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!
Taiwan is resuming visa free travel so basically Japan is the only so-called ally still playing cheap tricks
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taiwan-resume-visa-free-entry-visitors-covid-19-2921201
No visa, but still need PCR on arrival plus mandatory 3 day quarantine (I imagine it’d be longer if the PCR was positive.)
@Andy Still better than what Japan is offering. Id take PCR and 3 days quarantine in Japan over what they are currently offering.
Now that Taiwan will open maybe the competition between Japan and Taiwan over who can stay closed the longest will end and Japan can finally reopen knowing it won.
Via TV Asahi (and Google translate) from today:
90% of the hospitals in Tokyo that responded to the ANN survey answered that they wanted to change the new corona to the 5 categories under the Infectious Diseases Act, which is the same as influenza. After the 7th wave subsides, the government is considering changing the treatment of the new corona from the 2nd class, which has strict measures such as hospitalization recommendations and employment restrictions, to the 5th class. At the end of August, ANN conducted a questionnaire survey targeting 61 hospitals in Tokyo with 40 or more reserved beds, and 19 hospitals responded. Of these, 17 hospitals, or 90%, requested a change. Reasons for this include, “Already, most coronavirus patients have mild symptoms,” and “There is a need for a system that allows treatment at clinics.” The 13 hospitals requested conditional changes, such as “ setting only mildly ill patients to class 5 ” and “ setting a guideline for work restrictions in places such as nursing homes where people at risk of becoming seriously ill gather ”. In addition, regarding the medical expenses that must be paid by the patient in category 5, there was a noticeable opinion that public funding should be continued because of the high cost. On the other hand, two hospitals said, “There is no need to change to Category 5,” and gave reasons such as “the infectivity and mortality rate are different from influenza” and “there are no oral drugs that can be used by young people.”
It’s interesting but too many hospitals didn’t respond so the result may (or may not) be incorrect.
I understand why they want public funding, but it’s not sustainable.
As I said, Denmark stopped everything because the testing etc ended up costing 0.2 % of the GDP. Japan’s high debt makes it even worse.
As of Taiwan, better (and useful against covid risk) PCR test then VISA (more complicated, expensive and useless against covid).
From JTB here in Australia.
We do not have any guidelines on what constitutes an unguided travel package and we do not confirming plans at this stage for an unguided travel package.
The process to make bookings and apply for visas to enter Japan at the moment require a minimum of 3-4 weeks.
Hello fellow Aussie. Try HIS/TravelJapan. They already updated the site explaining the requirements for unguided tours and they can assist you if you want to book with them
Thanks @Shinn.
“To other fellow Aussies, here is the link H.I.S with the update:
https://www.traveljapan.com.au/covid19-info
“Guidelines for Non-Guided Package Tours
We must book & issue your round-trip airline tickets
We or our land operator must book all hotel accommodation in order to issue the ERFS
You must agree to the Japanese traveling guidelines
We or our land operator must contact you by email once you arrive to remind you about the Japanese guidelines, and you must reply to this email
You must purchase international travel insurance with COVID cover, in case you test positive in Japan and need to quarantine
If you test positive for COVID-19 within 1 week of returning to Australia you must inform us and we must inform our land operator
We can not and will not provide you with only an ERFS for a sum of money.”
As an example, an unguided tour from H.I.S, excluding flights, is close to $8000AUD PER PERSON for 21 days. Hotels are 3 stars and some meals are included, as are some transfers like a coach to Mt Fuji. For a family of 5, that’s $40,000!! + flights, whatever they might be. In short, this type of tour is unaffordable for the average family. I wonder if Japan only wants very wealthy tourists?
L, some in the government would want that, but the hops to get to Japan, even with the unguided tours, are simply too complicated.
In fact I believe Keidaren today asked again for more relaxation.
From Asahi News, 9-3-22:
Foreign tourists required to provide contact to travel agencies
It seems to be a step in the right direction. and it doesn’t say hotel accomodation “must” be included.
“The guidelines call on travel agencies to set up arrangements that allow them to remain in contact with foreign visitors when dealing with contingencies such as testing COVID-19 positive after they are in Japan. The method of contact can be anything from mobile phones, e-mail to social media.”
