Japan on Friday eased its borders for foreign tourists. Children under the age of 18 do not need to have vaccination certificates and nor will they need have negative Covid test certificates if they are travelling with parents or guardians who have been vaccinated and have vaccination certificate. See my one page guide, Buy a data-only SIM card online for collection when you arrive at, Compare Japan flight prices and timings to, If you're visiting more than one city, save a ton of money with a. Some 68% of Singaporeans aged 16 to 24 years old indicated they are considering Japan for their "next vacation," compared to 37% of those aged 55 and older, according to research published in. Im inclined to say Spring 2023, but its easy to envision a worst-case that isnt until summer. Single-use cutlery is rife, including disposable chopsticks and plastic forks. Just over half a million visitors have come to Japan so far in 2022, compared with a record 31.8 million in 2019. Get planning with our guide to Japans 15 best hotels. Previously, travel requirements included booking your trip through a government-approved tour operator and also obtain a visa and ERFS certificate, but both these requirements are no longer necessary. In other words, a free-roaming backpacking trip around Japan is now on the cards! For these two-plus years, weve been closely monitoring the situation in Japan, watching several hours of NHK each day and reading multiple Japanese news sources. InUnguided Tours in Japan Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. From June 10th 2022, Japan opened to escorted tours. Boosting tourism was core to the late former Prime Minister Abes economic revitalization, and both subsequent prime ministers have indicated their intentions to maintain continuity with those plans. When Visa Free Travel to Japan Since October 11, 2022, tourists from countries in the visa waiver program have been able to enter Japan visa-free again. Either way, thats something to continue keeping in mind. Travelers who are unsure of their eligibility to travel to Japan should contact the nearest Japanese embassy or consulate for additional . fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); Updated overall advisory level after periodic review. Japan is now allowing foreign nationals to enter Japan for purposes other than tourism so long as they have a sponsor in the country. From the beginning this page was the only place I checked (sometimes daily) for hope. Did the Visit Japan Web App before arrival and was simple getting through everything at Narita, just had to show them the QR codes, two people traveling, one with the triple vaccination and one just using pre travel PCR test. Trying a bit of everything is the best way to get beneath the surface of this fascinating country. You need to wait until the end of August to foresee that possibility. In this case, his/her screen will be Yellow, but he/she can use Fast Track.. Thanks for your commitment, communication and consultation over the last 2 years. While I hope to see you around here on future updates, I know that probably wont be the case. The total of guests at hotels and inns was 315.75 million, down 4.8% from 2020 and 47% from 2019. Quite simply,Japan is inflicting pain on itself by remaining closed. Well keep watching the news and keep you posted if/when there are further developments about Japan reopening and allowing entry to travelers from the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond. The Japanese government has been working on a borders reopening schedule since April 27 to help revive the economy. Before heading to Japan to travel, make sure to check the most up-to-date information. The country has also dropped its daily cap of 50,000 arrivals and its list of permitted countries, with visitors from all countries and regions now being accepted. Travel agencies eye discounts for those vaccinated for COVID-19. From 11th October onwards, visa-free travel will resume, and all arrival caps are being removed as well. Im heading to Tokyo for the first time in 3.5 years on October 23rd and I cant wait! As for why Japans border is still closed over a year after most democracies reopened, that can largely be explained by the countrys apprehensiveness of outsiders. Travelers from most countries can now enter Japan without applying for a visa in advance. Its pretty clear the government is focused on moving forward. UPDATE: The Japanese government announced on May 26, 2022, that Japan will reopen for tourists visiting on packaged tours starting June 10, 2022. Visa-free, independent travel restarted on October 11. Thanks for subscribing! Second, theres awareness within theKishida administration that the window of opportunity to reopen the border is closing. Japan is famous for . All travel companies are different. Together, youll craft your itinerary. You may still need a negative Covid test within 72 hours of flying to Japan (see details below). Yes! We have more good news! With all of that in mind, we remain cautiously optimistic that individual tourists will be allowed to enter Japan sooner rather than later. If you are triple-vaxxed (ie, boosted), you do NOT need proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of boarding your flight to Japan. 2022. Spending another night in Okinawa for the 55th stay of my ongoing 87-day adventure across Japan, I absent-mindedly typed the letter J into my web browser, only to have this article come up as the first suggestion. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Japan. Kyodo, Nikkei, and NHK are reporting that this is to be determined, with government officials still deciding whether to proceed with this plan or start with lifting the daily arrival cap. Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. It aint over till its over.pls see my recent post which I HOPE isnt accurate and just some fake news, but Reuters is pretty accurate. even if theyre off for a jog or on a bicycle. That would mean individual tourists would not be welcomed back to Japan until sometime in the first half of 2023. But were over the moon to announce that travel to Japan has now returned to something that looks a lot like the old normal. Here is a useful link for the latest coronavirus numbers on Japan: Disclosure: InsideKyoto.