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!
We are waiting patiently for Japan to reopen. I sympathise with the fear of the Japanse to open but feel for the businesses that depend on tourism and business from overseas travellers. I live in Melbourne, one of the world’s cities with the longest lockdown so I know what isolation means. However, Japan just needs to educate their citizens better on how to live with COVID. As per the blog, more people are hospitalised with heat stroke than with COVID. I think they need a reality check. Anyway, all we can do is wait.
RIP Mr. Shinzo Abe.
Mr. Abe was certainly one of the key figure in reopening Japanese border. Back in February, Kishida was resisting on all pressure from businesses and schools on reopening for businessmen and students. It was not until Mr. Abe spoke out that Japan must reopen that Kishida changed his stubborn stance in limited reopening.
In short, Kishida essentially hates making decisions. No decision- no consequences to be born. Whereas Mr. Abe was really evaluating international visitors/businessmen/students. And Mr. Abe could make decision, swiftly.
R.I.P. Mr Shinzo Abe （21.9.1954-8.7.2022）
Maybe the election could be delayed after Shinzo Abe’s death today? Obviously this is far more important than tourism resuming.
In most countries, no. Japan? No idea.
RIP Abe-san
Kishida has confirmed it will be going ahead and campaigning will resume tomorrow.
Crazy times.
Crazy times indeed. RIP Abe San
One of my friends in Japan told me he read in the newspaper that if tourism opens fully the Monkey Pox virus will be a threat to public health. Did that writer THINK about the demographics of Monkey Pox or how it is spread and by whom. Fear mongering anyone?
Does Japan realize it is the citizenry , few foreigners remember, who is spreading and re-spreading the Covid virus and variants? Where is their weak link in their system? It is in fail mode. Who will take responsibility for the weak link and do the ’30 second deep bow”? That I want to see. I won’t hold my breath. That famous virologist. Dr. Doom and Gloom san…more fear mongering. MORE pandemics…oh no. Let me ask…IF the influenza virus is in every country in the world is not THAT a pandemic? The common cold is in every country also? Also a pandemic? I had Covid and a variant, I am a senior aka ‘old guy’, the variant was a piece of cake , Delta was rougher. . I never had the flu so I can’t compare it but variant was like a bad cold that lasted 9 days. Find the weak link in the system….hmmmmmmm.
Nah, just ban foreigners, that’s the easy way.
BTW…the “open to tour groups policy”. as of June 17th 300 have been admitted with another 1000 approved with TOUGH restrictions ( as per Japan Times). Whooopeeee,…progress
Almost the whole world is in some stage of “hey, come visit us’ mode, some with pre-testing, …but who isn’t …China, Japan and Taiwan….a few African countries…and I think a few European..maybe….all of Pacific is open..most of Asia except the above countries, most of EU, India, Arabia almost all open, Israel…just take a look who is open and who is not.
.I just wanted to vent a bit after cancelling 5 trips and am biting nails over my October- Nov. trip. I go for 3-6 weeks at a clip, 7 trips in 5 years.
What will be will be. what is the term…shoganai…c’est domage…que sera sera,
ja ne
That’s because it’s all about control. The 2 variants that came out called “delta” and “omicron” is literally an anagram. It spells “Media control”. I guess it just must be a coincidence though, lol.
We booked our trip to Tokyo in June 2021 to visit Tokyo 6th September 2023, assuming they would be open by then.
I do hope they open. Seems like it is the Japanese people making the cases increase not the tourists as there are none.
Fingers crossed.
Oops To visit Tokyo 2022 not 2023.
No chance , sorry.
I’d also say no chance.
Aloha! Thank you for your update to the situation. Your site is the only source to get some kind of information and insight. I look at the Japan Times site regularly with no updates or hints as to when Japan will open up.
I’m doubling down and hope to travel to Japan in November. I’ve already cancelled 4 trips during the 2 years, so I won’t be disappointed if I have to cancel again. But I will be ready!
Tom, you’ve made a good update, and while the data on the increasing covid cases changes daily, your statement here is false and/or misleading:
“the number of infected people hospitalized with severe symptoms in Tokyo is six (6), down two from Wednesday. The nationwide figure is 67, down one from Wednesday. That’s not a typo–there are a grand total of 67 hospitalizations in the entirety of Japan”.