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14710229
Unfortunately it says you have to be on a package tour through an agency and then later in the article it clarifies that a package tour includes airfare and accommodations. This is in line with the guidelines that were released on the 2nd stating that the tourists cannot book their own flights or accommodations, it must be done by the agency.
Interesting piece by Nikkei Asia today:
Japan is wasting its big chance with group-tour requirement.
Even with cheap yen, few willing to put up with extra travel hassles
Alex Kerr, September 4, 2022 05:00 JST
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Japan-is-wasting-its-big-chance-with-group-tour-requirement
Thanks for sharing. I think Alex Karr makes some interesting points and I too don’t see why would inherently risk-averse Kishida take such a political gamble and downgrade COVID with winter (and potential new waves) right round the corner. As far as Japan is concerned tourists are welcome as long as they are willing to do what Japan says. Honestly its weird how persistently optimistic Tom with his interpretation. It’s just weird that’s all I’m going to say.
Alex, the thing is.
If Japan forever stays concerned about new waves and potential new variants, they will just never allow individual tourists ever again. (as well as never reclassify covid)
The winter wave starts in January.
Winter isn’t right around the corner, we are just starting Autumn.
After the winter wave what else will be the excuse in March, the summer wave?
If we gonna be pessimistic might as well be consistent with the pessimism then.
Despite some “swings”, the Nikkei (both JP and the Asia version) has been very critical of the current policy.
With that said, I don’t agree with the final bits of the article. While (a small part of) the population is against reopening, the problem is the government risk-averse behavior. You can also see it in completely different situations (the bumbling about energy supply before the elections for example).
Leo you are preaching to the choir. I’m just trying to present it from Japanese point of view. Tourists are welcome to come right albeit with strings attached but those strings are our problem not theirs. Why do we keep expecting they will revert back to the good old days? From Japanese perspective the current situation is ideal compromise and if we are so keen on visiting then hell with the it we gotta do what they say and travel their way. They don’t owe us shit it’s their freaking country.
Expect they do owe us shit, they have visa waivers based on reciprocity.
I don’t want Japanese visa free travel to be taken from them at all, but if this is dragged into 2023, it will start becoming more of an issue, especially if Japan continues to remove domestic restrictions (I believe really only self isolation is left?), as there would be little excuses left.
Take a look at the EU’s statement from May for an idea of how they view it. UK’s visa free exchange with Japan is a copy from when it was part of the EU. I assume the US deal is very similar. I’m sure Japan would get away with dragging things out during the next meeting with the EU (October, i think?), but I genuinely think that would be the last time. That gives them another 5-6 months from then. I would hope they would reinstate visa waivers by then anyway.
So sure, their country, their rules, but as with everything, there will be consequences.
I am so glad that Alex Kerr wrote the same exact things I am writing on this forum since so long time by now.
It just comes across like they owe favors to these travel agencies to slow the opening to individual tourist. Once they open up, these travel agencies will not see any money spent going to Japan. Realistically, if covid safety is the top priority here, just require everybody coming in to be up to date with vaccinations and boosters and call it a day. At that point you can guarantee that any outbreak will not come from external sources
Every yen a Japanese tourist removes from Japan and spends in (for example) the US, will damage the Japanese economy and benefit the US.
Every dollar a US tourist removes from the US to spend in Japan does the opposite.
Usually there is a degree of balance in this interaction.
But when Japan restricts tourists from coming in, but allows their own citizens to travel out, cui bono?
So for the US or EU or UK to demand reciprocity, what value is it to them? Lots of countries (Thailand being a prime example) do not demand reciprocal entry agreements, and it benefits them immensely.
I am not defending Japan, I think its both economically foolish and a major loss of opportunity to stay shut, but I would truly wonder if it is all that bad (in a macro-economic way) for other countries to continue to allow in visa-free Japanese tourists and all their yen, and not get the same agreement in return.
Definitely, Andy, that’s partly why there has been no major rush. These visa agreements are very important to the EU fundamentally, though. I think it’s very telling they’re the only Westeners making any sort of noise publicly. South Korea have made noises, but they seem to prioritise economic benefits you’re talking about.
Regarding anything Japan, South Korea always makes noise.
“But when Japan restricts tourists from coming in, but allows their own citizens to travel out, cui bono? ”
There’s a thing called “diplomatic relations”, not to mention EU has a specific agreement with Japan regarding business etc.
