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!
島国感情, did this ever really go away? Covid brought back fear of others all over the world. Japanese values and behavior expectations are believed to be unique to Japan and not well -understood or practiced by foreigners. They are the basis for their orderly and safe society. Add to that the sense of responsibility many Japanese feel for guests and I can see why a majority would like to limit access from abroad until Covid is more endemic.
I’ve been travelling from the US and living in Japan off and on for 46 years. This is longest I’ve been away and I eagerly want to get back as an individual tourist, finally in retirement. However, it would be sad to be there and feared because of Covid. I don’t want to selfishly stress out people I love.
On man you got me all too emotional. Whenever I think about those lovely cute Japanese that I might hurt by my bulky sweaty gaijin presence tears stream down my face. Oh I am not worthy.
Joint statement released by Keidanren and a bunch of other Chambers of Commerce and economic organizations: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5eb491d611335c743fef24ce/t/62a29637ac6689002ae5ae48/1654822456271/Joint+Statement+on+Japan%E2%80%99s+Entry+Restrictions_220610+%28E%29.pdf
It’ll be interesting to see whether this leads anywhere before the election.
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQODK104NA0Q2A610C2000000/
This is probably the most direct attack to the government policy I’ve seen in the Japanese version of the Nikkei (unfortunately it’s paywalled), especially this sentence:
「『外国人は怖い』という無意識の偏見が規制に投影しているのであれば、重大な問題だ。」
(rough translation, apologies if it’s bad: If the unconscious prejudice “foreigners are scary” is projected on the regulations, that is a serious problem).
Came up with a better translation… “But if the prejudice ‘foreigners are scary’ ends up being reflected in public policy, we have a big problem.”
Stating the obvious. It has long been reflecting in policy and it’s been a problem for a long time
To add to the pressures on the Japanese Gov’t to open up already mentioned, including from foreign governments, economic and domestic, there’s the Tourism Expo Japan scheduled to be held in September 22-25 2022 in Tokyo. It goes without saying that it wouldn’t be a good look to have a travel Expo whilst still imposing foreign travel restrictions.
There’s also this joint statement released today:
https://twitter.com/AmChamJapan/status/1535073794356027392
“Keidanren, JCCI, the G7 Chambers in Japan, and EBC Call for Japan’s Entry Policy Alignment with G7 Partners. ”
The pressure is mounting faster than I was anticipating. As for the results…who knows.
There has been negative statements on the ‘reopening’ in both the Western and Japanese media today as well, which is welcome.
Hilariously, there apparently hasn’t been a single tour group to arrive today, either.
Yes, because, if you read the “fine print” when they announced the reopening, the embassies and consulates will start processing the special visas from today. No tourist will come to Japan for at least 10 days, I’d say.
AFAIK, the general public in Japan thinks they’re reopening now, instead… it’s another part of the insane strategy of the government, IMO.
“AFAIK, the general public in Japan thinks they’re reopening now, instead… it’s another part of the insane strategy of the government, IMO.”
Indeed. I’ve been getting messages from my Japanese friends asking when I’m coming because they’ve heard that tourists are being allowed back in Japan. I had to explain to them the unfortunate details of this.
I have booked a holiday to see my girlfriend in September. I do seriously hope I can go, she had to leave the UK in September last year and we’ve just had to wait wait wait until the borders open!!!!
Interesting article (paywalled):
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA07A1P0X00C22A6000000/
I could only read the part for the non-paid members, but it looks like the government is considering expanding the daily cap due to the yen problem. The part that is more interesting, at least for me, is this:
“新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大リスクや水際対策を緩めることへの世論の受け止めを見極めて判断する。”
The usual blurb regarding making a decision based on the spread of the virus but also on the “acceptance” of the general public. While commentators often discussed the reluctance of the government to act due to the possible backlash on the public, this is (IMO) the first time it’s acknowledged directly from a (purposedly leaked?) government source.
It may lead to nothing. It’s clear however the carefully laid out strategy is starting to create some problems…
I don’t know if there are extra details in the complete article.
Very interesting–good find!
I don’t know if all of you discussing this in the comments saw, but I updated the main post with this tidbit:
I don’t know how influential Suga remains in the party/Japan, but he surely can’t be the only politician saying/thinking this.
Foreign visitors are big spenders, and that would likely be doubly true thanks to the weak yen and pent-up demand (although Japan already missed the boat on a lot of the latter). Reopening to tourism certainly wouldn’t solve Japan’s economic woes, but it would help.