Please see the official J-gov stats (in English) here:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/kokunainohasseijoukyou_00006.html
Yes, that huge number of “hospitalizations” on that link does refer to people who both needed to be admitted to hospital overnight and those with non-overnight treatment. The 67 number you gave is for “severe” cases (as you initially noted) which represents only those in an ICU and need ventilation, but this does not equate to the “grand total of hospitalizations in the entirety of Japan”.
Yes, maybe not a “typo”, but still worded wrong and giving a false impression. The number of people in hospital with Covid in Japan is much, much higher.
Thanks–I’ve clarified that in the post, and added a link to that data.
Perhaps this is my bias, but I’m more interested in severe/ICU hospitalizations, as that’s a better benchmark relative to the West.
Massive Fall/Winter surge is coming the only question is how will the JGov react? Will they remain calm or throw tantrum? You be the judge but make no mistake a huge surge on mutated Covid along with massive influenza wave is nigh
“Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases across Japan in recent days, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said at his July 7 news conference that the government was not considering measures to limit the movement of people.”
https://t.co/5R1ANJHkSc
Have the government finally found their balls? We shall see…
Its due to prefectural governors not asking for a SOE yet. Doesn’t mean they wont ask eventually if the high numbers in cases continue.
Yeah, it was more a point made in addition to those yesterday rather than one made by itself.
I doubt they’ll ask.
Koike was forced to admit hospitalizations are lower than the previous wave.
Hopefully not. Planning for February of next year now. Booked to go to Turkey instead so hoping things are better by then.
Have a good trip!
https://www.sankei.com/article/20220706-3JIPV6QNRZPC5AYMRBWOOAIXIM/
A sign that perhaps they will now be focusing on serious cases/deaths, rather than just case numbers, from now on? Perhaps I’m being too optimistic… but they will have to go this way, eventually, like the the rest of the world, China excluded.
As usual, they are just painfully slow.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7b2dc3b6e5e1724c01632c0c2b57def72a6de26d
This could also been seen that Kishida may resume the domestic tourism campaign. Time will tell…
As you notice, the reports are ambigous…typical of a weak government.
I saw Suga speak again in favor of reopening. What I expect now, after the elections, is a “showdown” between the various factions of the LDP.
It seems like COVID is mutating to infect lower parts of the lung which is really bad news. MY prediction is mega COVID wave in Fall/Winter with a nasty new variant and if you think for one second that Japan will ignore and wont shut off completely then you leave in alternate reality.
Whilst I agree that is possible for Japan, not for the rest of the world.
The BA4/5 wave is already over in Portugal and South Africa. In regards to hospitalisations and serious cases, it was exactly the same as BA1 & 2. Infections/cases were also significantly lower in the BA4/5 wave. There was no need to reintroduce restrictions. Feel free to look this up yourself.
I will also add that the University of Tokyo research about BA5 infecting/replicating in the lungs was done with few actual participants and conclusions shouldn’t be drawn from it. The media spin that came from it was typically disgusting.
If you want an actual real world example of the impact of this latest variant, look at Portugal and South Africa.
It’s entirely possible. Definitely this year is out the window now.
But I also agree with . The rest of the world will move on ragardless.
I think it might be a tad early to rule out this year. There’s been some bumps already in the decreasing rates — if we are *very* lucky, it’ll be another short-term spike and start declining again within a few weeks. In that case, I think a partial re-opening might still be in the cards for the fall.
It is not. The BA.5 “mutating” to attack the lungs was a study made on hamsters which completely contradicts the experimental data.
If Japan decides not to reopen anytime soon it should be consistent with itself and I personally wish it would not reopen for a few centuries since it is already obvious today that the virus is here to stay and that closing the borders has no scientific basis as well as being a totally useless measure. The rest of the world will get over it and the Japanese people will of course pay the cost.
Japanese are a cowardly bunch led by a coward so their default mode is delay/stall/postpone
I will not listen to a person who cannot spell ‘live’ and uses ‘leave’ instead but I am glad you can read the future.
