Is Japan Open to Tourists?
Is Japan open for international individual travelers? Are borders open as normal in 2024? What are testing, face mask, and vaccine requirements for visitors? These are questions among those planning trips to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and this covers the answers.
The good news is that we now have an answer to questions we’ve been asking for nearly two years! First, after reopening to guided tour groups, Japan reopened to individual tourists on October 11, 2022. In the year-plus since, additional changes have occurred to the extent that it’s basically business as usual for visiting Japan in 2024.
We’ve already returned to Japan, spending about a month in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and elsewhere. In various updates here, we’ve been sharing our experiences and what it’s like as a foreign visitor, what has changed, crowd conditions, expenses of visiting Japan with the weaker yen, and much more. The big one for most of you is likely going to be Japan Face Mask Rules v. Reality in 2024.
Those two posts cover essentially everything you need to know about visiting Japan as of 2024. The short version is that it is possible to enter, regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated, albeit with a testing requirement for the latter. There are no quarantine requirements, and travel is visa-free for the vast majority of people reading this.
Please subscribe to our FREE email newsletter and stay tuned if you are curious about how things are on-the-ground for tourists in Japan post-reopening.
In terms of the latest news, the current vaccine and testing policies ended on May 8, 2023. This is because Japan has formally decided to downgrade the legal status of the novel coronavirus on May 8, 2023 to the same category as common infectious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, thereby easing COVID-19 prevention rules.
This is a major policy shift and will relax–if not eliminate entirely–Japan’s intensive COVID-19 countermeasures, including limiting the movements of infected people and their close contacts. Japan’s reclassification of COVID-19 to Class 5 came after a panel of experts under the health ministry agreed on the plan earlier in the day.
The downgrade would pave the way for a normalization of social and economic activities in Japan, and should mean that non-residents are able to enter the country without PCR tests or additional paperwork. Essentially, there will be no (legal) basis for the current border protocol effective May 8, 2023. Of course, things could change between now and then, but it’s likely the border will revert to late 2019 status as of that date.
We typically spend a couple of months in Japan each year, and are ecstatic to be returning after nearly 3 years away. We are eager to revisit our favorite places, see friends in Japan for the first time in over two years, and continue creating this site’s wealth of free planning resources. We’re excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad.
For these two-plus years, we’ve been closely monitoring the situation in Japan, watching several hours of NHK each day and reading multiple Japanese news sources. All of this in the hope for some clarity as to when the country will fully reopen and Japan will begin allowing international tourists to enter once again.
What follows is based on that research and fixation with the on-the-ground situation in Japan. We’re preserving this for posterity, but everything that follows is now (thankfully!) obsolete information.
Japan is now allowing foreign nationals to enter Japan for purposes other than tourism so long as they have a sponsor in the country. This includes business travelers on short stays, students in study abroad programs, participants in technical internships, both guided & unguided tour groups, spouses or children (and other relatives) of a Japanese national/permanent resident, others with special exceptional circumstances, and those who would provide a “public benefit” to Japan.
With that in mind, let’s cover how we got here, why Japan maintains the strictest among the Group of Seven developed nations, and what could cause that to change…
Again and again, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that Japan “will continue to consider how the measures should be by taking into account the infection situations at home and abroad, border control measures taken by other nations, and progress in the rollout of vaccine boosters.”
Kishida has also acknowledged that Japan’s border control measures are the strictest among Group of Seven nations, and expressed a desire/need to bring Japan in line with its counterparts. “This is the first step in our gradual easing of the [border] restrictions,” Kishida has said.
As for why Japan’s border is still closed over a year after most democracies reopened, that can largely be explained by the country’s apprehensiveness of outsiders.
For better or worse, Japan is an insular and culturally conservative country–a characteristic that is often valued by visitors. Not so much in the last couple of years, as this has been reflected in policy-making. Japan has vilified and scapegoated foreigners and had an overly aggressive approach to its borders.
Due to this and other policies, Japan has lagged behind economically, seeing slower recovery than the United States and other counterparts that have more aggressively reopened. Economic benefits of international tourists is one big reason why Japan is expected to reopen its border.
Boosting tourism was core to the late former Prime Minister Abe’s economic revitalization, and both subsequent prime ministers have indicated their intentions to maintain continuity with those plans. 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. Compared with the pre-pandemic level in 2019, it dropped 99.2 percent. That’s the sharpest fall on record according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
Economists fear a “double dip” recession in Japan due to the prolonged closures and restrictions. Decreased tourism plus falling exports, an increased consumption tax, reduced consumer spending, weak yen, and growing national debt. Japan’s economy has serious issues and inbound tourism was previously a bright spot.