You’re welcome. I did read the updated post, the problem I see with Suga and Abe (another proponent of reopening) is that….while you’re not in a position of power, it’s easy to do such remarks.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/As-tourists-return-Japan-looks-to-open-doors-even-more
English-version of said article (still paywalled).
Interesting parts:
“Now the government is considering raising the ceiling to between 30,000 and 50,000 people, or even removing it altogether. Details such as the timing remain under discussion. Japan welcomed nearly 90,000 foreign travelers a day before the pandemic.”
“Advocates for raising the entry limit argue that the reopening should be framed as an economic revitalization measure ahead of this summer’s upper house parliamentary election.”
“[…]decisions about the entry cap will be based on demand from domestic and foreign nationals. Other factors will include infection control measures such as testing at airports, coronavirus case trends and border controls in other major economies.”
First time I hear someone in the government talking about doing changes before the elections, huh… It looks like there’s some sort of “infighting” going on.
Delighted to say that Im posting from Hokkaido where we are staying with our son and his family after not seeing them for 3 years. We got our visas in the uk, seemed daunting but was quite straightforward. Similarly for the heath clearance / MySos app. Coming from the uk we have not needed to quarantine. Many people are wearing masks outdoors ( not everyone) but it’s not busy here, so just having one handy to put on if passing someone is not onerous. So glad to see them, and finally meet our youngest grandson, after all this time that for us, the beaurocracy and restrictions are well worth it!
Have a good time!
Congratulations!Enjoy family time!Hope weather is good not too hot.I maybe envy you but i can understand what is family.Hokkaido i have never been there. I have read and see pictures and hear it is very good.
It’s not widely advertised, but if you are the parent/grandparent of a Japanese national or permanent resident, you can get a visa to visit. Check out the US Consulate in Seattle… A bit of paperwork, but I got a visa within 2 days.
I’ve booked my accommodation for a 12 day holiday in Japan in December. As I’m a visitor I’ll abide by the rules, no complaints, but just happy to visit Japan again.
Just some clarrification regarding group tours and close contact tracing in Japan.
“If tour participants are found to be infected they can quickly identify close contacts who need to be isolated.Those who are not close contacts will be able to continue their tour”. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/06/625dc51fd3d0-japan-to-ask-foreign-tourists-to-wear-masks-take-out-insurance.html
However, whats defined as a close contact? Anyone spends at least 15 minutes within arm’s reach of an infected person.
So good luck if your trying to defend continuing your tour (I’m assuming group tours will use private buses for transportation), and not having to go into quarantine if someone on your tour (bus) registers positive.
I think that definition is only when people are unmasked, hence the ridiculous focus on masking. It’s not just a case of them seeing foreigners as vectors for disease, it also solves the issue (of their own creation) of everyone in the tour group needing to isolate because of Japan’s own close contact isolation rules.
If at least gives 1 day free or 2 or afternoon I will be ok I think.But better wait 1 -2 week and see how goes because 2 days and open.
Masking……I have a list of 150 plus studies , some going back to SARS which prove maks don’t work for viruses. Give me a break on the mask nonsense.
I found this pretty laughable so I though I would share it with you guys…
Just a quick insight on how strict some of the COVID rules are in Japan even for Japanese nationals. My partner and her mum both went for lunch at a tempura restaurant this afternoon which had a no talking policy in place. The funny part is instead of talking there is a note pad for each person at the table to write what they want to say to the people on their table instead of talking, She also said whenever not eating/drinking a mask must be work at all times.
Of course this isn’t a representation of every restaurant/bar in Japan but the note pad part really got a few giggles out of me.
Yes its true. Wear face diaper or be deported!https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/tourists-to-japan-must-pledge-to-wear-masks-or-risk-expulsion
Why not just ask all “tourists” to sign a pledge to commit hara kiri if they fail to wear the damn mask properly?
If you are not willing to wear a mask, then they have every right to deport you. Japan is very big on hygiene and face masks are a very basic part of hygiene.
Nothing more hygienic than breathing in your own mouth-filth for hours at a time. That’s why all those places that no longer have mask requirements are full of people dying of Covid.
Oh, wait…
The grounds for deportation include illegal entry, illegal stay, or violations of laws and regulations, or those who have been sentenced to imprisonment with or without work for more than one year annnndddddd…..not wearing a mask which only stops particulates and not airborne viruses. Pure genius.
