I just got back from 3 weeks there. I don't glow in the dark
.
Most in the west think Sendai is a mess. Ditto to Fukushima-shi. Was thru both Fukushima-shi and Sendia-shi on the shinkansen among other places.
In the main downtowns, you can hardly notice the FEW clay tiled roofs there that are damaged. High rise buildings, power and communications towers, and the like are completly as usual. Only the coatline....and right along the coastline....... in Sendai is completely devastated. Gone!
The TV and other photographers make sure that the footage they show gets the most views....... so they pick the worst situations and the worst angles. It is what they DO. It is their JOB to do that. People don't watch good news.
Daily reports from various sources for raditation levels are easy to find on TV and in newspapers. 99.99999999 percent of Japan is just fine as to radiation. Particularly for short term travelers. 99 percent of the food supply is just fine. Don't swim in the ocean off the power plants. Don't visit the power plants.
If you LIVE in Japan particularly close to the power plants.... or in the coatal areas near Sendai, well that is a different story. It is a total and unmitigated disaster. But as a tourist......... just go enjoy Japan and HELP them by doing YOUR part.
What isn't fine in Japan? The Japanese tourism economy!!!!!!!!
best,
................john