It’s easy to see why this is a big deal.
“I am not defending Japan”
Sigh. As always.
Given that it hasn’t been much of an issue up until this point, it’s hard to see visa reciprocity or diplomatic relations being outcome-determinative at this point.
Unless something goes terribly wrong and we’re still having this conversation at this time next year. It’s a backstop, but beyond that? I doubt any country is going to push it. The earlier EU statement is probably the extent of it, which (if I recall correctly) essentially amounted to saying that they hope it’s worked out diplomatically and will give Japan a chance to self-correct.
If this were occurring in isolation, maybe the EU and US would push harder, but it’s occurring in tandem with economic and monetary policy at odds with approaches of the US/EU. Which of them is going to forcefully tell a sovereign ally, “you need to knock off the self-defeating policies”?
Tom, I recall a certain PM saying in front of Kishida (before the May “lie” in UK) to restore the visa waiver. At a press conference. The JP press “conveniently” omitted this part.
So, yes, it’s still viewed as “a big deal” in EU (considering the business agreement also has a clause for business travelers, which are impacted – less maybe – even now), just they don’t want to push it to the breaking point.
I don’t know how it was viewed in the US, but during the Feb – Nov 2021 period when US refused to let EU citizens enter the country EU was pushing continously.
I think EU is monitoring the situation, as they said.
They probably have given Japan some extra-time since this is not solved from day to night. But, as “.” said, if the December update doesn’t revolve around the return of visa waivers and normal tourist visas and this ends up dragging to 2023 with all the ERFS/tours bullshit, then we might see some action taken.
That’s why I believe Kono Taro mentioned about visa waivers on that tweet. They sure know about the situation.
And about domestic restrictions, there are still some left, like keeping silence at concerts/sports events, as well as acrylics separating people everywhere. Not exactly movement restrictions but still, restrictions.
Some excerpts from an interesting piece by Nikkei Asia today:
Japan is wasting its big chance with group-tour requirement. Even with cheap yen, few willing to put up with extra travel hassles.
Since June, tourists have been able to enter only by joining regimented, North Korea-style group tours. Travelers now must find and sign on to a tour, apply for visas and once in Japan, they are stuck with their tour and its costs even if that is not the way they like to travel.
Thus, there will be no fast reopening. It is likely that individual tourists will not be able to enter Japan freely before next spring at the earliest. Even for business travelers, the bar remains high, with visa applicants required to submit copies of corporate documents and other paperwork. Only hard-core travelers will rise to the challenge.
A few months ago an NHK poll found 65% support in favor of maintaining entry restrictions, still a hefty majority. Faced with numbers like these, only the bravest politicians will attempt to swim upstream. These polls reflect Japan’s aging society.
The pandemic has exacerbated Japan’s latent strain of xenophobia. The media sensationally report every case of a foreigner found with COVID, leading to the sense that inbound travelers are dangerous. Few reports point out the irony that the nation allows Japanese to come and go from abroad freely.
Yet this is a moment of opportunity. China has removed itself from the world stage with its zero-COVID policy, giving a big birthday present to Japan. The yen has sunk to a low not seen in decades, making Japan cheaper for visitors, and there is huge pent-up demand from potential travelers.
The challenge will be whether Japan’s political leaders can rise above fear of foreigners and of their aging constituents. This will not happen, of course. Decisive decision-making has never been the hallmark of Japanese politics.
Reciprocity is the basis of diplomatic relations between states. A closed world of bans and visas is a worse world and at greater risk of war, discrimination and ignorance. If, finally, we add that in the present case the visa application (etc.) is “motivated” by an alleged “covid risk” only against foreigners (because Japanese citizens can travel abroad freely instead) I would say that we are at a paradox. It is regrettable to have to point out such obvious things but which unfortunately many people do not have the sensitivity to notice.
I would not be so sanguine about the COVID-19 getting downgraded from Class 2 to Class 5, not just yet. This is not at all a settled issue in Japan within the government and medical community. What with Kishida being a Mr. “I will take that under advisement” indecisive leader and his administration’s plummeting approval rating, it is highly unlikely that he would soon choose to delve into yet another highly visible and controversial issue like the COVID classification. Kishida already has his hands full with the Unification Church scandal and Abe’s state funeral.