In other words, reopening to international visitors will be important to the health of Japan’s consumption-driven economy at some point in the not too distant future. This becomes increasingly true as the yen weakens due to the Bank of Japan continuing to pursue its loose monetary policy while the United States Federal Reserve, European, and other central banks raise interest rates. Quite simply, Japan is inflicting pain on itself by remaining closed.
There are also signs that stringent travel measures, including the border closure, are having a greater impact on Japan’s economy than previously believed. This is despite Japan’s “Go to Travel” campaign that subsidized domestic travel, which was offered at various times during the last two years.
According to data from the Japan Tourism Agency, stays at hotels and other accommodation facilities hit another record low in Japan last year–breaking the previous record set in 2020. The total of guests at hotels and inns was 315.75 million, down 4.8% from 2020 and 47% from 2019. (This number includes hotels used as government quarantine facilities, not just leisure stays.)
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party recognizes these problems and realizes it needs to rebuild Japan’s economy. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that his top priority was formulating new economic measures and implementing these goals. The government will also take measures to stimulate and jump-start the economy.
Despite the aforementioned numbers, Japan is maintaining its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors by 2030. Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. Both of these statements are reassuring given the current border closures, and indicate that Japan will unwind its travel ban in months, not years.
Against that economic backdrop, let’s take a look at the latest changes to Japan’s reopening plans…
We have more good news! Multiple media outlets, including NHK, Kyodo, Nikkei, and Fuji TV are all reporting that Japan’s government is planning to further relax restrictions and border measures with an eye to implementing the revisions by the start of October.
The specifics are not consistent among outlets, so let’s start with where they’re in agreeance.
First, there is consensus that the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, will be eliminated entirely.
This is a necessary prerequisite for further reopening and the resumption of more inbound international flights, but this alone was not an obstacle dissuading most international visitors. While the daily number of arrivals was higher pre-closure, we assumed that 50,000 is the level at which this cap becomes immaterial with China still sidelined. Regardless, it’s good to have this removed as it eliminates an element of uncertainty and could have been an issue during peak travel times for the Japanese.
Another possibility is that Japan will allow individual foreign tourists to enter the country and exempt them from visas if they have been vaccinated three times or submit a pre-arrival test result.
This is where there is disagreement among the major outlets. 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. By contrast, Fuji TV is treating this as a done deal, using less ambiguous language.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly plans to make a decision as early as the end of this week, according to the news outlets’ sources.
These “leaks” came after Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara spoke on Fuji TV over the weekend and stated that Japan will consider easing all three restrictions–the daily arrival cap, ban on individual tourists, and visa requirements. “We will review all three restrictions together. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future,” he said.
“Japan has seasonal attractions in fall and winter. We know there are a lot of people overseas who want to come to Japan,” Kihara added. “Amid the weakening yen, inbound travelers will have greatest economic effect…There are many foreign visitors who want to come visit Japan.” Kihara added that eliminating the arrival cap alone was not enough.
Kihara isn’t the only one who has been vocal about fully reopening to tourists recently. During the Bloomberg New Voices panel, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would open the country’s doors “tomorrow” if it were her decision. “Tourism is a big industry in Tokyo, as well as in all Japan, so this is the time to greet more foreign tourists by using this advantage of the depreciation of the yen,” she said.
Koike said that Japan’s borders would fully reopen soon. “The national border is under the management of central government,” Koike said. “As governor of Tokyo, that would be tomorrow.”
The yen has fallen to a 24-year low of ¥144 to the dollar, likely contributing to the sense of urgency in the aforementioned interviews.
Japan eased its border restrictions last week, raising the daily arrival cap from 20,000 to 50,000 and dropping the requirement for pre-arrival PCR testing for vaccinated travelers.
Japan also began allowing unguided tours, meaning ones not accompanied by tour conductors. This is specifically for “unguided tour groups” or “non-escorted visitors on package tours” and not individual tourists.
In Unguided Tours in Japan – Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. Prior to those guidelines being released, we speculated on how this would work given basic logic and past precedent with prior groups who had been allowed to enter Japan. We were wrong–the unguided tours offered two steps forward but one step backwards.
We mention this in part to own past mistakes, but also as a cautionary tale. While it certainly sounds like the end is near for the Japan travel ban, it’s premature to have a high degree of confidence.
