Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Posted on April 7, 2011

Arguments For and Against Attending Pro Tour: Nagoya and Grand Prix: Kobe

Yes, you should come to Japan. While there is a valid argument for Magic players to avoid attending PT: Nagoya and GP: Kobe, the risks of being in Japan for a week are no greater than the risks you take by boarding the plane to come here.

Let's start with an obvious question. Why should you listen to me? Because I am a foreigner currently living in the Tokyo area, and have remained up-to-date on radiation and other aftereffects of the earthquake that struck northern Japan in order to keep my family informed and reassured. On top of this, I value my own health and wish to reduce all unnecessary risks. Please read on to hear my arguments.

Financial:

This is everyone's own personal choice, and cannot really be argued by anyone else. If you feel the danger outweighs the financial cost, no one should look down upon you.

Infrastructure:

Nagoya has been highly unaffected by the events of the past four weeks. There is an obvious shortage of certain resources—though they're still available—and unnecessary public electricity (mainly lights and escalators) is being reduced, but only in Tokyo. Nagoya remains unaffected, and there is no reduction in the amount of bottled water and instant noodles available. If anything, this would be a great experience for you to see what the Japanese people are dealing with every day.

Health:

There is a lot of mixed information being reported about an individual's well-being—especially in the foreign media—and it is difficult to sort out the facts.

Truth: The government has forbidden any food products—that can be contaminated—from the affected prefectures from being sold. The Japanese government may not disseminate all information, much less know it all, but they will not consciously poison over a quarter of their population.

False: The water in Tokyo is unsafe to drink. There was one day that the radioactive levels in Tokyo water rose above the legal limit for infants to drink. It has dropped rapidly since then, and had already returned to normal levels a week later. In addition, the legal limit is an infinitesimally small level that is set solely to keep people from drinking much more dangerous levels. Let's not forget that it's also for infants, and everyone attending the PT will be adults with bodies that can handle much higher levels of radiation before possible negative effects even begin to take hold.

I could write a hundred-page paper on the truths and falsehoods of the situation these days, but I want to inform you, not bore you. If you are seriously worried about the health risks of eating here, there are many avenues you can take to reduce your chances of consuming radiation that may or may not exist in your food. Drinking bottled water and avoiding rice, fish, dairy products, (mainly fresh ones such as milk and yogurt), and vegetables will eliminate 99% of the food that may be contaminated.

As for radiation in the air, there is no cause to worry. Current levels in Tokyo's air are below the average American level of background radiation, and only 1.3 times average Tokyo levels. They have fallen since the week after the earthquake, with any increase being eliminated the following day.

Finally, remember that we are talking about incredibly small amounts of radiation. Even if radiation levels are well beyond that being reported, you will still live multiple decades at minimum. Unless you drink literally tons of radiated milk or eat tons of radiated vegetables during your one-week stay in Japan, your chances of cancer will not increase. Almost every case of death/sickness confirmed by the Chernobyl event has been that of infants drinking the radiated milk of cows in the area or workers on-site at the time of the explosion. You will not die if you come to Japan.

Ethical:

This is the biggest argument I can grant anyone wishing to not travel to Japan—beyond personal financial reasons. While I believe coming here, spending your money, and experiencing what the Japanese face is a truly benevolent act, I will concede that negatives exist. Could the money be better spent toward helping those still in shelters across northern Japan? Definitely. Could you save the food that you will consume on your trip for those in affected areas? Sure. These are ethical questions that can only be answered by your own values.

Chances are your visit will do more good than harm, though. Water and food will still be prepared, and the effect of a few hundred foreigners consuming it will probably go unnoticed. On the opposing side, you may experience something that you can share with those back home, spreading a message of hope and generosity among those who know little about the situation—though you will have to travel north of Nagoya for that.

In the end, the decision is yours to make. Please remember that foreign media tends to sensationalize situations to sell the news. I have been appalled at the amount of incorrect and completely false statements given by major news media companies around the world since the earthquake. Living here and seeing the changes that have taken hold over the past month have been an incredible learning experience for me, and I have learned so much about who the Japanese truly are. I encourage others to come to Japan and see for themselves while enjoying their favorite hobby/job/game.

I would not condemn a single person if he or she wished to avoid the situation. It is not cowardly or paranoid; it is merely an act of survival. The chance of danger increases upon arrival in Japan. Just please remember that the danger in Japan is no higher than that plane trip you just took to get here.

All opinions stated in this article are the sole opinions of the writer, and are in no way affiliated with Wizards of the Coast, ManaNation, or CoolStuffInc.