting the company to carry out rigorous checks to make sure the devices are working correctly.

"We really care about credibility," Kitazawa said.

Sigh...I am told by the dealer on Amazon.co.jp that the geiger counter I ordered will arrive by tomorrow... I continue to have my doubts. It's now been almost two months since I ordered a geiger counter and I am still not a proud owner of a device. 

No sign of any geiger counter...

I think, at this rate, I am hoping to have one by Christmas... But I am not holding my breath. I am not holding my breath waiting for the device to be delivered nor am I holding it in fear of breathing in radioactive fallout.

I just want my new "toy". As soon as I get it. I am going to go around Tokyo and check for myself and report on what I find. Stay tuned!

Japan Travel Market Out of Favor with Europe

Yesterday, I had lunch with one of the chief directors of an organization called ANTOR. I work with him as an advisor for promotion for his country and help them with marketing and promotion for Japan.

While every other European nation has seen travel and travelers from Japan drop precipitously over these last 3 years his country has seen a 300% increase in travelers from Japan! Yes. Yes. Thank you for your kind applause. Thank you. Thank you.


... That is until the March 11, 2011 disaster struck. 


After that catastrophe, business across the board in Japan has dropped off a cliff for most sectors of the market and travel is one of the hardest hit. 


He related to me many of his worries and travails concerning Japan and the travel market.


Somethings he told me that really surprised me were that:


*After the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in Japan, and some European nations citizens left Japan, many government tourism agencies have moved their offices permanently out of Japan and into China.


* Many European nations have slashed their promotional budgets for Japan. In his case, his advertising budget for Japan was cut by 70%!  

Annual ANTOR Japan event: Let's Go Kaigai!

*ANTOR Japan member countries have an annual summer promotion. Every year they have over 35 nations participate in this big promotion in Tokyo. This year they will have only 12 countries participating.


*The European Union Tourism Organization has cut the advertising budget  for Japan to.... Are you ready for it?.. To zero. ZERO! Zip. Nada. Nothing! They have completely given up on Japan and will not spend any more money on promotion on this country. They have redirected all the budget to China!


Sigh....


Most definitely a long hot summer coming for Japan. When will the tourism industry (all industry) recover in this country?

Search: Fukushima + UFO

下の４つのビデオを是非見てください！
ヨーロッパでは、福島の原発事故の後に多数のUFOが目撃されていることが
大きな話題になっています。証拠のビデオです！あなたはどう思いますか？（０：５５秒から〜）


Europeans are reporting that UFO's were seen and video taped over Fukushima nuclear reactors on March 11, 2011. The wildest one is here from German TV! Pay close attention to the video especially from about 0:55 minute into the video. You don't need to speak German to catch this one!

What you are about to read is pretty flipped out. I'm not making this stuff up. There's an entire movement who believe that aliens saved the earth from total nuclear disaster during the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The group seems to be based in Europe and they have video footage of UFO's! I've seen lot of it and some of this footage is pretty weird!

Laugh now, if you wish, but this was information was told to me by a very respected high-ranking executive of an European organization. Anyway, he told me this stuff... I thought he was joking. But he was dead serious. Read on! 

"I don't believe in ghosts but sure are afraid of them" - Mark Twain

Today, I, Mike Rogers, on this 25th day of May, 2011, do solemnly swear that I had lunch with a very dear European friend (who is definitely not nuts) who told me to Google search "Fukushima and UFO". I laughed at him. He wasn't joking. He was dead serious.

His furrowed eyebrows gave away his thoughts on the gravity of this situation. 

"OK! I'm game." I said. "I like fortune telling and TV shows like X-Files. I think they are fun and entertaining." His face was carved in stone. I didn't amuse him. 

I did the search on "Fukushima and UFO" as he requested.

I saw the results. I thought, "What the f*ck is this?"

I found many "serious" results from European TV. Is this stuff crazy? Hell, you be the judge. 

Here's a bunch of stuff from German & European TV. 

No wonder those people are freaked out about Japan. This is the crap they are watching. 

What do you think about this?

Here's one called, UFO's at Fukushima Reactor Tragedy? HD:

It gets weirder:

And this:

Here's the results for all the "Fukushima + UFO" searches: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fukushima+UFO&aq=f


This is weird. I don't believe this but, like I said, I loved the X-Files TV show. What is this stuff?


Anyhow, I'm starting a tinfoil hat business next week. Stay tuned!

Nuclear Power? Japan Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Both, by the way, on Faultlines

I am not a negative person but I am astounded at the news everyday. It seems like, with every passing day, something comes up in the news to add to an already full plate of bad news for Japan. Here's a couple of news stories that have slipped through the cracks that, if you pause to consider, could have serious ramifications.