Kishida’s government has been trying to take advantage of the weak yen and accelerate growth by attracting more foreign visitors. It thus stands to reason that opening to individual tourists necessarily needs to occur–that raising the entry cap will do nothing in furtherance of their stated goal. However, as we have seen time and time again, the patently obvious conclusion often is not the outcome reached by Japan.
Moreover, how this played out with Japan’s last announcement is also instructive.
On August 23, specifics of the September relaxation measures were leaked to the same media outlets. At that time, it was unclear whether unguided tourists would be allowed to enter. On August 31, Kishida made an official announcement encompassing all of the rumored changes, including unguided tourists. (It took a few more days for the guidelines to be released, and the clarifying FAQ is still being updated.)
While presenting the above as a cautionary tale against optimism or over reliance on logic when assessing Japan’s decisions, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. (I’m sorry, I can’t help myself. Like a moth to a flame.)
First, there’s already the realization that unguided tours–like guided tours before them–will not move the needle on inbound tourism in any meaningful way. It’s another symbolic measure, and coming at a time when an increasing number of international visitors have already moved on to other destinations and pent-up demand has begun fizzling out. The number of people anxiously awaiting Japan’s reopening is shrinking, not growing.
Second, there’s awareness within the Kishida administration that the window of opportunity to reopen the border is closing. This is something we’ve pointed out in our best and worst case scenarios in prior updates, but there’s only a limited amount of time between waves.
Over two years into this, the seasonality of COVID transmission is well-established. Cases are currently in freefall and will continue decreasing next month before bottoming out sometime between late October and early November. There will be a winter resurgence. It could start as soon as late November, but is more likely in December.
Reopening to individual tourists in October presents minimal (political) risk and maximum (economic) upside. Public opinion polls show that most voters have already moved on from COVID to assorted scandals; the minority who still care will see no immediate increase in cases correlating with the border reopening.
Frankly, the miscalculation here by the Kishida administration is thinking that this will have an immediate impact on inbound travel. Those reading regular updates on Japan’s reopening are not representative of international travelers at large. Most people need months of time between booking and traveling; very few plan and take last-minute trips–especially international ones.
Obviously, the easing has to occur at some point and this lag will always play out, but the notion that this moves the needle for fall is misguided. Autumn is already a lost cause. At best, this helps with winter. More likely, the impact won’t be fully felt until next year’s cherry blossom season.
One wildcard is the downgrade of COVID’s legal status. Several recent updates have centered around Japan’s internal debate over whether to strip COVID-19 of its special status and downgrade it to the same level as the flu in Japan’s infectious disease categories.
It’s been our perspective that this was a necessary prerequisite to welcoming individual tourists as there would no longer be a need for a responsible receiving party to monitor travelers and act as a liaison for infected individuals. Given that none of the recent reports have even mentioned COVID’s status in regard to reopening, it’s possible our perspective was wrong. Or, that this barrier does still exist and Japan will have to create a “solution” for it (travel insurance?) for individual tourists. Either way, that’s something to continue keeping in mind.
Also as previously mentioned, recent poll data also shows the public is now far less concerned with COVID than the economy, Unification Church scandal, Abe’s state funeral, and other issues. It’s entirely possible that Kishida sees this polling and his sagging approval numbers and realizes that it’s time to move forward. That there’s more upside than downside risk in reopening and encouraging more economic activity.
As we’ve stressed repeatedly, Japan’s populace has been among the most cautious in the world with regard to COVID-19. Human behavior and sentiment don’t change overnight, even if it’s economically advantageous and objectively safer to do so. Statements by politicians and medical advisors, gradual border relaxation measures, and other changes could be interpreted as Japan laying the groundwork for a resumption of normalcy and the country’s eventual reopening. It now appears that the time is here–or coming very soon.
With all of this said, I’ll present my revised best, worst, and base-case scenarios for Japan’s reopening to individual tourists…
Let’s start with the best-case scenario. This assumes that Japan downgrades COVID-19 from its special status to Category 5 literally any day now or that this is not a necessary prerequisite to an individual tourist reopening. (With the possible workaround of travel insurance or some other awkward “fix.”)
Critically, this would eliminate the legal requirement of a responsible receiving party for visitors to Japan. In such a scenario, the borders could almost immediately return to their normal pre-closure status in early October. With this, the visa exemption would be reinstated, making that a non-issue. The arrivals cap would also be eliminated in this scenario.
Then there’s the middle ground or base case. This is now the same as the best-case scenario. In short, the early October reopening is not just our most optimistic view–it’s now what we expect to happen.