Here’s the announcement on the tour group guidelines.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/06/625dc51fd3d0-japan-to-ask-foreign-tourists-to-wear-masks-take-out-insurance.html
From the article (I find the gaijin kooties seat checking thing appropriately Japanese and particularly ridiculous):
“The guidelines also state that travel agencies will set tour routes to avoid crowded areas and select facilities that thoroughly implement antivirus measures, and gather information on multilingual medical institutions and hotels for isolation.
While in Japan, the agencies will transport tour participants found to be infected with the novel coronavirus to medical institutions and support them until they leave the country. They will also ask participants to notify them if they are found infected with the novel coronavirus within a week after returning home.
The agencies will keep records of the tours, including places they visited and where they sat in public transportation, so that if participants are found to be infected they can quickly identify close contacts who need to be isolated.
Those who are not close contacts will be able to continue their tour.”
It’s almost comical, at this point. Could you imagine any Western country getting away with this? I believe you also run the risk of getting deported if you’re deemed to not be wearing your mask enough/correctly. That was in the Japanese media though, so I may have mistranslated.
Also, has anyone actually managed to find any of these group tours available for booking for the summer? I appreciate spaces are very limited, but everything I’ve found is for September onwards (some with free time given, which would be against the current rules). It really lends to the theory that these group tours are partly for gearing up the general public for a wider reopening. Someone feel free to correct me though, I can’t say I have much experience with booking group tours of any kind!
Found some! They’re starting to be advertised and are amazingly expensive for what they are. Interestingly, some do actually include free time & optional activities, which backs up what Zazza was saying below.
The price are clearly insane.I feel a reason this spike is also used to cover the bureaucracy the tour operators have to endure (not to mention the monitoring of the tour participants, even if they’ll probably be unable to adhere 100% to the rules, is going to be a pain).
Anectdotal, but most of the people I know in Japan didn’t even know the tours were starting. It really feels this window dressing is directed to a specific part of the Japanese public.
These people clearly aren’t normal.
It is astonishing despite all the evidence we continue to give the Japanese benefit of doubt. Folks the jury is in on this one, they dont want you and they dont like you. Is that so hard to understand? This is totally in-line with how they have been behaving for centuries towards foreigners. If after all that has happened you still dream of going there then you are not normal. Seek help.
I am convinced at this point the government is just having a competition as to who can come up with the most ridiculous rule and they are all sitting in a room laughing at the reactions of foreigners. Also I do not dream of going there its just my partner who has been back and forth to the UK the whole time over the pandemic lives there.
This article (paywalled, unfortunately) gives more information.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/06/07/national/package-tourism-guidelines/
This is the most important part:
“Although tourists will be following an itinerary during their tour, that doesn’t mean they won’t have any free time, the agency official said.
“It doesn’t mean they are banned from going out on their own in their free time,” said the official. “It’s the same as with business travelers. They are allowed to have their own free time, and so are the tourists.””
This is in sharp contrast with the “trial tours”.
So, as much as these package tours are kind of “stupid” and overly bureaucratic (in line with how the government operates), it’s pretty clear there’s some sort of “incremental easing” (still too slow for my tastes…).
While what the official said about “free time” may be one thing (“no, they aren’t banned from going out on their own”, and what people do is obviously something else too, but what the actual documented guidelines say literally reads like it was written by Kim Jung-un.
From the government (in Japanese) https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001485126.pdf
This is a long list of Q&A’s about the tours. One question specifically asks about free time, and I’m giving a basic translation of it, but its pretty accurate:
Q 21: Are tourists allowed to go around freely during the tour?
Essentially the tour conductor will accompany the tourists for the entire time of the tour, from entry into Japan until final departure.
However in the following 3 cases (A, B, or C) free movement is allowed as long as all 3 requirements (1, 2, and 3) are satisfied.
A. when the conductor can not be present, such as changing rooms at bath houses;
B. when social distance can be continuously guaranteed (at least 2 meters) such as in nature walks and outdoor activities;
C. in situations where there is almost no conversation, including indoors.
Requirements:
1. Immediately before freely moving around, the conductor must alert the participants to all requirements and preventative measures.
2. The free movement must be in a way that the tourist and conductor are still able to communicate.
3. The conductor needs to be able to stay within a close enough distance to visually monitor the movement of the tourists.
—
And again for any of A,B or C to be possible, then ALL of 1,2 and 3 must be done. Enjoy the “free” time!