Looks like they’re postponing the decision to restart the domestic travel campaign until after the election. Kishida really doesn’t like making decisions!
https://biwako-otsu.keizai.biz/gpnews/1129985/
https://biwako-otsu.keizai.biz/gpnews/1129985/
Can see this is the start of them going backwards unfortunately. Big numbers out of Japan today so j gov will probably start becoming twitchy.
My hope is for a pause, but it’s a definite possibility.
If, until like end of August, no announcement is made regarding the borders + they really retreat or stop because of a new increase in cases then I think we can all start agreeing with the hyperbole pessimistic ones here that Japan might, in fact, like China, never reopen again, at least not to individual tourism.
New waves will always come and go, new small variants will appear and if that keeps being used as an excuse, this will indeed go on forever since no vaccine ever will, in their glorious famous words, “prevent the spread of infection”.
I think what is leading to this wave of negative overreaction is the complete silence of the government in any updates regarding the borders since monitor tours started.
This just increases the expectations in everyone. Is this silence really only because of the elections? Will them announce something right after? Or will the silence keep up to make monitor tours last as intended? Will they reduce covid to lowest level so to finally change public perception over it? Or will the freak out continue?
There’re many many questions and the complete inaction of the japanese regarding the issues since mid-June is reinforcing pessimistic thoughts.
I think the silence before the election is potentially a good thing. They don’t want to rock the boat before it. The question is, will they freak out over a potential BA5 wave? Almost no other countries brought back restrictions for their BA4/5 waves, but we all know that means nothing when it comes to Japan.
Aside Australia, even Portugal today scrapped all the entry requirements (despite “cases” etc).
The pressure will make some effect, the problem is how much time it will take.
On a minor note, the the EU consilium will have a meeting on the 6th regarding, among other things, an update one the EPA agreement signed with Japan (it’s a yearly update). It’s mostly business-related but this agreement does have a clause regarding restriction-free business travel. Nothing official will come out of it, but I’m pretty sure the border closure will be unofficially discussed, even if in minor capacity.
The Japanese government has created an dangerous ambiguity between tourist and infection to COVID.
The idea for many people is that tourists imported COVID.
And the fact that border are still close it is to prevent infection from abroad.
People are not clever enough or not well informed that Japan is closed from 2 years now and infection is growing up.
This will create problem between tourists and Japanese, not only now but for future too.
This is damageable for Japan and Japanese are well who are very nice people.
Very dangerous and xenophobe politics
Japan will face many problems in coming years
If the manage problems as slow as the manage COVID
People must to be worry for they on future…
After 2 year of politics of closing border with no effect on virus,
So I will be please to understand the idea behind this.
Covid will never stop, and an over protection will weaken people and make them more vulnerable
There are no scientist in Japan to understand this? I’m surprised.
There are certainly some who do think foreign tourists (or anyone coming in from abroad) can bring in Covid, but for most Japanese people it is not merely “tourists imported Covid” but instead “tourism spreads Covid”.
Japan has attempted to repeatedly promote domestic tourism campaigns with big discounts (for Japanese people, not foreigners) and had to cancel these plans again and again and again due to fears of spread and how such spread would do more harm to the tourism industry and overall populace than good (hotel staff infections, cleaning protocols, needs for isolation, transport issues, overwhelming small local clinics/hospitals).
Another attempt to re-start the travel discount campaign this month (with billions of yen already allotted to it) is being delayed AGAIN. If Japan can not confidently promote its own citizens to travel around their own country freely, then it is unimaginable they would allow foreign tourists the chance to do so instead.
Once Japan can solidly tell its own people they can move about internally without issue, and they are confident that in doing so it is not straining the health system, then Japan will start allowing foreign tourists to freely enter and travel about without restrictions.
You can argue the science of Covid spread all you want, but please note that I do not make these decisions, so don’t be childish by targeting me with your pent up anger. I am merely relaying the mindset of people here.
Has it been confirmed to be delayed yet? Other than until the election is over, I mean.
Supposedly is bring delayed. Cases spiked upwards again today and government will probably overreact.
Looking at the “wave”, it seems it’s slowing down already (the BA5 wave lasted 48 days in South Africa, and this looks to be the same in Japan).