To differentiate the two, I’ll also allow for a middle ground possibility of a bifurcated decision with the individual tourist reopening a few weeks after the entry cap elimination. Let’s say that happens in early November.
This is would allow a bit of wiggle room for Japan’s 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, it’s that inaction is Japan’s baseline, and anything that does happen occurs gradually and in stages.
Finally, the worst-case scenario is that Japan instead opts to revive its “Go to Travel” campaign just in time for fall colors season, and uses that to buoy the tourism sector through December. It’s possible the country views this as sufficient for tourism businesses to stave off bankruptcy or other financial hardship for another few months.
If/when there’s another winter resurgence in cases, the reopening can would effectively be kicked down the road for a few more months. That would mean individual tourists would not be welcomed back to Japan until sometime in the first half of 2023. I’m inclined to say Spring 2023, but it’s easy to envision a worst-case that isn’t until summer.
Our view is that the worst-case scenario is now highly unlikely. Japan relaxed its border measures earlier in September while still being #1 in the world for new cases. This indicates that Japan is finally ready to move forward and sets the precedent for future changes during waves. Who knows–it still may take until early 2023 to fully downgrade the legal status of COVID. But whatever winter wave occurs (and one will happen), that’s unlikely to be an obstacle to reopening progress, as was the case last year.
With all of that in mind, we remain cautiously optimistic that individual tourists will be allowed to enter Japan sooner rather than later. The political and economic appetite for fully relaxation now clearly exists, and there’s a vocal chorus of politicians in Japan–including those who were previously in favor of closed borders–championing reopening. It’s now the popular position being advanced publicly by politicians, not just being advocated by Keidanren or Japan’s business lobby.
Japan fully reopening in full is all but inevitable at this point. It will happen soon. The end is near.
It’s thus our view that Japan reopening in some capacity to individual tourists in October is a very realistic scenario. As improbable as it might’ve seemed even a week ago, Japan welcoming back international visitors who are not part of tours (guided or unguided) sometime before November is likely. It’s pretty clear the government is focused on moving forward. As frustrating as this whole process has been, Japan is not still (completely) stuck in March 2020.
As always, Japan is cautious and conservative, with a slow and belabored decision-making process that often embodies “analysis paralysis” and usually defies logic. That’s a wild card that could further extend any timeline. However, Japan is now joining the rest of the world as people are ready to move on with life.
We’ll 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. Again, if you’d like to be notified as soon as more details are released or rumored, subscribe to our free email newsletter for ongoing updates and alerts:
If you’re planning a visit to Japan, our recommendation at this point is to target sometime in November at the earliest. In our view, koyo (autumn leaves) season is a good bet, and that takes place from mid-November through December. That’s simply a good time to visit Japan and, hopefully, the country will be open to individual tourists by then.
Speaking of which, check out our Japan Fall Colors Forecast & Autumn Foliage Viewing Guide to get started on planning your trip to visit Japan’s popular fall foliage cities, including Kyoto, Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Nara. That also offers tips for avoiding crowds and strategy for visiting the best temples, shrines, and evening illuminations.
If you’re planning a trip to the Japan, check out our other posts about Japan for ideas on other things to do! We also recommend consulting our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto and Ultimate Guide to Tokyo to plan.
Your Thoughts
Would you consider visiting Japan later this year, or is international travel out of the question for you anytime soon? How do you view the news about guided tours? Think those will stick around for several months, or are simply theater to shift public opinion? Think the need to adapt and live with the endemic virus will outweigh fear when it comes to Japan’s reopening plans? Any thoughts or tips of your own to add? If you’re planning your trip to Japan, what do you think about these itineraries? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
Thanks for your updates and insights as always.
The way they rapidly took back the reopening for business and students (something that even Australia hasn’t decided upon yet) is really worrysome. Even if Omicron doesn’t pose any major treat, Japan clearly gave us a message that as long as new variants of concern appear, they will immediately shut the borders for how long they see fit.
At this point, still believing in a spring reopening (by reopening I mean like “normal countries” kind of reopening, not a 24h controlled bus tour in rural Japan) is very unlikely.
The kind of reopening that we all want to see will probably happen only around June, and that is depending in the pandemic situation around the world (pretty sure Japan will be able to keep its cases inside extremely low).
They clearly don’t care about the economic impact this might cause in industry, even less in tourism. When they talk about needing to recover the economy, they are talking always about inside measures, not outside.
The outside is scary, and sadly, that’s the thought that is winning inside the heads of those who take the decisions in the country.