Kishida might as well just come out and say that he doesn’t want foreigners in the country, The guy has gone full Kim Jung-Un. How Japan has G7 membership when this is how the government treats foreigners is beyond me. I honestly believe that in due time US, UK, Europe etc will follow South Korea and take away their visa exemption.
I still maintain my idea that is different than what was done before and I doubt it would be greatly enforced in practice.
This is mostly done to cover the Ministry and the the officers in case something wrong happens (“look, it’s not our fault! They didn’t follow our Super Detailed Guidelines!”). Also, it’s pretty easy to find a loophole in all these requirements, and I’m sure the government knows that too. This is mostly for show: everything that has been done after the Golden Week looks like an inverted Overton window.
While it is an incredibly stupid idea, the North Korean comparisons are completely off the mark, IMO.
Also, it may not be a popular line of thought, but it’s clear Kishida wants the tourists but at the same time doesn’t want something bad to happen before the elections (which would still be successful, but are used – according to some commentators and I agree with them – to reduce the influence of Abe’s faction inside the LDP).
Some of the reactions I’ve seen around are so extreme they are damaging the legitimate demands of a request for a real reopening of the borders.
I’m with you, Zazza. I still feel confident (optimistically?) the next easing for tourists (that isn’t an increase in the daily cap) will be a significant one. I don’t expect it to be days after the election, like back in November, but I’m hoping something will be announced before the end of August. JTA’s suggested timeline to the government was a September re-opening (with caveats), so regardless of anything political, there is grounds to be optimistic.
I don’t believe the JTA timeline is realistic. Maybe I’m naive, but I feel the reopening will happen before.
After the elections there would be little reason to delay further, considering the risk of a diplomatic incident with EU (less than a month ago they said again they would work on restoring visa waiver!).
Not to mention, I believe the South Korean foreign minister is scheduled to go to Japan near the end of the month, and I’m sure he’ll also discuss the visa waiver for SK citizens (though I add that *maybe* SK should remove the pre-departure test from the requirements to enter the country as well…).
Again, i’m with you & agree! To clarify, all I meant was that even ignoring all the political issues mentioned, there has still been a timeline suggested that there will be a reopening in September. There is grounds for optimism, despite how awful these monitored group tours appear to be.
Yeah, no problem!
I may sound a bit confrontational, but that’s not my intention.
I’ve been moving the tickets I purchased since 2020 (luckily I didn’t have to pay an extra). I really hope this year is the good one…
Just to clarify, it’s my impression that the timeline was actually from JATA, not JTA , which leads to me being much less hopeful about it.
Though I’ll get lambasted for saying so, but one of the main functions of these tour groups is to have a logistical contingency framework to manage any Covid-positive tourist in regards to finding a nearby treatment and/or isolation facility, transport to there, and all the language barriers which will arise.
The tour operators are also responsible to schedule and arrange any exit Covid tests that may be required by their home country in order to leave Japan (and then manage any overstay, treatment, and isolation due to possibly testing positive)
The government is explicit with detailing how this the one of the main responsibilities of the tour agency and accompanying conductor.
Its obvious this concern exists since testing, isolation, treatment, and private transport is currently unable to operate in a multi-lingual and/or fully nationwide way. So until there is an accepted and/or systematic way to handle an independent Covid-positive foreign tourist (or until he disease becomes fully inconsequential), then expect some sort of continued fixation of having a tour company involved to manage this all for them.
(yes, yes, I know other countries are managing just fine bla bla bla. I’m not agreeing with this approach, I’m just explaining their reasoning.)
You say you’re “just explaining the reasoning” while fully admitting it’s silly and that other countries have easily found ways around this and aren’t suffering under the weight of sick tourists.
In that case, it sounds less like “reasoning” and more like excuses.
https://t.co/IWVjiiyqtE
Andy isn’t wrong, it’s just quite clear that public opinion is still top of Government thinking, at this stage. The above article spells it out.
We all know almost every other country has the issue resolved now. There can be no argument that it becomes less politically difficult after the election. The question is how much that actually matters.
LDP would win the election even if they allowed foreign tourists. Many people saying older voters wont vote for Kishida if he allows in foreign tourists but I have many friends in Japan who are saying they wont vote for Kishida due to the way he is treating foreigners.
He’s just being (excessively) careful. He clearly doesn’t want to end like Suga did.