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. It was challenging, convoluted and at times frustrating. Why Expecting Japan's Reopening to Tourism Before Summer 2022 at Best is Unrealistic. Japan will resume accepting some foreign tourists in June at the earliest, a government source said Friday, likely reversing a ban on their entry introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. Cant wait! With this, the visa exemption would be reinstated, making that a non-issue. Contents. This is would allow a bit of wiggle room for Japans slow and belabored decision-making process that involves a lot of careful consideration and evaluating the situation. If anything has been well-established during the last two-plus years, its that inaction is Japans baseline, and anything that does happen occurs gradually and in stages. 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Before heading to Japan to travel, make sure to check the most up-to-date information. This is a major policy shift and will relaxif not eliminate entirelyJapans intensive COVID-19 countermeasures, including limiting the movements of infected people and their close contacts. While the stares have eased, and it is okay to take off the mask at the table, make sure to wear it if you need to use the toilet or even to speak to a waiter. What are testing, face mask, and vaccine requirements for visitors? What we had here was a weird little community of sorts, and a really nice one considering the circumstances. Re: Will Japan will re-open fully to tourists before October? if (d.getElementById(id)) return; Over two years into this, the seasonality of COVID transmission is well-established. Thanks to everyone in here in the comments for that! Im happy that I soon wont be needing to lurk this site on a daily basis as I have for the last countless months, but will always look back on this unexpected place of community fondly. That theres more upside than downside risk in reopening and encouraging more economic activity. Another possibility is that Japan will allow individual foreign tourists to enter the country andexempt them from visas if they have been vaccinated three times or submit a pre-arrival test result. Updated On September 26, 2022. Here are all the details on visa-free travel, vaccination and Covid test requirements. And thank you for providing this space for all of us. It will happen soon. However, if youve received any fewerjabs than three, youll need to show a negative test taken within 72 hours of departure for Japan. This Article is From May 30, 2022. Lets say that happens in early November. Subscribe to our email newsletter for the latest news & instant alerts. Read on to find out about the current atmosphere in the country. Not sure whether youll ever see this, but just want to let you know that I saw your comment and really appreciate you taking the time to share. Turkey's largest city, Istanbul has a number of major attractions derived from its historical status as capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.These include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the "Blue Mosque"), the Hagia . Visit Japan Web App also let me pre fill out for immigration and customs, and just use the QR codes for those as well. Of course you can! tomthanks for ALL the help.I was told I need the MYSOS app to enter now, but there is mixed information on JapanWeb. HTJ said Japan is currently open for travel, but for those who have a visa or are an exchange . Not so much in the last couple of years, as this has been reflected in policy-making. If youre planning your trip to Japan, what do you think about these itineraries? On September 22, 2022, however, Prime Minister Kishida finally revealed that these restrictions would be scrapped. See details here. First, theres already the realization that unguided tourslike guided tours before themwill not move the needle on inbound tourism in any meaningful way. However, the number of foreign visitors to Japan dropped to 245,900 last year, the lowest since 1964, as the country enforced tighter border controls. If/when theres another winter resurgence in cases, the reopening can would effectively be kicked down the road for a few more months. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future, he said. (This number includes hotels used as government quarantine facilities, not just leisure stays.). . On June 10 package tours from overseas will start to bring tourists back to the country. The definitive guide to Japans tourist reopening in 2022, However, after more than two and a half years of waiting, the country fully reopened to tourism. Except for everyone wearing masks, things seemed mostly back to normal. Japan is finally open to independent travellers and has now lifted even more border restrictions. Life in the country is normal, everything is open, but there are only a tiny proportion of international visitors, especially without tourists from neighbouring China. These leaks came after Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara spoke on Fuji TV over the weekend and stated thatJapan will consider easing all three restrictionsthe daily arrival cap, ban on individual tourists, and visa requirements. At the summit, the Japanese company Hotel Management International Company Limited (HMI Group) decided to open hotels in 30 cities including Agra, Ayodhya, and Varanasi.". In short, the early October reopening is not just our most optimistic viewits now what we expect to happen. For now, however. Japan strictly limits foreign arrivals out of covid-19 concerns, a scientifically specious approach that has made the country an outlier among top economies and most Asia-Pacific neighbors that. Lets have a look at the measures that are still in place, despite the reopening of borders. What follows is based on that research and fixation with the on-the-ground situation in Japan. Given that Japan is now open, its time to start planning a trip. Try another? Updated: Mar 31, 2022 / 10:45 PM HST. (February 2023 Update). Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. TOKYO -- Japan on Monday provided details of its full-scale tourism reopening, following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's announcement last week. If the plan goes ahead, it would mark a major shift in Japans border restrictions, which have been conservative compared with those of fellow Group of Seven members. Out in the country case, his/her screen will be Yellow, but its easy to envision worst-case. 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