We are at the final comedy…
TOKYO, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Two Japanese airlines ANA and JAL also said they were suspending new reservations for international flights to Japan until the end of December and NHK public television said the government was seeking a halt to all such reservations.
Its simple: they dont really need foreign tourists. Just watch any of the virtual walks on Youtube. There are plenty of local tourists and those who have been to Japan know most ryokans are designed to cater to Japanese. Sure they “tolerate” foreigners but their bread and butter comes from Japanese tourists. Its just a simple calculation of risk/reward for them and the naked truth is that at the moment (and in near future at least) foreign tourists are not worth the risk/hassle.
Thanks for the insights Tom. I’m an avid reader of both your blogs and hoping for a trip to Japan early summer of 2022.
Might be worth noting that Japan is one of the few countries with a list of vaccines that does NOT include J&J. That’s impactful for many US visitors who may be considering a trip. Under their current policy one must have 2 shots from Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZenica – so even those of us with J&J plus an mRNA booster will need another shot if that policy does not change.
Forget Japan for the near future. It’s very unlikely that it will reopen the borders to individual tourists next Summer.
I concur that being just as intolerant and xenophobic to Japan as they are being right now to outsiders is not the proper answer. They’re people just like us, and while the negative side of Japan is being shown off, here? We should remember that that goes for any country; every country has their dark side. America certainly does and I still love my country, warts and all. I had a great time in Tokyo in 2019 and got by really well by being polite and respectful (a couple of token “foreigner moments” aside), and only encountered one mildly negative experience that was immediately counterbalanced by something good that happened afterward, so I refuse to take a negative view of Japan on the whole. If they choose to turn on foreigners when the chips are down, that’s on them, not on us by and large, and in the end? It’s God’s job to judge, not ours. Whenever Japan opens up again, whenever that is? I will gladly arrange to travel back there and enjoy the people, food, and culture again, with everything firmly in mind, positive and negative. Life’s too short to boycott everything and not be able to enjoy life for it, in the end. One must pick one’s battles in that realm. Next time, definitely Osaka/Kyoto for me!
From a tourist’s perspective I agree, the world is big and everyone is useful but no one is indispensable (i.e. Japan). From the point of view of those who have families, relatives, homes, interests of various kinds, the situation changes, and in addition to frustration and disappointment, there is also the sad awareness of the most deteriorating and xenophobic aspects of the country. Yet Admiral Perry should have taught them that isolation policies lead nowhere. As has always happened in their history, they will suddenly realize this, but too late.
Forget Japan for the foreseeable future. The brutal truth is they have happy shutting off foreigners and could continue to do so for far longer than what we would consider rational/reasonable. This is the 2nd Sakoku.
My son is an expat living in Japan. He was planning on coming home for Christmas and is worried about getting back in Japan. Will this be a problem?
From the news it would seem the answer is yes. Stay in Japan and enjoy the Christmas season.
Chirs Broad from Abroad in Japan has cancelled his Christmas trip to the UK as he suspects he wont be allowed back in and if he was, would have to do 2weeks in a govt chosen building for quarantine.
Anybody up to have a go at Labors of Hercules? Basically you’ll be treated like a parasitic criminal https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/11/08/national/japan-eased-entry-restrictions-documents/
It’s good news that, from Monday, business travelers will once again be allowed to enter with 3 days of quarantine. They also promise to review within the year as to whether it can be eased further. Fingers crossed for early next year.
I am registered for the Tokyo Marathon 6th March 2022. It seems they are planning to definitely be open by then as they are allowing international runners again. At least I hope so!
Hopefully you’re right.
I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
It’s a sports event after all, and for a country that bringed thousands of athletes for the olympics, a single marathon with foreigners wouldn’t bring a problem am I right?
Obviously being ironic but I can see that coming from Japan.
This “closed country” nightmare, despite the suffering and distress that brought upon us, has one positive aspect: it removed from our minds the image of a perfect and welcoming Japan. We all want to go there, of course, but at least we will be able to see and understand the ugly parts too. Japan is great, but it’s still a country trapped in its Imperial mentality, quite xenophobic to be honest, and where collective social Shame and Fear are used control its citizens under the excuse of “doing the right thing” and “being polite”. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a dream for the traveler, with the Sakura, the temples, shrines, and the beautiful nature, but it can be hell for who must live and work there forever. Good luck and happy travels.
Absolutely right. When the chips are down they will turn on the foreigners without mercy. I’ve been big time Japanophile since 2008 visiting at least twice a year but started to take note of Japan’s darker side when they turned on ex-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. Japan is both the most civilized and polite and the most savage and barbaric. I think its this duality that makes it fascinating to visit.