SAM COOKE - TROUBLE BLUES

Japan's troubles seem like they keep growing. Our debt to GDP is 225%; the government keeps spending; cheap foreign labor have left the country; more holes keep being found at Fukushima along with proof that the cores of the plants melted down ("melted down" sounds really bad, but what exactly that means for you and me is unclear) and, in general, problems with the Fukushima nuclear reactors continues to mount. Throw on top of that an incompetent and bungling political system and we are most definitely headed for the hottest summer in Japan in years!


As I noted in a previous post, Nuclear Crisis in Japan? When the Cure is Worse Than the Disease:


The actual disaster is bad enough. But it is the after effects that are going to kill us. You've heard the expression that the "Cure is worse than the disease?" Well here is a case example happening in slow motion right in front of our faces.  It is the "ping-pong" effect. And the repercussions of this ping pong effect are spreading wider and wider and everyday brings a new facet to this problem as it continually evolves.  

That ping-pong effect could have very serious and long term effects and cause huge damage to the Japanese economy and, in turn, seriously hurt the world economy.


The ramifications to the Japanese economy of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, government bungling of the entire affair along with  throwing away $63 billion dollars in taxpayer monies to bailout TEPCO, a private firm (when Japan is already at debt of 225% of GDP) - along with all the new problems that are popping up everyday are what's really going to mess this country up.


When the world's number three economy gets a case of cancer this bad, the rest of the world is going to suffer too.


I think it is completely impossible, at this time, to predict how all these various events will affect the Japanese economy and, in turn, the world economy.


Since I make these claims that no one can predict what's going to happen, here's two articles that I have found that are of interest. 


In Japanese superquake moved ocean floor 79 feet sideways and 10 feet up - and new data shows region is under more strain the articles states: 

The ocean floor shifted sideways by 79 feet in the Japanese earthquake in March - much further than scientists originally predicted.

And researchers are warning that immense amounts of seismic stress remain stored in the area, putting it at risk of further devastating earthquakes.

The journal Science has published three new papers about the effects and causes of Japan's March 11 mega-quake, which paints a picture of an earthquake hot spot much more complex and potentially dangerous than scientists had ever anticipated.

(snip)

Under the seabed, the movement may have been even greater - perhaps 160 to 200 feet, by some estimates.

In another study sure to raise alarm in Japan, scientists from the California Institute of Technology have reconstructed how the Tohuku-Oki earthquake unfolded using GPS data recorded at more than 1,200 sites.

Tsunami about to hit Fukushima nuclear power plant on March 11, 2011

Their data showed that - contrary to previous opinion - the area had built up massive amounts of strain prior to the earthquake.

Earlier, there had been general agreement among researchers that the 'Miyagi segment' of the fault line was not under the stress of other segments along the Japan plate boundary, where large earthquakes occur at a regular basis. But Professor Mark Simons' team showed that this assumption was deeply flawed.

This raises questions about other sections of the fault line that had previously been considered low risk - including areas further south, closer to Tokyo. 

This 'Ibaraki segment' of the plate boundary has been thought to behave in similar fashion to that of the Miyagi segment, and Professor Simons says it may likewise hold large amounts of seismic stress.

I do think that, most times, the Daily Mail is a dodgy newspaper, but at least in this article they didn't make any silly statements like "There's is going to be another massive earthquake and we're all going to die." But this article is well written without the writer adding in their two-cents. To read this article has to cause one, who is living in Japan, or anywhere on the Pacific rim, to pause for a moment and consider.

Throw that one article with this blog post by Mish Shedlock about our energy problems not being just Japan's energy problems but a world-wide phenomenon, and you have another factor to consider deeply. Mish writes in Energy Shortages Spreading quoting the ASPO May 23 Energy Review:

Pakistan and China continue to top the list of countries with the most serious power shortages. Last week brought in reports of energy shortages developing or worsening in Egypt, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, India, Japan, El Salvador, Bangladesh, Libya, Mozambique, Nepal, Venezuela, Argentina, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania. Most of the reported shortages are of electric power caused by inadequate water levels at hydro dams or insufficient coal, but some of these shortages stem from unaffordable oil prices or the inability to import sufficient quantities of liquid fuels.

In most countries, electricity shortages quickly translate into increased demand for gasoline and diesel as organizations strive to keep important activities such as computers, elevators, hospitals, refrigeration and even factory production functioning with back-up generators.

More stress on fault lines? Sounds plausible. Especially considering this year's earlier massive earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand followed by the March 11 disaster in Japan (and frequent after shocks - just had one ten minutes ago). Throw on top of that the public growing disdain and distrust of nuclear power and the system of political power in Japan - along with the coming of a very hot summer and rising oil prices - and you have a situation that could turn into another energy crisis very quickly.