I agree it probably will be left for the Diet to start debate on reclassification in January, whether by political convenience or legal necessity or a bit of both.
It looks like the UK Embassy has finally got the latest on their visa application process posted up. It seems clear enough now.
So is this one ironic, or just moronic?
Back in April when the first wave of Omicron was still stressing people out, a 66 year old woman in Japan got on a public bus without a mask. The driver tried to get her to wear one (and I’m sure signs were everywhere saying to do so) but she still refused. So he kicked her off the bus (non-physically).
So she complained to the powers that be, which eventually involved the national Ministry of Transportation, and a couple days ago judged in her favor since there are actually no laws which say masks can be required on public buses.
But here’s the kicker, as a penalty, the bus company which runs the public bus must suspend service for 25 days on two of their bus lines… thereby leaving the local people in need of a bus without that service.
in English
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220903/p2a/00m/0na/011000c
Wow. 😮😮😮
Thanks for sharing this, Andy.
While not necessarily germane to the subject of reopening, I think ironic/moronic news like this underscores the decision making process and unique brand of bureaucracy in Japan. In the case of reopening, that presents itself as something that’s ostensibly racist or xenophobic, and there are elements of that…but I think in many ways, that’s a symptom of a larger problem, and not the root cause.
Totally unrelated, but my favorite “genre” of Japan news pertains to marauding monkeys:
https://apnews.com/article/japan-monkey-attacks-97f8e316daa48d6f5a6fb43632d1353e?taid=62e17c6636651200012cc54b&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter
https://soranews24.com/2022/08/30/japanese-monkey-hunting-team-shoots-woman-with-tranquilizer-dart/
On that not Tom, also remember that the transport ministry (who probably didn’t know their own non-rules and handed out the ridiculous penalty) is officially known as the “Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism”.
Yeah, its these masterminds working together with Immigration who are making these “tour” ideas.
(and as far as bumbling news, I’ve seen this same story more times than I can possibly count over the years: in a country with super strict gun laws, a policeman goes into a public toilet, takes off gun to do his business, then leaves… but forgets his gun, only for it to be found later by a cleaner or other citizen)
https://soranews24.com/2020/01/28/japanese-police-officers-increasingly-forgetting-their-guns-in-public-restrooms/
Gives new meaning to alphabet soup agencies!
In the US, our “best” one is probably the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It’s occasionally parodied in pop culture, with another random subject tacked on at the end. (In HBO’s The Leftovers, it was ATFEC–with “Cults” added.)
Just to confuse things further. UK passport holders applying for a visa in the UK are NOT required to submit itinerary information, travel agency information, etc, other than what is listed on the ERFS form.
https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/files/100355579.pdf
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks as though only citizens of countries that required a visa before the pandemic have to.
Also, they’re aiming to turnaround visas within two weeks, but you’re still required to collect them at the embassy at the time of their choosing. How convenient.
Looks like they will only give you 30 days though.
Maybe the embassies/consulates around the world still haven’t updated their policies/requirements based on the new rules.
Here in Brazil, the latest list of requirements are still the same from guided tours, with last update on 10th June, exactly the date they started.
7th September is national holiday here but maybe we’ll get proper info soon
This is definitely the latest info for the UK, it was released late last night/today. Apparently things were actually more lax for countries with visa waivers for the group tour stage as well. Looks as though those from countries without visa waivers pre covid my have a harder time getting pre booked plans approved, unfortunately.
I think I see.
Basically visa waiver people will have an easier time getting through the system since the travel agency isn’t required to send anything other than the ERFS, allowing for what JGA is doing to work.
Well, hope you all have fun in Japan this autumn!
Me and all my 3rd world fellas will wait for the next update.
It may not turn out that way, people seem to be getting their visas approved in the US, but there could be issues further down the road. It definitely seems unfair that those countries are required to provide more info though.
Another thing that bothers me about this Schroedinger Unguided Tour Paradox is the bit Tom mentioned in the other blog entry, stating “(While not totally clear from the translation, it appears that travel agents will have some degree of contact with travelers while they’re in Japan.)”
I mean how many times would they contact me? Asking what exactly? And if for some reason I take some time to answer?