It is all but certain there will be new variants and flareups in the months ahead so as long as they are holding this vague policy the doors will remain shut. Spring will turn to Summer then Fall 2022 and on and on. At some point they will have to admit and learn to live with Covid but dont bet any time soon. Could be years away.
Booked a refundable itinerary for our honeymoon, March into April! Best case, we go for the steal of a deal we got; worst, we push it back to autumn. Thank you for the update!
I appreciate the continued updates. I’ve read a few things on the web sicne the election, but this is the most comprehensive piece I’ve found.
I agree. I check it every month since it’s very detailed yet easy to follow
I have a trip to Japan on Dec 24 and coming back on Jan 07/2022. I’m hoping that Japan opens in December but reading this article, I’m not so sure. Too bad as this was a dream trip family, in one of the best time of the year. Anyways, let’s hope for the best.
For myself, I would wait until the immunization period is lowered to 3-days before I travel to Japan. My target date is October-November 2022 during the autumn season.
Guys, just came in. Japan will reopen to business travelers and int’l students this month. It should not be far away until tourisms resume.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-to-ease-entry-for-businesspeople-students-but-not-tourists
Finally some good news! Let’s hope cases don’t go up much during New Year and perhaps we’ll hear more good news on January. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Agree. I believe that, unless the new-year season goes horribly wrong in terms on infections/deaths/healthcare-pressure, tourism travel would start in a limited fashion (certain countries, certain vaccines, daily traveler cap, etc) sometime in mid/late-January 2022.
You jinxed us! 😂✌🏼
I urge everyone who has suffered disappointment and loss due to Japan’s xenophobic travel restrictions to boycott Japanese products and not to travel to Japan even after the restrictions are lifted. Why travel to a country that views you as a dirty foreigner when you can experience East Asian culture in other, more friendly and welcoming countries, such as Taiwan and Korea?
After falling in love with Japanese culture, I spent many years visiting Japan, promoting Japanese culture to family and friends, and defending Japan against the often-heard charges of xenophobia. The pandemic has exposed Japan’s true colors, and so I no longer promote or defend Japan. The younger generation of Japanese may be different, but the gerontocrats in control of the country and the majority of their constituents have demonstrated to the world that the apple has not fallen far from the 鎖国, 尊王攘夷, 日本人論 tree.
Japanese nationals are permitted to travel freely anywhere in the world, and the Japanese government will even pay for their quarantine upon return, yet foreign tourists are completely barred. The restrictions are therefore not about keeping out variants, which will enter via returning Japanese nationals. The Japanese government has also provided subsidies for domestic travel, thus encouraging movement (and facilitating disease transmission), while at the same time barring even foreign residents from returning. It is considering restarting this campaign even while foreign tourists are still barred. What possible explanation can there be for this other than xenophobia?
Why should we spend our money in such a country, even after it reopens? And why should any country admit Japanese nationals while their own citizens are barred from entering Japan? I urge you all to contact your respective representatives, foreign ministries, etc., and demand that Japanese tourists be barred from entering your countries unless and until your compatriots are permitted to enter Japan on basic principles of reciprocity. Japanese must be made to understand that they cannot enjoy the world outside 神の国 without allowing the rest of the world access to the elements of our common human heritage of which they are the current caretakers.
Hahah, relax. You cannot enter Taiwan for tourism or social reasons. For Korea, short term foreign visitors will need to quarantine for 14 days, not exactly open to tourism, is it? Even USA has not opened yet (they will only open to UK, EU tourism on the 8th of November after neatly 2 years of pressure and very reluctantly). And Australia is even worse than Japan (only Australian citizens and returning permanent residents and and their immediate family members are permitted to enter Australia without an exemption until further notice.)
Take a chill pill, you should be able to travel to Japan next summer.
My point was not that other countries have not acted xenophobically (they have, and they should also be boycotted by travelers and pressured to change). However, I am aware of no other democratic country where the difference in treatment between citizens and foreigners has been so stark.
I have friends with student visas who had to abandon their studies in Japan, while at the same time my Japanese friends were traveling to areas of high transmission, returning to 3-day quarantines in government-paid hotel rooms, and then promptly flouting the restrictions on movement following release. My Japanese friends said that they had never seen tourist sites so crowded as during last year’s Go To Travel campaign.
