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!
Finally got my visa for my trip in May! It was a very arduous process that had to involve bothering my hubby’s family in Japan in getting a lot of paperwork.
I also expect to be stopped at border control to prove the legitimacy of the visa. If you are also going on a spousal visa, please make sure to take the koseki tohon with you with your name on it! Also have your parents in law’s numbers on the ready just in case!
I’m entering Japan in early May (business visa) after being away for over two years from my house and property there. Here’s how my immigration attorney explained the latest policy:
“In cases where there are special humanitarian considerations a decision will be made on a case-by-case basis. The decision will be made for example, a person who obtains “Temporary Visitor” status and the landing permission may be granted to those who have special circumstances. New arrivals for the purpose of visiting relatives, who are within the second degree of kinship of Japanese nationals or permanent residents. Relatives of first degree of kinship of citizens and relatives of first degree of kinship of permanent residents. The following is a list of the persons who are eligible to apply for the special circumstances.
Relatives visiting a Japanese resident who has died or is in critical condition. Minors or persons who are unable to travel to Japan alone due to illness or other reasons. Relatives accompanying the traveler. Specific examples of cases where it is deemed to be in the public interest are as follows: engineer for vaccine development.”
For a nation that loves to hide behind masks both figuratively and literally this pandemic has exposed the dark side of the Japanese. The cowardice and fear, the indecision, the xenophobia and let’s not forget for a nation that constantly beats on the drum of racial/cultural superiority they contributed exactly zilch to the world in fighting the pandemic. This about it for a moment: for all it’s supposed economic and technological might Japan produced no vaccine, no treatment no research of significance in global fight against Covid. Instead they slammed the door shut and moaned and begged Pfizer/Moderna for vaccines. Even China which arguably gave us Covid did made some contribution. It’s a shameful stain on Japan’s reputation and at least for in my humble opinion doesn’t warrant us giving it the time of day. Screw them and their retarded country .
My girlfriend lives in Tokyo and have not seen her in many months. Does anyone know when and if Japanese citizens are allowed to travel to the US? I have searched and can only find when US citizens are ‘predicted’ to be able to travel to Japan. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Japanese citizens are allowed to travel to whatever place they want whenever they want. I mean unless she is not a Japanese national and has no permanent resident visa yet.
Then she instantly becomes a threat and a virus carrier that should be eliminated /jk sorry I had to
Now.
But to return to Japan without being stuck in quarantine she will need a booster.
I have a trip booked with my daughter to arrive in Tokyo first week in September. Really hope they are opened to tourists by then. I don’t understand why they are not open yet. Will be so disappointed if I have to cancel my flight to Japan. 😢
Geezzz…what a bunch of pessimists. I think their economic survival depends on tourism and they will ultimately open up. I have a cruise around Japan booked for October. I hope it happens. I want to try out my “Paul Noble” Essential Japanese !!!!
Let’s be honest, if their economic survival somehow relied upon international tourism they would’ve reopened much long ago.
How the tourism related services are surviving? Idk, local tourism, government help, etc… but I think it’s clear by now that that’s the last thing they worry about.
Please publish a condensed version of your reports.
Agree, it is a massive read.
Is see the bump in Covid cases but are hospital numbers up too? There are effective treatments that prevent death and hospitalization. Having a goal of low cases is not realistic.
When can Japanese citizens travel out of Japan to the US?
Now, and for a long time actually.
I’m not even sure if they were ever fully banned to enter the US, especially once the vaccine came.
The issue is the return to Japan. Only starting early last month did Japan start allowing its own citizens to enter Japan without quarantine, as long as they have a 3rd booster shot
(when this was announced less than 10% of the country had even been offered a booster due to mismanagement and ineligibility. Now it about 44%, but since people need to wait 7 months after their first shots to be allowed to get the booster, the whole country will not be eligible for boosters until late June)
I’m devastated. We haven’t seen our son in Tokyo and his two small kids (4 and 2) for 2 and a half years. Visiting family doesn’t get a mention (unless there is serious illness or a funeral) and it is heartbreaking.
My 91 year old father in law is in bad shape and we’re trying to get a VISA
Emails and phone calls to the consulate in San Francisco go unanswered.
The online VISA application system always shows that all appointments are taken.