And, in contrast with what AndyO says, I think the government is fully aware that “cases” are meaningless and there are no real consequences on publich health now, but it’s trying to keep a facade, at least for now.
Dear AndyO,
I have no anger, no mistake on my comments
it is just damageable for people who love Japan and Japanese People.
I do respect Japanese.
@David – PM Kishida stated the delay to re-start the discount campaign a few days ago. See here: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/02/national/japan-cautious-starting-tourism-campaign-fears-virus-wave-grow/
It was suppose to re-start early July, but there has been no mention of it recently (however just a few weeks ago there was lots of media brouhaha about the restarting in what should be right now).
@zazza – the current wave is “slowing down” ?? No, not at all. Tokyo and Japan as a whole isn’t just going up with new infections, but just today had a big spike, with the highest case numbers in 2 months.
And unlike in other countries, since Japan did so “well” with the first 5 or 6 waves, it means many people still lack natural immunity. Heck, in my town of 23,000 people, only a grand total of 512 cases of Covid have ever been confirmed. That’s not even 2.5%!! And since well over 50% of residents in my town here are over age 55, that’s not good.
Yes, I live in the rural suburbs, but Japan overall has a national infected rate of about 7.5%… which is still a far far cry from the US or European infected rate of 30+%.
Simply put, herd immunity is still unheard of in Japan.
But there is no doubt, someday the infection rate in Japan will indeed match that of other countries, however until then, Japan is actually a victim of its own success in that this massive yet inevitable wave that is someday coming is exactly what people, physicians, and politicians are all afraid of.
Hence, this is probably why Japan remains cautious with re-opening its borders or even with promoting its own people to go travel around.
Andy, is much reporting done on wastewater surveillance for COVID prevalence in Japan? I know at least some prefectures do it, but I haven’t seen it make the news anytime since the Olympics. That would give a much better idea of the actual infection rate, as reported case numbers are almost assuredly inaccurate (and by a wide margin).
I can’t speak to Japan, but during the peak of the Omicron wave earlier this year, some areas of the United States had actual infection rates above 50% based on wastewater prevalence/concentrations. That was just that one wave–the situation was similar during Delta in the late summer. Reported cases were only a small percentage of that, due to a mix of at-home testing and so many infections being asymptomatic.
Point being, there’s almost certainly nowhere in the United States that only has an infection rate of 30%. I’d be shocked if there’s anywhere here that is “only” 50%. Reinfections are also becoming increasingly common, but usually only mild cases (many are only picked up due to mandatory tests and people are surprised to learn they were infected). Between vaccinations and prior infections, most people have durable B and T-cell immunity that makes subsequent infection mild in most scenarios.
Obviously, I can’t say to what degree any of that is applicable to Japan as a whole or where you live, but given the high transmissibility of more recent variants, an infection rate of 2.5% would be quite remarkable. (I do know that Japan’s case positivity rate has always been high, suggesting insufficient testing and underreporting from the outset.)
@Tom
Japan’s case are severly undercounted due to lack of testing. Also the hospitalizations aren’t really rising. A Nikkei reported complained on Twitter that “cases” make no sense – he was referring to the fact that the critical patients in Tokyo are 7 (SEVEN).
Right now, it just feels a part of the media wants to push for keeping Japan closed – only that with the energy costs rising sharply, weak yen and inflation, that’s not possible.
@zazza – Right, I understand all of that–and know it’s been the situation throughout the pandemic based solely on test positivity percentages. Japan has usually been much higher than its western counterparts, strongly suggesting that testing was insufficient and cases were being dramatically underreported all along.
What I’m wondering, specifically, is if wastewater surveillance data is being (or has been) reported anywhere. That would give better insight into actual (durable) immunity levels than how many people have ended up in the official case count. It would also address the likelihood of a future wave that overwhelms medical infrastructure, or if that’s just a boogeyman.
Of course, a lot can be inferred from the hospitalizations–or lack thereof. If infection numbers increase but hospitalizations don’t rise proportionately (or meaningfully), it’s because of that durable immunity, variants being less severe, or both.
The end result is the same–case numbers matter less and less.