As you point out, Korea does allow foreign tourists if they quarantine. You are right that Taiwan does not allow foreign tourists, but at least they did not discriminate between citizens and non-citizen residents, as Japan did. Australia did not allow their own nationals to leave and return. The US case is also instructive. When Europe opened to American tourists and America (wrongly) failed to reciprocate, the EU pressured the US by rolling back access to Americans, and this pressure worked. My point was that the same pressure needs to be applied to Japan.
You say that I should be able to travel to Japan next summer, but that is pure speculation and wishful thinking. The Japanese government has provided no guidance on timing, and if you follow Japanese media, aside from those directly involved in the tourism industry, there is no groundswell of public sentiment clamoring for reopening. The reality is that Japan will not reopen to foreigners next summer (or anytime) unless Japanese themselves begin to feel the costs of continuing on the present course. Those who wish to experience Japan should therefore do what they can to apply such pressure. But I would also suggest that those thinking of traveling to Japan in the future also consider whether they want to spend their money in a country that has so clearly demonstrated that it only wants foreigners for their money and, if given the opportunity, will otherwise treat us as pests bringing disease, danger, and disorder.
It is a reasonable speculation that Japan should reopen next summer (although probably by the earliest). Even the “Spanish flu” lasted around 2.5 years and that was without vaccines in place.
Fundamentally, we are not Japanese, it is their country and they can do whatever they like. Note Japan has one of the highest number of elderly in the population (per capita) in the world (age is the biggest risk factor). I can’t see how Japan acted somehow far more outrageously than a lot of other countries.
I agree though that ‘zero Covid’ strategy is delusional at this point in time, a more pragmatic approach is to vaccinate whoever wants a vaccine and then once that is done live life as normal with minimal restrictions. For that reason I can’t see Japan being closed for more than another 6 months (+/- a few).
Patience. Remember the great Stoic philosophy:
1. Correctly identifying what is within our control, and what is not.
2. Focusing our effort on the things within our control and learning to accept what is not.
I think you would better use your negative energy towards something positive, like improving Japanese language, or saving for the next big trip (the longer they are closed, the more you can save, the better standard experience you will have). Look at the positives. I postponed Japan trip twice and used the travel credit for a trip to Hawaii instead. When Japan reopen, I will be back, whenever that is…
Yesterday a Japanese national dressed as “The Joker” tried to stab people on the metro, seriously injuring at least 17 people, then setting the train on fire.
If the government’s aim was to protect the population from any kind of potential danger in the same way how they do with the border closing due to covid, they would have to ban Halloween and any kind of costumes in public, including cosplay. However, they will most likely not do this. Why? Because no foreigner was involved in yesterday’s attack.
Imagine a foreigner would have done this. The government would drastically tighten visa and residence permit regulations.
Your grudge of Japan has nothing to do with any of us and is very unpleasant.
I understand and share the pain and disappointment… Some degree of pressure is required to show that the Japanese Government’s behavior is NOT acceptable in today’s world: all travelers, students and workers DESERVED to be informed of what was going on regarding the border closure. It was an absolute lack of respect and it must be exposed as such. We will still visit Japan, of course, ate least once in our lives, but we will now know that Japanese politeness and respect are, many times, just for show.
My son, wife and new grand baby are going to be stationed in Japan in July. We want to be there for the babies first birthday in November 2022.
Praying they will be open for us to go.
Yes, so now election is over, LDP remains in office with majority, albeit losing less than 20 seats. However, I think we will get to a very dilemma situation:
-COVID case flattened and decreasing: Japanese Public would disregard ‘with-covid’ campaign, and regard every international visitors as ‘source of infection’. They could easily revert to ‘Zero-Covid’, and they could say ‘Yes, case is falling. Why not zero covid and lock foreigners out? It’s dangerous. Also, we have Shigeru Omi, who is barking to the medias all day about ‘next wave of infection’ and ‘good border control’.
-COVID case rise up again. Obviously in this case border will not open for reasons we know.
To make things worse, there will be upper house election in June next year. Would this be a concern is an open question.
But, there has been some positive news. Economic minister Yamagiwa has indicated that they are ‘proceeding to ease border/quarantine measurements’ on 17 OCT. And there has been some reports on Nikkei that in November business people could enter. Furthermore, the recent weakened JPY/USD means price of living hood will increase in Japan, but the exports will increase. The government would absolutely consider this, and would they want to miss this opportunity to attract foreign money?
