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Originally Posted by Roey
Hi everyone,
I am travelling to Japan with my husband in a few days. We live in Hawaii.
I am concerned because one of the people that we were supposed to meet with has declined because he was advised by his institution not to travel to North America or entertain guests from countries with swine flu. (He is in the medical community)
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I would say that's just common sense and professionalism. There may not be much risk of him contracting swine flu or being a carrier. But if he does, by the very nature of his occupation it'll spread amongst susceptible individuals.
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My question now is, are we going to be totally ostracized in Japan because we come from the U.S.? Are people going to be scared of us and not want to talk to us? I'm just asking because I don't know what the media is saying over there and what their attitudes on the subject are.
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I have no knowledge of public opinion of swine flu in Japan. I'm sure other forum members will have accurate information. All I can add is a news article here in Canada that concerned Japanese exchange students contracting swine flu while visiting, and carrying it back to Japan with them.
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My husband and I are both half asian (he is half Japanese) so we might be able to blend in somewhat, and we are seasoned travellers, but I am still uneasy. I want to enjoy this trip! And part of the joy of travelling for me is interacting with people.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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General advice I can give is "don't let too much worrying ruin the trip entirely". As you say, you're both seasoned travelers so I'm sure you'll take extra precautions to reduce the chance of bad things happening. Maybe you can contact the people you'll be seeing the most of during your trip to get their views on the situation.
Good luck and enjoy the trip!
