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!
Kishida’s so called plan is totally meaningless. Its kicking the can down, there is no road map no clear timetable nothing. To all the japan apologists here who say don’t expect timetable from japanese: really?! Some of the most punctual and by-the-book people in the world can’t come up with a clear timetable to end this nonsense? Is it too really much to ask? Pathetic
Why are we applauding this utterly meaningless announcement from J-gove? Are we supposed to say atta boy after they have ruined 2 years of students life? After forcing so many family separations? After treating the very word ‘tourist’ as filthy and disgusting all the while they couldn’t get enough of them pre 2019? I’m flabbergasted how low the bar is for Japan where pretty much every else in the world is back to normal. This is utterly shameful and the shame is on us for letting the Japanese trample all over what dignity we had left.
Thanks so much for keeping us all informed. We have pushed back our trip from April to July — luckily ANA was very helpful and flexible about changing the date. I have one small request — could you please put a short dot-point summary of the latest information at the top of your report? I have already read and benefited from your excellent analysis, so leading in a summary of what’s changed would save me scrolling through to find it. All the best.
I guess I’m spending my money in South Korea
I just want to say a big THANK YOU for all these information concerning Japan updates. You do an absolutely amazing work.
Greetings from Spain!
This last announcement was HUGE, especially the reduction in quarantine and the kinda optimistic words from Kishida himself about being the first step.
Caution will keep going and no plans were announced like NZ did, but this is Japan we talking about of course there would be no plan or schedule.
If we wanna be optimistic we could use Australia opening window, which in 15th December reopened to workers, students, etc from entire world and 2 months later announced reopening to tourists, without even quarantine needed (vaccinated ofc). This could mean a Japan fully reopening to tourists sometime mid-May, or announcing mid-May for June.
With the reopening of most of its neighbours and cases plummeting, Japan will eventually see that a fully reopen is possible and, hopefully, by beginning of summer this year we will be able to return there as before.
My bets:
April, would be a miracle and LDP going crazy.
May, slim chances. The good point here is that everyone to Japan is overseas, so hopefully they won’t go with tunnel with neighbours bullshit shenanigans. If they reopen, it will be to everyone again, much like now.
June, very likely. By here the pandemic will be close to nonexistent, but there is the thing about the Upper House Election that might get in the way somehow. Politics.
July-August onward, 100% guaranteed unless a catastrophe happens.
Totally agree, right down to the point that the election could be pivotal–but in a different way.
So many of the quick changes elsewhere around the world are being driven by politicians looking at both the trajectory of the pandemic plus voter sentiment and the economy. They aren’t just looking at current poll numbers, they’re forecasting out where those will be in 1-3 months and trying to stay ahead of the curve to take credit for being the catalysts for positive developments.
If the LDP wanted to notch some economic wins right before the election, they might be well-advised to take the short-term hits and accelerate reopening plans. Given Japan’s risk-aversion, I don’t see that happening in April, but it would still be a savvy move in May.
Youdont know anything about the borders. Quit bullshitting people.
A big question is when they do finally open for tourists, will there be a 0 – 14 day quarantine restriction on them? IMHO, most tourists do not have the willingness, time, and money for any additional quarantine days.
Quarantine for tourists seems doubtful given how quickly Japan has gone from 14 days to 0-3 for those who are able to enter the country. Test and/or vaccine requirements seem far more likely.
Of course, all is subject to change with the circumstances. But if there’s steady improvement, I wouldn’t expect quarantine.
Im sorry but “Japan Announces Reopening Plan” is misleading. They did not announce anything new other than going back to status quo prior to December Omicron ban. No new plan nothing concrete or constructive about general tourism. Actually they are specifically discouraging anything related to tourism.
In addition to announcing they’re going to reopen the border, Japan is reducing the quarantine, implementing a higher daily cap on new entries, and reducing bureaucracy for arrivals. None of those things were part of the status quo in November when the border was (very briefly) reopened.
Just because it doesn’t yet encompass leisure travel (not everyone reading this is a tourist) doesn’t mean there’s “nothing concrete.” This is the biggest step forward in nearly two years.
Actually the daily cap was briefly 5000 in November also (same as their “new” plan) and quarantine was reduced to 2 days for business travellers. As for reducing bureaucracy well this is very vague and we have to wait and see what they actually come up with
Our American son and Japanese daughter-in-law had a daughter (our first grand-daughter) in May of 2020. We still haven’t met her. Their 2nd child is due March 1st. We have booked flights on April 10-22… fingers crossed! I’m guessing we have about a 10% chance of meeting both our grandchildren….. Hoping to meet them soon.
best of luck to you! My daughter is in China with her mother, and she just turned 6… which means I’ve already missed out on half of her life because of this covid nonsense. For many people, this is much more important than simply tourism.
Can you please clarify whether the 3 days quarantine will be at designed covid hotels or at home?
If you have received a booster shot, the 3 days can be at home.
If not, the 3 days are at a government facility.
Both ofc under the condition of a negative test on the 3rd day.
Thanks!
Good, better than nothing! This is better than Japan being frozen in indecision. It’s a start, and while I’m not holding my breath for this to happen? I won’t complain, either, unlike some people out there. Nor will I make racist and xenophobic remarks. I’ll just let the Japanese be the Japanese and let things unfold as they will. Thank you for the regular updates, sir!