@Tom, I know of no recent waste water inspections or research. I can say though that my whole area is mostly septic tanks, just like the majority of non-densely-urban Japan, so such testing would be difficult outside of a main city.
Indeed, Japan’s positivity rate has usually been extremely high (often 50% or more, especially during peaks) and testing has been annoyingly limited and difficult to do (one of the logistic issues I repeatedly mentioned). But in the past couple months since Golden Week I’ve seen more and more testing sites become available (just as the rest of the world is closing them down).
So who knows what the real infection rate is, and while it almost certainly not as low as 7.5% nationally, if judging from the death rate then Japan has still had an extremely low infection rate compared to elsewhere, even when taking into account the lower amount of co-morbidities balanced with the high number of elderly.
@AndyO
It’s more likely there’s an immunity population effect already, as the decoupling between cases – hospitalization is clear.
Again, it’s the media that are spinning it.
I think some of you need to calm down. These monitor tours were always planned to last a few months. It has been the plan since 2020.
Yes, there are vaccines now, but pre-depature tests are still more important to the Japanese goverment when it comes to the current border measures, so it is logical to assume the stages for resuming inbound tourism haven’t changed much since then.
Yes, it might last a bit longer if the government freak out over a small BA5 wave, but I very much doubt things will go backwards.
The current administration may not be as tourism focused as the last two, but they aren’t going to wipe off 1% of GDP, one of the only areas of growth in decades, for years and years, especially with the current global economic issues.
Not that people are over reacting I think people are just starting to come the the realisation that we could be waiting a while longer. People in here have been hopeful of re openings for years to no prevail so what makes people think they are going to suddenly change policy now.
I think saying Japan will be closed for the next decade, or even years, is an overreaction lol.
Fundamentally, the only thing that has changed is that there is an increase in cases. As I said, monitor tours were always part of the plan, going back to 2020, of letting in tourists in stages. So no, policy hasn’t changed, it’s just some people here haven’t been paying attention.
Clearly the 10 year statement is an over reaction.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ac2f8ffb2653df179d848db1bb5494349c6f11c9
Suga still pushing for a proper re-opening. Shame he isn’t still PM…
As I said, it’s easier to say it once you’re not in a position of power anymore.
I agree, although I genuinely think Japan would be open by now if Suga was still PM.
Suga wanting a re opening is why he isn’t PM anymore.
Presuming . has a VPN so he can read the article.
He isn’t still PM because he was a party scapegoat? The LDP supported pretty much all of his policies. The public didn’t, which is why he didn’t run for party lead again, but to pretend that he some in the LDP because he wants to reopen is wide of the mark.
Besides, Kishida started reopening after he won the elections in november (then backtracked due to the world hysteria over Omicron).
Suga was punished because he had a “wait and see” approach in the eye of the public.
But if you compare him with Kishida…at least he has ideas. Kishida is refraining to do anything “because of elections”. All his statements are ambigous and pointless. He was criticized for this attitude before he was in power, and it looks he hasn’t changed.
Here’s a video of a group tour of Americans that was on Japanese TV.
Most of it was spent explaining to the public watching how diligently the Covid rules were being both enforced and performed without complaint. Its pretty pathetic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkVSOAY7nU0
They even showed staff from the snazzy Westin Hotel jogging outside geared up in masks on nearly deserted streets. This was probably filmed in the past week, during which time it has been insanely hot and humid… hotter than ever before for late June actually. Heat stroke is spiking more than covid cases.
Actually, I don’t know why anyone would want to visit Japan in any summer, unless going to the mountains or Hokkaido. So far its been brutal this year, and the power supply crunch and calls to conserve electric have only made it worse. And the heat will continue for the next 10 weeks. Being expected to mask up is ridiculous (but all the politicians out campaigning for this weekend’s election are equally masked as well).
There are now new waves in UK and other places, UK is purchasing new variant of Moderna vaccine for the autumn, same emerging in other places. Japan will never reopen in such environment. Not this decade. Ain’t gonna happen.
I agree with you that Japan wont open anytime soon. A decade may be a bit far but I can see at least another 6 months to a year before they even consider letting G7 countries in.