But it’s pretty clear this easing is deliberate and predetermined. It’s just too slow and some of the “ideas” are beyond ridiculous.
Absolutely we need to suspend the Japs from roaming around the West visa/hassle free. The events of the past 2.5+ years have severely and in some cases irreversibly damaged Japan’s “we too are civilized” image. Have we forgotten the bastards banned permanent residents from returning for months? That they screwed students for years without any rational reason? That they caused needless pain and suffering for countless families that had to be kept apart? Are we seriously pondering when will these a**holes let us in so we can roam around their overrated cities and eat some sushi? How about some dignity people
Japan is set to ease border controls to let foreign tourists in from July 10 as coronavirus infections ease. I cited this quote from the following article https://www.traveldailymedia.com/japan-mulls-resumption-of-tourism-discount/
discussing the Go To Travel Campaign relaunch.
Anyone else has more regarding the 10th of July and Japan’s borders opening to foreign tourists?
I wouldn’t get too excited. I think they just mis-typed it as “July 10” instead of “June 10”, which is the day foreign package-tour tourists will be first allowed.
I think they mis-typed June 10th.
Japan is set to ease border controls to let foreign tourists in from July 10 as coronavirus infections ease. Cited from this article https://www.traveldailymedia.com/japan-mulls-resumption-of-tourism-discount/
discussing the Go To Travel Campaign relaunch.
Anyone else has more regarding the 10th of July and Japan’s borders opening to foreign tourists?
I already have plans to visit in August so I really hope they reopen in July because anything past August would be hard for me since I am in high school. Even if I waited to go in December, February, March, I am planning to go with my best friend who may not be able or want to go during any of those months so August is really ideal for me even though there would be a huge spike of tourism that month if the country reopens for individual tourism next month.
I think August maybe you will be more lucky than me because I wanted July.Otherwise I will try December but until then I don’t know if they will change anything again.I want to think positively and not negative!
So it seems Japan is planning to resume its “Go To Travel” scheme sometime soon this summer.
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2022060300895/
This is either very good if foreign tourism resumes soon (you’d get hefty discounts on top of the favorable exchange rates), or its a signal of there being no plan to resume independent foreign tourism anytime soon.
I would be surprised if they restart this discount plan if independent foreign tourists are simultaneously allowed. For one, the purpose of the scheme is to promote domestic tourism since there is a lack of foreign customers.
Also, this is tax money which is suppose to be an indirect stimulus payment to residents of Japan. It would be pointless to offer these benefits to non-residents if the goal with opening up to foreign tourists was to bring in foreign spending. (though I’m pretty sure that the new “group tours” will be able to get these benefits. Actually, many regional prefectures and towns are already doing their own local “Go To” discounts which I’m sure the foreign group tour companies will also be getting).
In the previous Go To Travel campaigns, there was no way to distinguish between a foreign or domestic traveller (though there were no foreign travellers, so it was unnecessary), so there would need to be some extra layer to separate if they wanted to do this. Also, the campaign is only done through domestic booking agents and Japanese websites, so maybe this would somewhat insulate non-Japanese speakers/readers from being able to figure it out.
But who knows what they’ll do, the government here often defies logic.
I think that when comes 10 June they will see not so many people can follow groups and change method and give a little free tourist with no group.
Thing is countries such as Souk Korea are flocking to these tours so they will have plenty of customers.
This is all still following the timeline they gave back in 2020. The original Go-to campaign was meant to start around the same time as the group tours, with regular tourists coming a few months later.
Still on course for an early Autumn opening, if all things go well, and they continue to follow that timeline.
For anyone hoping to enter with engagement to a Japanese National you need a certificate of engagement (whatever that is) to prove your engagement.
We are crossing fingers for a Christmas trip. Flights and hotels booked…..
Just saw these news: Japan may raise the daily entry cap to 30,000 next month (July) or remove it altogether
https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/japan-may-raise-daily-entry-cap-for-overseas-arrivals-to-30-000-people-in-july-060222
I really wish to open July! I want to go for 10 days max!I will wait 2 weeks until book tickets!
Literally zero chance of opening in July. Wouldn’t we surprised if still closed in July 2023.
That’s hysterical and dramatic.
Yeah, July one can give up already, the tours have to go for a little longer.
I’m confident in August or September tho, things might drastically change after securing the election. Also that EU situation and the pressure from Korea.
Shinzo Abe If we are still in this situation in July 2023 I want an apology.