I've written it before and I will say it again; the very worse thing that could happen to Japan is the loss of cheap, clean energy. 

At outside festivals, hot summer is fine... Not in a hot office, though!

Sure, nuclear power has its warts...And I believe that we need to get rid of these 40-year-old power plants and build new safer units.... 

What are the practical alternatives? Wind power or solar power? No. Those are fine for running a refrigerator or heating your bathtub, but they could never power a steel factory or a subway line... There's no way they could power the grid for a city of over 35 homes like Tokyo.

Certainly, this is going to be a hot summer for Japan and the rest of the western world. 


Japan is most definitely in between a rock and a hard place. The fault line makes it even more precarious. 

Thanks to Lew Rockwell

Fighting Radioactivity? Pensioners to the Rescue!

Sometimes the Japanese just blow my mind. The entire fabric of society here and how people work as a team and believe in doing their utmost for the betterment of all is just amazing. The spirit of self-sacrifice that these wonderful people show to each other is awe inspiring.


Here is a jaw-dropping story about how 60 ~ 70+-year old senior citizens Japanese are banding together to work at the crippled nuclear power plants at Fukushima.


DW-World.de Deutsche Welle reports: 

High levels of radiation and uncertainty as to how long it might take to get the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi stabilized mean that the health of workers and people in the area is becoming an increasingly important concern.

The authorities are already finding it difficult to find enough people who are willing to go into the contaminated area and carry out necessary construction and decontamination work. However, a group of middle-aged volunteers have said they are willing to step in and put their lives at risk.

"My acquaintances and I talked very intensively about the accident and about how we could help contain the disaster," explained 72-year-old Yasuteru Yamada who came up with the idea.

"A functioning cooling system is indispensable," he pointed out. "But who is supposed to build it? Only people can do it. So why not us? Since we don’t have such a long future ahead?"

Pensioners at Fukushima

Yamada is a former engineer who studied metallurgy. He set up "Qualified Veterans for Fukushima Nuclear Plant No. 1" as a registered charity to convince the authorities of its seriousness.

He did not name the people he had already spoken to but said that the hope was that a plan would have been "developed by the end of May or at the latest in June."

Yamada also explained that the initiative was not a kamikaze action at all, but one that has been very well thought through. "Things have to be done in a team," he said. "Our project should be part of a long-term plan under state control. We have to examine people’s skills very carefully to find out what tasks are appropriate for them."

450 helping hands

Yamada and his friends have now contacted 2,500 people in Tokyo and the surroundings. Some 450 people have already offered their help and 90 of them - all in their 60s - have agreed to work in the plant itself. He says they are "worried about what’s coming. But should we not do anything just because we are worried?"

It is an amazing testament to the spirit and kinship of the Japanese that the elders would do this for the others and the youth of this country. While this is not the entire picture, it is a small slice showing why the Japanese spirit of sacrifice is considered a nobel and extremely honorable trait.


These old folks are heroes.


There's many more like them. Let us bow our heads and treat them with respect, not just in Fukushima, but when opening doors for them or giving up our train seats for these folks.


Read more: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6530334,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-asia-5133-rdf

Procrastinators, Go-Getters, Mistakes & Time Management

"Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy" - Wayne Gretzky

FRED ASTAIRE - PUTTING ON THE RITZ

I love people who are positive, get things done and are go-getters. There's another type that I don't like. They irritate me.


They are the kind of people who pick up a pice of paper on their desk, look at it and put it down thinking, "I'll do it later." What a waste of time. Why don't they do it now and get it over with? 


Procrastinators. There's tons of them everywhere. Japan seems to have more than their fair share. These people are always too busy and never seem to get ahead at work.


They are busy because they procrastinate and put too many things off until later.


Most of us are guilty of procrastination at one time or another. The problem is that, it seems that 92% of the people procrastinate constantly. Of those people, at least 80% know that they procrastinate too much, yet they still do it.


That's really a crime. I mean, knowing that you are procrastinating; knowing that the procrastination is bad for you; yet you do it anyway. I think it is also a symptom of manic behavior when someone knowingly does something that will have a negative result, yet they proceed to do it anyway.

Just look at this! This places just looks like it reeks!

Does this photo say, "I'm successful" or "I procrastinate"?

We have to fight off this procrastination that attacks us during the day. It is so easy, when you see that pile of papers that need attention, or that desk that needs to be cleaned to put it off. You think, "I'll get to that later." The problem then becomes when you think, "I'll get to that later" several times in the day. Next thing you know is that your work load keeps piling up and so do your stress levels.