Here we go again, North Korean tours 2.0
In your opinion, now that Japan has officially “reopened” (let’s say so…) to tourism, will other countries still be able to turn a blind eye, or will they finally apply reciprocity in visa requirement?
Yesterday I sent letter to the new Japan Consul General in Los Angeles. Explained that as a home-owner in Japan, I’m in a kind of “undefined” status with respect to current Japan visa policies. And that no Japanese travel agency knows how to arrange trip for me because I will not need hotel accommodation. Asked him for a 90-day visa similar to that issued to Business Travelers. If you’re in a similar situation, I suggest to write to your nearest Japan Consul General. We must inform them about the complexities of travel to Japan.
This paper visa thing is really inconvenient. Even small poorer countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan process visas entirely online now. As discussed above, being monitored as to where one is staying and what one is doing , sounds like the work of a closed authoritarian society and not a modern OECD nation. Until Japan clarifies and streamlines it’s entry requirements, I doubt Independent tourists will be willing to risk the high cost to visit Japan
They’ve improved a little from the North Korea-like requirements over the summer… however, the visa process is now, after the September changes, essentially similar to several authoritarian countries that I’ve visited in the past (Belarus, Uzbekistan, Iran). They all require documents/invitations from inside the country that have to be acquired for a cost prior to applying for the visa. They all require flights and hotels booked before applying for a visa, and a confirmed itinerary. All require an actual visa to be processed at your local embassy, with all the time and hassle it entails. They all allow day-to-day freedom once inside the country, but not the freedom to change your overall itinerary or travel plans/dates. It’s embarrassing that Japan has come to this, but they don’t seem to care.
I called the Japanese Consulate and was told if I got the what is it, ERFS, by next week, I would not have my VISA by Oct. 9 because they are behind due to guess what…Covid. So I changed my trip to November. I was told it would be processed by then. But I must see what JGA is saying and when the Govt gets it sorted out, and JGA does the same.
What country are you based in, Frank?
The Japanese embassy in the UK have just updated their visa procedures.
You have to submit by post or registered agent… Christ.
At least that means less questions will be asked, and definitely better for those far from London.
The website is still not very joined up though, the page that now says application by post or by agent gives a highlighted information “here” hyper link, which takes you to the old page which still says you need an “appointment” and to click on the hyper link, which takes you back to the previous page in a contradictory loop. It’s beyond farce! Presumably application by post is an improvement, but confusion and ambiguity is still rife. This is a first world country and G7 Nation but it’s website is like mid nineties html done by an office junior or work experience kid. Let’s be clear here, the whole process should be completed online, completing the forms, attachments, supporting documents, payment etc. With a system for the physical passport stamp, or maybe not even that, an eStamp that could be printed and affixed. They could even use a fax machine or perhaps floppy disk, but nobody still uses them? Surely?
And then there’s the application form which is a really sloppy piece of work/formatting. There are three date fields which should be completed day/date/year as xx/xx/xxxx but two of the three date fields only have xx for the year, so you can type two of the year digits in but have to write in the other two digits with a pen once the form has been printed. There are boxes which should be ticked according to the guidance, but they can only be crossed when clicked on, so to be compliant you have to print the form with them blank and put the ticks in with a pen. I’d be mortified if I’d produced such an atrocious form. As I’m sure you can guess by now, I think it’s all an amateurish crock.
Anyone even considering to put up with this visa/tour garbage is enabling the horrific, archaic and indefensible JGov policies.
@renzo i’m not sure which country are you from but asking for a visa is something lots of countries do, including the US, is not something exclusively Japanese and doesn’t make them xenophobic or archaic for it.
I feel for you “.” and anyone else stuck in this mess.
Remember when I noted that Japan repeatedly paints itself into corners with logistically difficult situations of their own making? Well, this whole thing exemplifies it.
I would only hope that at some point it gets so tangled and dysfunctional that they just give up and scrap the whole system. Its happened a few times before with large-scale plans, but usually only after trying and failing again and again with even more layers of complexity. However, until Covid is fully downgraded and systematically implemented into the regular health network, I doubt they will throw up their hands in surrender.
