iAmJacksFlyerTalk

...Do these North Korean missile tests start dissuading leisure travelers from going to Japan?

angra

I have a leisure trip in 6 weeks and it hasn't dissuaded me, yet. I'll post back if it does

txflyer77

Meh. Fukushima didn't keep people away, neither will Kim's tantrums. I'll be there in about two months.

DetailsIM

Wife and I have flights booked for Jan. We were thinking of pushing it back to the spring time (may) to have better weather. This might just push us to do that.

ksandness

I worry about North Korean missile attacks about the same amount that I worry about major earthquakes and typhoons, which is namely, that they may happen during my stay, but the odds are that they will not, so I just go and enjoy myself.

I gained a lot of perspective after 9/11. I was scheduled to fly from Portland (where I was living at the time) to Los Angeles for a conference a couple of months after 9/11, and I was wondering whether to cancel.

Then three things happened:
1. An otherwise healthy acquaintance died of a post-surgical blood clot
2. A 23-year-old barista at my favorite coffee shop died of a cerebral aneurysm
3. If I had been walking just a bit slower one particular morning, I would have been killed or seriously injured in a freak accident

Taken together, these three incidents made me realize that it was silly to worry about any particular remote and unpredictable mishap (After all, 5,000 planes DIDN'T get hijacked on 9/11), so I went to the conference and back on half-full planes and had a great time.

While I avoid predictable danger spots (you won't find me going to an active war zone any time soon), I have resolved not to be a ninny about dangers that are both unlikely and unpredictable.

jib71

[Deleted]

kevincrumbs

Going to be in Sapporo & Hakodate with my parents and my GF in two weeks and I can't wait.

I read an article about what people are supposed to do when the missile sirens go off but frankly, it all sounded like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The only thing that could get us to cancel our trip is if a nuclear missile actually struck land prior to our departure from the US.

MM00LL2

I'm flying to NRT next Wednesday. I've questioned the trip many times over the last few weeks. Fingers crossed.

closetasfan

the odds of you being affected by the missiles are so low that I think you have a higher chance of winning the lottery or being bumped to first class randomly

WorldLux

Let's be honest. Kim is currently trying to impress the world by showing of that he has no problem getting ICBMs up in the sky. I might be wrong in my assertion but I would wager that the DRPK will not strike first. The moment it would attack South Korea, Japan, the US or any other country within range of their missiles, DRPK (and subsequently Kim) would be totally and utterly annihilated.

With that in mind, I guess their nuclear missile program becomes essentially only an insurance policy by serving as deterrent to anyone wanting to topple the Kim family and other leading figures of the DRPK regime.

Taking that into consideration, I wouldn't worry too much for now.

mapleg

I am going in 2 weeks. Sure , I think about it now and again...but.

1. The missiles NK has fired...theres no warhead on them, they are not targeting anyone, and no one has died.

2. Look at what just happened in the UK with tube explosion. Seems more dangerous there than Japan

3. I was there one week before the 2011 tsunami/earthquake. 15,000 plus dead. That was worrisome, yet I have been back many times since.

Frankly, I worry more about cancer. It's affected more people I know than anything else in the nasty line.

Aventine

I'd actually be more apprehensive about going to London or Europe than Japan. I've been in Tokyo for the last 2 launches and only the news was covering it. Normal people just went about their business. Swiss Cheese Boy just likes throwing his toys every so often. Best to ignore it and just enjoy your trips!

a330boston

Have commercial airliner routes in the area been adjusted accordingly in order to prevent another MH17?

evergrn

I too have other things I'm much more worried about. Having said that, these missiles are crossing paths with all these planes, albeit at different altitude. I'm taking two more roundtrips the rest of the year in the missile zone with wife and kids. It may be trouble waiting to happen. And what the heck type of devastation is happening in the ocean at wherever these missiles are landing? This is so irresponsible, so insane.

evergrn

ok I'll stop worrying if the chances are even lower than being bumped to first class.