Being stressed out is not a good way to handle in a calm and patient, level-headed manner, important work. 


I suppose that there are two types of people at work; procrastinators and go-getters. I'll bet that they both make mistakes. In fact, considering that the go-getters are out making things happen, I'd wager that they might make more mistakes than the procrastinators. Procrastinators, because they procrastinate are always putting things off or awaiting orders on what to do and what to think. They never get ahead.


The go-getters might make more mistakes, but they make much more happen. With every mistake the Go-getter makes, they learn and grow. The procrastinator puts off this experience any chance they can get.


It seems obvious to me which type of person is more valuable to a company in this day and age. I'll take the go-getter over the procrastinator any day.


"I believe that life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret." - Anthony Robbins 

Nature Hideaway Just 1.5 Hours from Tokyo! Trout Fishing!? It's True!!!

I have found heaven on earth near Tokyo! If you love the outdoors and trees, sky, nature and beautiful running streams, and fishing, you and your family will go crazy over this place.

VIDEO OF OUR WEEKEND FISHING!

I have found a place that is just an hour and a half drive, with easy access from Tokyo. It's a place that looks like deep in the mountains of Hokkaido or that of another country. It could never, in my wildest dreams, be a place so close to Tokyo, the most crowded city and expensive city in the entire world. 

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGE VIEW. BREATHTAKING!

Country mountain road leading up to Ya Taro Kawa (Ya Taro River)

It is so clean and beautiful that you can go in Rainbow Trout Fishing there. And it's only 1.5 hours from Tokyo!?

Ya Taro River "Fishing Spot" Waterfalls

Yes. You read that correctly. There's a place near Atsugi called Ya Taro Kawa (Ya Taro River) and up stream there's a place that you can take the kids and family and barbecue and catch stocked trout. 

It's called Ya Taro Kawa Masu Tsuri Ba 谷太郎川ます釣り場  (Ya Taro River Trout Fishing Spot). Trout Fishing near Tokyo? In a beautiful mountain setting? No kidding! It's real! 

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW. BREATHTAKING!

Ya Taro River Trout Fishing Spot is about 30 minutes drive from Atsugi station 1.5 hours from Tokyo). The drive there that takes you up into the mountains to a place that does not look like anywhere in Japan I've ever seen in my entire life. You can find a road access map here.

There is a trout farm upstream and we could see the fish in the water. 

It's like an entirely different world! I have been here in Japan and dreaming about fishing for all this time and never thought I'd ever see anything like this so close to Tokyo. 

It reminded me of the creeks in the mountains of Southern California that we used to hike up into in the early 1970's and catch trout in.

There were very few people around there fishing so we rented a spot and set up camp and our barbecue. Between nine of us, we caught about 40 Rainbow Trout! We barbecued about 12 and took the rest home. They were incredibly delicious!

Then we set up the barbecue and barbecued fish and steaks. If you want to have a brew or two, make sure you have a designated driver as the road up into the mountain to the fishing spot is awful narrow! Like I said, it didn't seem like Japan.

So, while the hard-core fisherman might seek more rugged adventure, this place is great fun for families with small children and a wife, like mine, who would never tolerate tracking through the brush to find secret spots to fish. 

                                           

I highly recommend Ya Taro Kawa Masu Tsuri Ba 谷太郎川ます釣り場 as a place where one can go spend the day with friends or company employees and doing the friendly "bonding thing".... It's also fantastic for small companies to bring the entire families together so that people can get to know each other better and become a "family."


The prices? Incredibly cheap. Unbelievable. It costs ¥3,200 yen per day per person! Times start at 6:00 am and end at 5:00 pm. Where in the Tokyo can you go and spend an entire day enjoying nature, relaxation and fishing for only ¥3,200!!! Bring a barbecue and a tent, refreshments and a soft cushion to sleep on and you are in heaven!

遊漁料　　　マス・・・・・・お一人様３,２００円

営業時間　AM６:００～PM５:００

その他　　貸しサオ,仕掛け,餌（イクラ・ブドウ虫）(All fishing gear rental OK)

　　　　　炭,マキ,鉄板の用意あります。(Barbecue spots available)

　　　　　ルアー・フライ可能　 (Lure & Fly fishing, OK)

Don't believe me? Well, if I were you, I wouldn't believe it either! But seeing is believing! Here's tons more pictures? 谷太郎川ます釣り場 (If that link doesn't work, copy and paste this one: http://bit.ly/iLOcwg. And here, once again, is Ya Taro Kawa Masu Tsuri Ba 谷太郎川ます釣り場 link. If that link doesn't work, cut & paste this one: http://homepage3.nifty.com/yatarou/index.html (Japanese only)


Google Translator here: http://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wT#ja|en|