@Mari I think he is referring more to the process of actually obtaining a visa and the group/unguided tour nonsense that is currently taking place which the US and pretty much 99% of the world isn’t enforcing. The fact that Japanese people can travel wherever they want and return but foreigners are seen as too dirty to be trusted does spell a little bit of xenophobia.
Actually, in a way you should be happy its getting ever more ridiculous and congested. While the government may not listen to foreign tourist complaints, they will certainly be taking note from the stressed out and annoyed diplomats.
Andy, it definitely didn’t come as a shock that it ended up being something like this, haha! Quite frankly, if I do end up going this route, I’m glad I don’t have to take a day off work to go to the embassy. I just can’t see how accepting applications by post will saving them time, they won’t be able to control how many applications they receive. Still, as you’ve said before, they do love painting themselves into corners. My first thought was that they’re going to have a lot of pissed off diplomats as well. I genuinely can’t see this stage lastig more than a few months, unless they create/finish a worldwide eVisa system soon. The system is definitely easier for Americans, but it isn’t feasible for a lot of the rest of the world. Embassies were struggling before September, how are they going to cope now?
On a practical level who can determine wether a flight has been bought by a foreign travel operator or by the tourist himself? and why would it matter?
My impression is that you can do everything by yourself provided you find someone who sells you an EFRS.
I think they might be able to check that before issuing your Visa? They might ask the agency “Were the flight and accommodation bought by you?”
My guess lol
Mari, the question you should ask yourself instead is why Japan has aligned itself with authoritarian countries to allow a few foreigners to enter the country with a lot of difficulty (while its own citizens are totally free). Covid risk? Please let’s be serious. That is the real issue.
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA025EP0S2A900C2000000/
The article is paywalled, but it seems the Minister of infrastructure has called for further easing. someone from the government saying something “different” from the official “monitor situation etc.” speech is another sign – already reported by some news outlets a couple months ago I believe – that the government is divided on the issue. Of course he may talk on a personal level etc, but still….
Surely the next step after this unguided nonsense is to open the country. What next step could they possibly have in-between this and fully reopening but I wouldn’t put it past them to come up with something crazy.
I would imagine the cap is the next to go, but hopefully that will happen fairly soon, possibly even next month sometime. I appreciate that wouldn’t really be a true next step though.
As always I try to be optimistic and I believe in a full return of individual tourists in December.
But not gonna lie, the extreme strictness that they still wanna apply over the new “unguided tours”, even tho they might be only based over the current covid classification scares me.
Who knows if they might come up with yet another retarded unbelievable bullshit.
I’m sure Japan can and will make it as complicated and difficult as they want to! Possible next steps (just my guess):
1) increase cap again to 100k
2) remove cap
3) require ERFS and visa but without the travel agency bookings
4) visa required but no ERFS (perhaps this comes after covid is downgraded)
5) visa waiver but with lots of hurdles and a terrible non-functional website similar to the old Thailand Pass
6) visa waiver with new electronic approval (JAVES)
I can see this timeline (which the sacred 3 months between each step) in case they keep delaying and saying a downgrade isn’t realistic, which might happen given the last Minister Kato speech.
– December: visa and ERFS still required but you can choose your accomodation, flight and set your own stuff, with the agency just as a liaison. Less guidelines and burden over the agency.
– March: Extinction of ERFS but visa still required under special circumstances.
– June: visa waiver return. End of special circumstances, return of all kinds of normal visas and back to 2019 travel
If ERFS goes, so does the visa requirement for countries that didn’t need them before.
Can’t rule out the Japanese government contuning doing stupid things, but I don’t think that would be one of them. Embassies couldn’t handle the last stage, they definitely won’t be handle this one. Could you imagine how long visa processing would take if you didn’t have to get approval from a travel agency? It is already months in some countries and that was before September.
The optimist in me would also like to point out we’re still actually following that JATA timeline released in May.
Obviously, they’ve done it in the worst way possible, but still technically correct.
I’m confident things will get better in the coming months. I have a feeling they will raise the cap again before the next true “stage”. Maybe late next month, at the earliest. I’m one of those with the opinion that the Government does actually want to open up, and removing the cap is something they can do quite easily without ruffling any feathers or declassification.
Hasn’t it now been confirmed that for the unguided tours flights also need to be booked using a travel agency. The price of the flights are already ridiculous wouldn’t even want to know what the agencies are charging for a flight.