Sorry, but maybe you’ve missed an important detail: people are not caring anymore about “waves”, which are seasonal and in most places in the Western hemisphere will end around the end of July (Japan too, probably).
And it will happen in Japan too. In fact I believe the government knows already “cases” are meaningless and the ongoing system isn’t economically sustainable, but is, as usual, blocked by analysis paralysis.
And again, if that were the case, why lowering the level for these countries for Japanese travelers to level 1?
They lowered it to level 1 because they believe Japanese should be more privileged than anyone else so they have the right to travel where they want with no reciprocity. These people believe they are some sort of higher species than the rest of us clearly.
I’ve quite enjoyed Japan in the summer, previously. Back then it was only highs of low 30s, which is quite manageable. I don’t think I could cope with 35+ and having to wear a mask on top of it. Anecdotally, my friends are saying more people are wearing their masks less outdoors, when not in crowded areas. I feel for those that want to take theirs off, but don’t feel confident enough yet.
Interesting video. Really lends itself to the theory that these monitor tours are so the Japanese public can get used to foreigners again, as silly and unnecessary as that should be.
“Actually, I don’t know why anyone would want to visit Japan in any summer”
Someone, like me, who can go there only in this period of the year? Assumptions are always bad…
Japan will not have a visa free tourist travel this decade, not until 2030s, perhaps even beyond.
There will be folks arguing with me about this, mostly the same folks who were arguing with me late in 2020 (when vaccines first came in December 2020 and first sing of hope emerged) expecting spring or summer reopening in 2021. I believe even this article had a title like “When will Japan reopen in 2021” (I laughed when I saw that title – it reflected little understanding as to how Japan truly works).
Then they argued for early 2022, then mid 2022 as most other countries resumed visa free travel. Even now I saw someone in post below this one booking flight for August. Seriously?
What people need to remember: this is not about science, this is purely political, looking at it rationally is a waste of time.
I suspect Japan will become like many other countries who require a visa prior to travel and individual tourism will not be one of them.
Seriously? Yes.
On what basis would you say it would take a decade?
It would be possible if Japan were a completely autonomous country (in regards to energy, materials, etc…). But that’s not the case. It will end.
Nobody knows! How does anyone know visa free travel will be restored? We can all predict that it will be but how does anyone know?? so when people say Japan may not restore it and become autonomous again they are not exactly wrong because nobody knows otherwise. Its obvious Japan just doesn’t want to open to mass tourism and they don’t have to. They are not going to open just because a few people on a message board are telling them they need us.
” say Japan may not restore it and become autonomous again they are not exactly wrong because nobody knows otherwise”
Except there’s a thing called reality. Japan has done the Sakoku in the 1600s, but cannot now. No matter how they spin it, it would unsustainable.
@zazza what are you talking about ?
“It would be possible if Japan were a completely autonomous country (in regards to energy, materials, etc…). ”
what does the above have anything to do with individual tourism? Energy, raw materials, import /exports relate to visa waiver how ? 🤷♂️ putting things on a container and shipping out/into Japan is somehow related to visa waiver?
There are now new waves in UK and other places, UK is purchasing new variant of Moderna vaccine for the autumn, same in other places. Japan will never reopen in such environment. Not this decade. Ain’t gonna happen.
john… to put it simply, they need money. Yes, even tourism. Right now they simply cannot afford to cut any possible revenue stream.
It will happen. Maybe not now. But they will be forced to do it.
It might be unsustainable but I am just saying its not completely out the realm of possibility with how the government has acted so far. It seems like you put a lot of effort into reading between the lines on what the government is doing so I really hope you get your trip to Japan this year zazza.
I am able to obtain a business visa relatively easily but am refianing from visiting because of their stupid mask hysteria. It’s 100% political and based on mass cowardice and hysteria. Could take many many years for them to slowly return to 2019 normal. Remember these same COVID freaks had no issue with hotel lobbies and restaurant filled with cigarette smoke until literally 2018 (when they slowly began to phase out smoking from hotels but you can still smoke in many restaurants and bars). So yeah COVID=OMG Bad but cancer? daijubu
John…don’t you think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that because some people were overly optimistic the last two or so years and ended up being wrong, that a proper reopening in TEN or more years is what is actually realistic?