Bruce, unfortunately you yourself may not qualify for a visa. But I am wondering why your wife, even if she no longer has Japanese citizenship but (I gather) is the daughter of a Japanese citizen, cannot herself apply for and receive a special Temporary Visitor visa as I did, especially considering the humanitarian circumstances. I guess you need an appointment just to submit the application? I went last spring to visit my daughter in Japan and just got another visa to go with my wife in May.
I know how you feel. I missed my son’s beautiful Japanese wedding 2 years ago and have still not met my lovely daughter in law. Heartbreaking indeed.
You can visit your family in Japan (without extenuating circumstances) if:
-your immediate family is a Japanese citizen (including your son’s wife or his children)
-your son is a Permanent Resident (their version of Green Card)
But to do so you do need a visa for which he or his wife can sponsor you. Contact your embassy. It’s pretty straightforward.
Gotta be honest I was one of the optimistic ones that still believed in a June reopening, but now…
This pessimistic wave was a massive one… I mean, ok, elections end. What will make exactly Japan reopens the border in August, September? Covid will always rebound, there will always be new infection waves. When will they end the domestic restrictions and see the disease as endemic?
I watch a lot of livestream programs from Japan. Unlike the rest of the world, they still are presenting them with social distancing, acrylic stuff separating people and using masks. How long they will go like that? If they are still seeing covid that way, how in the world the population of Japan will see the reopening as a good idea?
There are many questions beyond the elections that are really making me think if Japan will ever reopen for tourists again… I mean China mentioned 2024/2025 once, maybe that’s where Japan’s aiming too.
After the elections, the ruling party will turn its attention to actually governing and growing the economy and won’t be at the whims of public perception (which has already shifted significantly towards reopening, even if it’s still “underwater”).
I think people underestimate the level of cognitive dissonance at play, which, in fairness, is not unique to Japan. For example, we know that a lot of Japanese simultaneously like the reduced tourism in Kyoto, but also are saddened that so many businesses are closing.
Its staggering that 2.5 years into this mess you still think Japanese make decisions based on common sense
Another form of cognitive dissonance is to be presented with a load of reasons why a traditionally isolationist and logistically incompetent country will not re-open normally anytime soon, yet still believe they will miraculously do so in a few weeks.
Agree fuck em all the way from Sapporo to Nagasaki
The Prime Minister of Japan mentioned in a speech today his thoughts on re-opening for tourism. It was as expected:
Japan so far has no plan to resume entry of foreign tourists: PM Kishida
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/04/b52fb8e1620f-urgent-japan-so-far-has-no-plan-to-resume-entry-of-foreign-tourists-kishida.html
OMG I’m going on hunger strike until I’m allowed to eat yakitori at my favorite spot in Tokyo.
where it is?
Fuku in Shibuya
Same old story: isolation till a new Commodore Perry…meanwhile in the rest of the world nobody cares.
There is an easy fix: US should suspend visa waiver for Japs. Watch how quickly they give in
Absolutely. If they don’t waive visa suspensions they won’t relent this year for tourists.
Only please don’t use the derogatory word “Japs”, it is very offensive and historically loaded.
Maybe they will be forced to figure something out by 2024 for World Expo in Osaka. Screw it as Im writing this Im getting Tokyo 2020 Deja vu
there is no way Japan will open to tourists in 2024. A couple years ago I predicted perhaps in 2030s, or even into 2040s. There was a new variant announced recently , as normal, new variants will emerge. The world has learned to live with them but in Japan this will be an excuse to keep the country closed indefinitely.
Oops Osaka Expo is 2025 actually. More than a decent change tourists (or at least official Expo visitors) would be able to visit. Fingers crossed!
I could not agree more. Japan will never open to tourists ever again. If they’re going to freak out every time there’s a “resurgence” then again they’ll never reopen because “resurgences” will be the norm going forward. Covid will be with us for the rest of our lives and there will always be ups and downs in cases so I don’t see how in the world Japan is ever going to allow tourists again. It simply won’t happen (unfortunately). My honest suggestion is to stop dreaming and look somewhere else for tourist purposes. I’m just being realistic.
David is right.
Okinawa prefecture said yesterday they are considering a new quasi-emergency state again due to the increase in case numbers.
This will never end. I think now it’s clear the path for reopening has only 2 options:
– the internal domestic restrictions being lifted. That would help indicate the situation as endemic for the population and open the path for a reopening.