I got my plane ticket booked on the 1st of April, HELP! I am a teacher from Belgium, won a ticket with Qatar Airways, who wants to enter the country for 2 years now… They don’t let me change my flight destination, however, Japan isn’t being clear on it’s opening phases either. The waiting game is exhausting 🙁 What do you think my chances are of getting into Japan?
It’s possible, but a real longshot.
Further complicating matters, if Japan does reopen for tourism by April 1, they likely won’t make that announcement until towards the end of March. So unless you’re okay with a high degree of uncertainty–and incredibly high likelihood of your trip being cancelled–you might want to change your plans now.
No chance IMO but hope I’m wrong. But if they want tourists, then there is no better time than the Sakura season.
I received yesterday a couple of emails from Aeromexico warning that my 2 Mexico City-Tokyo round-trip flights had been cancelled (first one scheduled April 7 to 25, the second May 5 to 15).
I called them to re-schedule and was told that the route remained “suspended” for the time being, and the earliest date I was able to find for purchase at their web site was October 29th.
This is the 3rd cancellation per round-trip I’ve had in the past 2 years (first cancelled flight was originally scheduled for May 2020), and by now I kinda know how to manage the re-scheduling process.
So it seems that, at least for me, the earliest I can re-schedule my flights will be late October, most likely November.
Bummer. I just hope we get some clarity from the Japanese Government any time soon now that the world seems to be ready to move on and leave this topic behind.
Some of these comments are downright rude and demanding! No wonder why Japan wants their borders closed for as long as possible! The rest of the world has failed to evolve culturally compared to Japan, so it’s understandable if it decides to keep its borders closed from human varmints, indefinitely. Another sukra season for the Japanese with no foreign tourists – priceless!
Japan ain’t gonna f**** you, bro.
Japan has squandered a lot of good-will and soft power with its closed border stance, and they nothing to show for it but 20-100k new cases a day and a decimated tourism industry. They appear xenophobic, racist, irrational, and incompetent, especially in light of the fact that countries of similar stature have no such restrictions in place or lifted them long ago. How does Japan expect to be seen as a part of the world if it wants to remain closed to the rest of the world? Being insular and downright hostile to foreigners and treating everyone that is not Japanese as if they all have the virus doesn’t exactly make the country look like it needs to be involved in international affairs, and certainly does not make it look fit to lead. Why not shut off all trade too while they’re at it? To add insult to injury, Japanese people can travel freely to most countries. Japan really has to do some soul searching and reflect on what exactly its role is going to be in the world, if they want to be more like their neighbors in the hermit Kingdom, or a free and open society, but they can’t have it both ways.
At last some good news: They will start opening to students and business travellers from next month (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/02/13/national/border-control-relaxation/) and, wait for it, starting to look at various proposals to eliminate entry quarantine altogether potentially by June. The very fact that they are even starting to talk about eliminating quarantine is encouraging and means the JPGov is starting to buckle under growing pressure to open up. My take it you should at least have some avenue open to travel for tourism by Summer and if we dont get a nasty variant it should be back to normal by late 2022-early 2023.
That is way too long!! There needs to be a full reopening March 1, no restrictions just like 2019. Norway has already done this.
Japanese concept of time is very different than the West. For them a few years is blink of an eye and they dont understand why all the fuss and buhaha
Our British son, Japanese daughter-in-law and our grandsons live in Japan. We haven’t seen them for three years and are very anxious to do so, as we are elderly. We look forward to more information as to when we can travel. Thank you.
I feel your pain. American son, Japanese DIL and 3 grandkids live in Saitama. Haven’t seen them in 2 1/2 yrs.
I Wonder if they would consider visit to families as a non tourist visit and allow such entry 🤔. The family could be the sponsor, as requested in one of the rules. I have grandchildren, 1 is about to turn 2 that I have not met yet. Just investigating all possibilities.
First of all great article.
I had planned to go to language school in April 2020 for at least 6 months. And hopefully being able to build a life in Japan.
Two years later, I am 51, I still dream of that but it is hard to keep the dream going with all the uncertainty.
I do want to stress that I like how the government in Japan has handled things.
Here is to hoping that I am able to get to Japan this year , by summer we will certainly know more.
Thanks for your wise comments. We need to rethink the overseas travels being more regulated. letting enter a certain number of people under certain circumstances. Travel overseas must be more expensive and limited. Instead, we should think more in non contaminating short trips as normal holidays. Going back to 2019 is not a sustainable option. I know many jobs depends on travel but most important is to keep the world in a good conditions for next generations
At the moment, however it seems that few countries in the world are not looking to return to 2019. Personally, can’t wait to get back to traveling with all the freedom I had before the pandemic without any limitations. I’m sure it will be soon!
And current airline meals must be replaced with insects.
And you must live in a pod.
So many incorrect statements.
I’ve been waiting a long time to resume my travels to Japan. I had plans for a trip in April 2020 with reservations and itinerary set, then the covid bomb hit. I never imagined that the leaders of the free world would react the way they did. Return to normal is long overdue. Prudence and common sense have always been the rule that individuals follow. Let’s move forward together respectfully and joyfully. Looking forward to meeting new friends and exploring new wonders; let’s do this!