I’ve become increasingly jaded about this situation, but we are starting to see other countries’ patience with Japan running out. Once Japan faces the very real possibility of their precious “most powerful passport” losing its power, they will change their tune.
Will that be this year? I don’t know. Will it be before 2030? I would absolutely bet on it.
“but we are starting to see other countries’ patience with Japan running out”
Could you please provide some examples here?
I know of South Korea which has suspended the visa waiver programme for Japanese citizens and the EU which is “set to monitor the situation and act according to the moves of the Japanese authorities in the near future”.
Are there any other countries that announced they would take any measure against this situation?
The deadline for triggering removal for visa free travel with Germany and Poland, and therefore the EU as a whole, is mid August. They may decide to extend the deadline, as they have with the US for years, but the difference being the US has visa free travel with the big players in the EU.
Thank you very much for the info and explanation.
Which countries are running out of patience with Japan? There was just a G7 summit and everyone seemed pretty happy and friendly with Kishida to me.
Plus South Korea has recently made it easier for Japanese to enter.
Also in reply to She… There is an article on a European visa website saying that something could happen in August but its very unlikely as they want to sort the situation out by talking and not taking action so other than that no country has expressed any displeasure to Japans border controls and to be honest most countries probably don’t even care. If somebody asked Joe Biden, Boris Johnson etc they probably would not even know what Japans border policy is. Anyone saying that countries will suspend the visa waiver in August is just complete speculation and does anyone actually think Japan would care if Poland suspended visa waiver. Not like they will say “Oh no we need a visa to go to Poland lets drop all border controls now”.
Calum…in diplomacy what is not said is more important that what is said. The fact that it wasn’t in the official statement, doesn’t mean talks were not going on. EU had to pressure USA to reopen borders from around Jan 2021 to November 2021. They’re just doing the same.
People are expecting some theatrics (i.e. revoking visa)? Not going to happen for now.
Diplomacy is a slow, complicated process. Without any insider information it’s difficult to know how things are progressing.
Calum, they were friendly with Boris Johnson, despite him threatening to break the NI protocol. They were there to discuss Russia and Ukraine.
And no, it isn’t complete spectulation. That is exactly what will happen with Germany and Poland (and the rest of the EU), if nothing else is done. The article triggered finishes after 2 years. Automatically, the visa exemption is revoked. You’re right in the sense that I’m sure it will be extended and some generic statement will be put out, but the threat is very much real.
Thinking they’re going to be closed for 10 years is even more ridiculous than buying flights for August.
Surely buying flights in August is more ridiculous. Thinking they will be closed for 10 years isn’t going to cost you a lot of money like the other one haha. Personally I do not think it will be closed for 10 years but I think this year is off the cards. But that’s just my opinion, they could open July 11th for all we know.
Flights can be moved or refunded. Someone who thinks Japan is going to be closed for the next 10 years is beyond help.
I think he is winding people up.
There are a number of people that think it is Government policy to stop individual tourists for the foreseeable future/permanently. I wouldn’t normally bother commenting on posts like these but people seem to be agreeing more with that sentiment recently, and I don’t want people feeling down or upset of it as a result, as it clearly isn’t true.
I’ve just read this article which is an interview with the Japanese virologist Hitoshi Oshitani, and what I understood from it is that prospects of Japan truly reopening in the foreseeable future are quite low.
To summarize what he says:
– he considers that a full reopening and returning to the pre-pandemic lifestyle is risky : “That pre-pandemic society is very, very fragile — for many risks, not just infectious disease.”
– he’s looking at other countries which have been cautious in 2020 and 2021 (e.g. NZ, Vietnam, Taiwan, etc.), but saw a surge in the number of cases this year and states that ”It’s like the game Othello — the countries or areas with a better outcome can easily turn to the worst outcome. So Japanese people are still cautious, and I’m still considering the worst case scenario as a possible option in Japan.”
– as for this summer and coming winter, he seems to be pessimistic: “We do know that there is the high possibility of a surge of cases [in Japan] in July and August. […] We still do not know what’s going to happen in winter this year.”