Officially, yes. Unofficially? A tour agency has said they would approve my selfbooked flights and accommodation as recently as an hour ago… perhaps they haven’t seen the guidance yet, I’m holding off making plans until things become clearer, but I think it’s going to come down to the travel agents themselves, much like the group tours that allowed multiple free days before.
Good luck . I hope it works out.
I guess your referring to this JGA that is doing the rounds on the internet. Everything they seem to say seems to be contradictory of the governments rules so I’m not too sure about them myself.
I’m having a house built currently, and it may be delayed until when I was planning to travel in November, anyway, so I’m debating how to go forward. I’ll be waiting to see how things pan out with agencies that seem willing to help out.
Calum, would you be able afford booking a hotel to be able to see your partner, if travel agents were able to sign off on your own booking? I feel so awful for those that can’t see loved ones. I miss my friends, but not being able to see my girlfriend would be so much worse.
Yeah! If the agency is taking in your itinerary means that they need to be responsible for your whereabouts, ensure you can be contacted upon arrival and during the trip via different methods as stated and in case you got coivd, I believe they will then come into play plus you would not be able to leave until you have recovered (that’s my understanding from the official notice today). Also the idea as noted in the notice is that you are free to roam around the “prefecture” as planned on the itinerary such as changing the planned visit to Skytree but then change to Tokyo Tower they don’t care. But if you roam from Tokyo and then venture off to Nagoya then it can be an issue. Of course one can ask how they are going to know, they may not but if you got infected with covid and notice you have roamed off from the planned itinerary then both yourself and the agency can be in trouble. I believe JAG is taking a huge risk as well for doing this but perhaps the risk vs reward is worth it. I am yet waiting to see if anyone successfully got the visa accordingly with JAG documents.
@. Yeah I could afford it but as I have stated a few times I’m in a really lucky situation compared to other people in relationships. My partner will come to live in the UK with me from the 24th September as her work allows her to work remotely from anywhere. To be honest at this point I probably wouldn’t risk spending all that money with an agency as I think we are close to Japan re opening in a few months. Also I don’t know what I would say itinerary wise as most days me and my partner just want to chill out and live basically a normal life in Japan for a few months so I wouldn’t really be doing anything touristy.
But honestly I do feel for the people who are not as lucky as me and who cannot see their partners at all.
Glad to hear it, Calum.
My wife and I’s situation would be a bit strange when it comes to itinerary planning/listing. As we’re (were?) regular travellers to Japan, our plan for our next visit is just to mostly hang out in Tokyo the entire time, with the odd day trip. How exactly would I present that on an itinerary?
Jas, is free travel within prefecture confines permitted in the guidance released today? Perhaps it wouldn’t be an issue after all.
I think the flight requirement thing is due to concerns about people changing their flights and/or overstaying their “tour” without telling anyone, during which time there would be no responsible sponsor. This wasn’t an issue with the guided tours since the guide was together right up to departure. Would be curious how strictly they enforce it.
@. Exactly! I don’t know how I would present lounging around all day and then drinking at an izakaya and doing drunk Karaoke on an itinerary. I feel for people like ourselves who are already familiar with the country a strict itinerary wouldn’t be easy to come up with as most of us just want to chill, hang out with friends, eat some good think and have a few drinks in a hub now an then.
Also luckily for me my partner just spent one year in the UK so we have only been separated for 5 months and have managed to spend a decent amount of time over the pandemic together thanks to the UK’s lax rules. After this stay she will return to Japan in February so hopefully by then I can take a normal trip. I’m wanting to go over so I can ask her parents in person if I can marry her (A legitimate reason to enter the country if you ask me but the government doesn’t see it that way).
I know I may have sounded really negative on here in the past but that is just due to frustration. I really hope everyone gets their dream trip soon!
AndyO: On paper, they can enforce it “easily”. On a practical level…eeeh, if there’s even a moderate increase to the (abysmal) levels of inbound traffic I can’t see the monitoring working at all (due to the resources required).
Thanks for all the informations and updating. We are planning a tre months trip to Japan next summer and your site is the best place to get updated information, that helps us decide what to do, plan and hope for. We can’t find any information so detailed in Denmark. So we really appreciate you translating news!