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Comparing the routes from SLAC to RIKEN (ping.riken.jp) and from SLAC to NET.APAN.N2 (ns.jp.apan.net) on 3/11/2011, we see RIKEN has more hops and goes Eastwards via the Avenue of the Americas in NY, while APAN goes directly via Sunnyvale near SLAC and then via Pacific Wave directly to Japan. The traceroutes from SLAC to the University of OSAKA and the University of TOKYO are similar to traceroute from SLAC to RIKEN.
However on 3/22/2011 the route to RIKEN went westwards across the Pacific,