– last but not least, he expects more pandemics in the future: “I also don’t think this is the last pandemic in the next one or two decades. Pandemics will continue to occur. […] So we have to be prepared and we have to think again what we should do in the next 20, 30 years. Is it a good idea just to go back to normal, to the pre-pandemic society?”
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-06-30/there-is-no-back-to-normal-after-covid-a-q-a-with-hitoshi-oshitani
Screw Japan. Let them rot in their silly little island wearing their face diapers fearful of their own goddamn shadows
That’s what this “expert” thinks. Not what the government thinks. In my country (in the EU) there are “experts” that are saying exactly what Oshitani is saying…but the government flat out ignored them.
To reiterate, there’s no way to know now.
That last one is just laughable.
Basically he thinks we must never ever again return to normal because there might be a new pandemic in the next 20 years? lmao
Yeah I don’t think the government will pay attention to such “expert”.
@zazza and @Leo, I really hope you are right with regard to the government’s decision.
He also says international travel has to return, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
New case numbers have made a sharp rise in the past week, particularly in Tokyo. Tokyo has raise it’s Covid alert level to 3 (highest is 4). The PM has stated that the intended implementation of the discount domestic travel program, which was suppose to begin this month, will most likely be delayed.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/02/national/japan-cautious-starting-tourism-campaign-fears-virus-wave-grow/
All together, its not looking like there will be a re-opening to unrestricted foreign tourists this summer, and now even Sept/Oct is looking sketchy.
People will say its just hyperbole but I honestly cannot see any change before at least spring 2023. I want to travel to Japan just as much as most people to be with my partner but we are now looking at alternative options of her coming to live here from September due to the likeliness of Japan reopening this year being extremely low. We will take a vacation in another country as there are tons of beautiful countries 100% open for business. Japan is not the be all end all of travel.
Sorry, but I’m not buying it.
The reality is no one knows. Not with a government that has postponed everything (and I mean everything) after the elections.
Also, the foreign minister lowered several States to level 1, including EU states which present “surge in cases” right now. Yeah, JP residents don’t have problems, but if the government were really coherent in the message, they would not have done that
So, Koike can bark as usual, but in my opinion is that this time even the weak Kishida will not follow suit: Like EU and US, money for running all the Covid schemes doesn’t appear out of thin air, and can’t be sustained indefinitely, especially with weak yen and the energy crisis.
Also, considering the virus is seasonal (in the sense that the R value has cyclical pattern…like the past two years), the current wave would end around the end of July.
Finally, the Japan Times seems the only one that is really pushing the message. The other media aren’t really following suit, and that’s normal: after 27 months you can’t keep the “fight or flight” mentality.
Thankfully, the waves with these latest sub variants seem to be short lived. If the Japanese government are going to still base everything on cases, the let’s hope things follow suit.
The fact that they lowered certain EU countries to level 1 despite them having surges right now is telling, IMO.
We just booked our flights and Airbnb for early August 2022. We shall see what happens!
I hope it was free cancellation as the chances of that happening are literally zero.
They are zero.
For those who’ve had to cancel trips for what would be right now, don’t feel too bad. It has ridiculously hot in Japan for the past week, breaking many records dating back to when they actually started officially keeping them 150 years ago. Its painful to simply walk down the street, and I even break a sweat doing so in the evening.
And the energy supply crunch here ain’t helping either, with calls to reduce power consumption and limit AC. Oh, and in many areas, there’s a drought forming with water restrictions due to a short rainy season.
And yet, despite the dangers of heat stroke as well as confusing gov’t pronouncements suggesting to finally take them off (depending on a range of variables…), the masks stay on. Even the politicians out campaigning for next week’s election, alone in their vehicles riding down the streets blaring speakers and waving to anyone foolish enough to be outside, they wear their masks as well.
Even without Covid, summer has increasingly been a stupid hot time to visit Japan unless planning to climb Mt Fuji or head directly to Hokkaido.
Quelle Surprise: https://japantoday.com/category/national/Tokyo-raises-alert-level-amid-resurgence-in-COVID-cases
Means nothing.
It’s also telling the government hasn’t been really doing anything about it (due to low impact on hospitalization).