OR
– after the election, the government starts giving less fucks to what the people think and proceeds to a staged reopening to finally attend the requests of the likes of Keidanren.
I doubt very much it will be open before the elections in late July.
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Thank you:-)
Thank you for a well written and informative article. I, too, booked a flight to Tokyo (but from a 2 week trip to Mongolia) on July 11th. My hopes are to stay in Japan for 10 days before flying to the US. I currently teach on a military base in northern Italy.
If by chance, I can’t enter as a tourist, can I transit through Narita onto another country? Can I spend the night in the airport if my flight is the next day? I hope options to fly somewhere else on July 12th not the 11th. Any thoughts or input, would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Trina Downey
bellanapoli50@gmail.com
Even pre-Covid, Narita was not a 24 hour airport and you could not “stay” overnight in transit.
Haneda is 24hrs tough and you should be able to stay there in transit (and not go through immigration) overnight right now.
Also, for now with Covid restrictions, you can not transfer between airports.
Sorry, I meant “Haneda is 24hrs though..” not “tough”.
But then again, staying there masked up within transit overnight is indeed tough on the body.
I’ve had tickets to Japan for a year now because my son and his family are military and were moved to the Yokosuka Naval Base. I am trying to figure out if there is any different path for family of military to visit, rather than being considered a tourist, which doesn’t really fit. It looks like, according to the consulate website that visa’s are being granted for foreigners who are visiting family within 2 kinship relationships who hold long-term visa’s. But although that is essentially what military people are, they don’t actually have visas. Any ideas on how to navigate this as a military family?
As US military, they are not considered “long-term residents” and the are actually there under the DoD. The US military is “special” and get SOFA status (great for whenever they commit a crime since it prevents them from domestic prosecution, but it also gives no “perks” which come with having an actual visa). Blame Uncle Sam on that.
But visiting is only available for family of Japanese citizens and long-termers who have Japan’s version of a “Green Card” (such as spouses of J-citizens, or those with Permanent Resident status).
You’d be able to visit if your kids are married to a Japanese citizen, but not if they are military or have a short-term visa (like a student or regular worker).
oh please Andy O can you direct me to the info about being able to visit if your adult son is married to a Japanese citizen??? They have been married 9 years, our son has lived there for 11 years, and his father and I would love to get to visit. We are getting old enough we were worry it will be our last trip-but if it is another 2 years, it may be too late. They had a baby in February, we had tickets for March, and then Covid cancelled it. I haven’t met my youngest and last grandchild plus I miss my son terribly….Please advise how I can investigate your suggestion. Thank you in advance!
You do know what a visa is, right?
Contact the Japanese embassy in the country where you live. It is from this location that visas are issued. You will need to apply for a visa for visiting family of citizens or Permanent Residents and have some supporting documentation from your son and/or his wife.
Besides, he should be better able to help you then some random dude on the internet.
Stupid Japan. Honestly these fools constantly complained about over tourism caused by hordes of Chinese and now those same idiots are saying why should we open to tourists since our biggest source of inbound tourists are Chinese! Sigh well maybe its because irony doesnt exist in Japanese?
Koichi Wada, the head of Japan’s tourism agency, told parliament last month that “it’s exceedingly difficult to forecast the long-term trends for inbound tourism.” Those who know Japan can attest that exceedingly difficult means “impossible” in Japan.
Having a bit of trouble figuring out whether this article is providing any kind of update.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-lift-covid-19-entry-ban-106-countries-including-us-2022-04-06/
“Japan plans to ease COVID 19-related border restrictions by lifting its entry ban for foreignn ationals from 106 countries including the United States, Britain and France on Friday, the government said.
Tokyo has been gradually relaxing pandemic-induced curbs but the loosened border regime does not mean a full reopening to tourists.
The foreign ministry said in an update on Wednesday that foreigners from the 106 countries would not be subject to denial of permission to enter Japan from Friday, but foreigners with tourist purposes were still not allowed into the country.”
Quick update on this — it doesn’t make an immediate difference since the Visa regulations are being enforced in the same way. However, maybe it’s a hint at how the opening will occur. First, possibly just group tours for tracking. But maybe after that it’ll open up independent tourism to the countries for which the ban is lifted.