Japan had been transforming into a tourism country for decades since the 2004 ‘Kanko Rikkoku Sengen (Tourism As Main Pillar of Country Proclamation)’ until 2020, and we have seen so many facilities built for international visitors. Their losses and bankruptcies during COVID, and should current border closure continue, will be enormous. Many owners have claimed that having just domestic visitors alone, albeit GOTO campaign, their income are still far from the days when international visitors were there. Furthermore, opening the borders for international visitors would mean Goto campaign are less required, saving tax-payers money. Remember, there is no free lunch. The more money is squandered to Goto campaign, the more tax people have to pay later on, with probability of increasing consumer tax to 15%-20%.
Japan has been utilising the gratitude from countries around the world as increasing number of countries give benefit on entry/quarantine with Japanese vaccine passport. But they are failing to reciprocate this. It is unfair to just greedily take up benefit without reciprocating them, and we are seeing countries, like Singapore, open their border to other countries with far higher Covid rate, but not Japan. Why Japanese passport holders can go wherever they want, and international passengers can’t go to your place? If Japan’s border closure persists with no sign of releasing, I think countries around the world should boycott Japan. Block Japanese people from entering other countries, and introduce tough 21-day quarantine for them. It’s what they deserve. Wanting foreign money but hate foreign people is not making Japan an attractive destination. Besides, we have ‘Squid game’ going really hot these days, and South Korea does have policies of accepting foreign visitors for tourism purposes, as long as you accept 14-day hotel quarantine. For some super fans of Korea, this could be a good chance. If Japan continues the way it is, then the visitors will go to South Korea instead, and probably not going to return.
Either way, Kishida needs to have a clear mind about things. For those who really like Japan (Japanophiles) , including me, we are here to cause no harm to Japan. But if you hate us to every extent, then you will lose us. He does not need to eliminate quarantine requirement completely, but he needs to accept people into the country. Personally, I don’t mind do out of pocket cost hotel quarantine for a reasonable period (certainly no more than 10 days), as long as I can get in.
Anyway, let’s see how things go, and just as Tom said, let’s hope things change in a hurry after election. I would anticipate that quarantine still exist, and probably like South Korea, a hotel quarantine would be mandatory for short term visitors. But probably the days will decrease to 7-5 days. Borders will be opened, and I will fly on first available flight.
I am in agreement with what you’re saying mate. At this point we just have to accept Japan for what it is. Personally Im not going to put a timeframe on when they’ll let us in , rather I just say it’ll happen at some point but in the meantime there are plenty of countries in Asia to explore such as Singapore and Thailand. When they “collectively” come to a decision to accept the new normal and learn to live with COVID just like the rest of us I’ll take a look but for now it is what it is. Cant find hundreds if not thousands of years of overly cautious mentality with various degrees of xenophobia sprinkled on top…
hey! thank you for your post!
do you think may 2022 would be a good time concerning the situation with covid? do you think there is a chance?
Major travel and entertainment companies, including ANA, Disney, H.I.S are reporting 60~70% drops in profits for the second year in a row.
Because of the 10 days quarantine, there is no incentive for overseas travel for Japanese people, while domestic travel is not covering the losses of the lack of tourists in the country.
I don’t understand why keep the country locked up like this, it’s absolutely mental when the entire world has opened up.
If only it weren’t for the 10 days quarantine it would’ve been a little more sane.
Source:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211030_12/
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211029_31/
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211029_16/
Japan is no stranger to isolation. The door were firmly shut for almost 200 years before Captain Perry and the United States literally forced them to open (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakoku). Whats truly unfortunate is we in the West always have to carry the burden of sanity and are allowing Japanese to enter without any restrictions. Doesnt it make sense to have our border policies be based to reciprocity? Why are we letting them in while they are calling us virus carries and all sorts of things?
Fully agree. I wrote in this forum before that this is the beginning of the 2nd sakoku period.
No other countries should let in any Japanese travellers and consumers around the world should boycott Japanese products for as long as that nationalist-racist border policy and attitude is in place. Then Japan will be back to being a rice-farmer society and nobody in Japan will be able to purchase those latest iphones and Luis Vuitton handbags anymore that are so important to them. Maybe then the Japanese society will wake up.
It seems pretty likely two countries are racing to claim the last-country-to-reopen prize: China and Japan. China is basically waiting for COVID to “disappear” and judging by what their politicians are saying Japan is pretty much on the same line
I would say at this point Japan is even worst than China.
afaik China at least said that once 85% of its population gets fully vaccinated, an opening could start.
Japan doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t announce anything. It remains in complete silence. Heck even New Zealand said something.
At this point, like Chris said, they are using the virus as an excuse to return to be the extremely closed country it once was.