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!
Most of you are probably from “blue countries” but for those in yellow and red countries mofa.go.jp just updated that from September 14 a vaccination certificate or 5 day quarantine won’t be required. You just need to submit a negative covid test taken up to three days before. This is a yaaay for me because the vaccination certificate I posses is not approved by Japan. 😀
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA14DFI0U2A910C2000000/
Paywalled – but if after an article like this they don’t open, then who will trust any word that the Japanese govt has to say?
This blogpost has been a godsend – thanks Tom and commenters!
Question for the group – I may be confused, but would waiving the visa requirement automatically waive the ERFS/self guided tour requirement? Or are those considered two separate issues?
There is some speculation that the easing will be announced when Kishida will make his speech at the UN General assembly on the 20th. There’s no proof for now though.
Does that leave any doubt the decision was primarily a diplomatic decision driven by international pressure ? Anyone who thinks the government will be unhappy with fewer tourists is delusional.
I am certain that the Visa waiver will be reintroduced on Monday, I am absolutely certain of it. Why? Because that’s the day I return to the Embassy of Japan here in the UK to collect my Visa, after jumping through many hoops and some not inconsiderable expense (travel, hotels). There’s a big event on in London on Monday too, so being required to pick up on Monday morning, traveling from the Midlands is going to be a considerable challenge along with three million others heading in too. I reckon the official announcement will come the exact second I have it in my hot, tired, stressed hands.
I will nonetheless put it behind me and go to pay my respects.
Ohw Warren. Your writing brought tears to my eyes. Some from laughter, some because I feel your pain…
I got a notice for my evisa ready to issue on Sept 12th and the status changed back to under examination on 14th. Wondering if the Consulate received instruction to change the policy.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-set-waive-some-visa-requirements-october-boost-tourism-nikkei-2022-09-14/
The getting more and more air. Also just saw a picture from a Japanese newspaper which also claims the “No visas from october”; https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxQH1HRyOrMhpoI1KRXY5c1akutj_hWgYs
Yeah, this is something, which if it wasn’t true, they really should have gotten out ahead of and squashed the rumours. They haven’t denied it, they’ve let it spread. The embarrassment would be very real if they didn’t open now, so they’re going to.
I booked a JAL ticket from Australia to USA in May with a plan to stop and travel as an independent traveller on my way home …10 days from 1 October…I would be visiting Kyushu. Although I knew if the restrictions that were in place, I expected Japan would ease these surely after the cases dropped. Unless there is a change by the end of this week, I cannot afford to delay changing my ticket. This will cost me $1700 and this expense will mean I do not return to Japan either as an independent or group tourist. There are many other Asian destinations that welcome tourists.
Ellen, I understand the feeling completely. This is what the tourism industry, businesses like mine, have been fearing the longer this dragged on. I hate our government for what they’ve done to the goodwill Japan had among travellers. I hope that you’ll come visit us eventually, no matter what happens in the next few weeks. There are lots of individuals and businesses here that will be happy to welcome you when the time comes.
Hello! I have a question for anyone who might know. Once the borders are completely open, will ticket prices go up or down? Like both the demand (bc yay no restrictions) and offer (more flights will open) will go up and my economics knowledge doesn’t go that deep so I don’t know what to expect
It’s anyone’s guess. Pretty hard to predict. I saw a deal on Delta from east coast US and jumped on it in back in May for travel to Haneda in mid November. They offer cancellation for a credit so I figured was worth the gamble.
It depends on whether or not/how much the demand will surpass the supply (flights).
If, as many news outlets have been claiming, Japan is truly one of the most anticipated tourist destinations and travel-starved people are frothing at the mouth to get in, then expect it to go up.
If those claims have been exaggerated and most people have either lost interest in Japan and have moved on, then they will go down.
It will be interesting to see. I have very personal reasons for wanting to return to Japan that most people don’t have, otherwise I would have stopped caring a long time ago. And honestly, I kind of hope that their tourism numbers continue to be well below expectations even after they reopen so that they think twice before pulling this crap in the future. But I suspect most people will forgive and forget as quickly as a goldfish, since that seems to be standard post-lockdown thinking.
“And honestly, I kind of hope that their tourism numbers continue to be well below expectations even after they reopen so that they think twice before pulling this crap in the future.”
No, we don’t want that.
I certainly don’t want that, JTSBO.
Vindictive attitudes are unhealthy and unproductive, in my opinion. I definitely don’t agree with everything Japan (or almost any country, for that matter) has done in the last couple of years, but the reality is that there are human consequences to people who did not make those choices.
I’m not trying to be vindictive; I’m being realistic. It’s the same reasoning for wanting other nations to remove visa-free travel for Japanese citizens. The government needs to be incentivized to do better.
I hope another mass lockdown event doesn’t happen anytime soon. But if it does, I’m certain that Japan will have learned nothing. Or rather, they will have learned something: they can do what they want and the rest of the world will just accept it. To be fair, maybe that says more about other countries more than Japan.
I don’t have anything against the unlucky japanese business owners that are struggling with all this (I too had a business that got hit by the pandemic and I hope they quickly get their livelihood back) but I won’t deny it would nice if the big bulk of tourists came back ~after~ my trip as to enjoy Japan in a less crowded environment
A lot depends on the price of oil, I’m paying a fuel surcharge to go to Europe today from East Coast US, and as you say supply and demand or greed of airlines.
Behind a paywall but !!!! From today
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-set-to-announce-restart-of-visa-free-tourist-travel
“Japan will drop a ban on individual tourist visits and remove a cap on daily arrivals, Nikkei has learned, moving closer to pre-pandemic rules as the country looks to ride a global travel rebound.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to announce the changes in the coming days.
The latest easing of Japan’s entry rules — the toughest in the Group of Seven advanced economies — is expected to take place in October, though the final decision will depend on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad.”
There’s more, but the rest is just about the weak yen and recapping what has already happened.
Thanks Tom! This is exciting and nerve wracking!
“the final decision will depend on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad.”
This means nothing, and they know it. Just an escape clause in case they change their mind.
Also this:
“After the change, Japan will not require visas for short-term travelers from the U.S. and certain other countries. ”
Probably “blue list” countries?
Is that from the same article?
Yes.
This is a huge progress. Though it might read almost the same as the news from a few days ago, but noticed it now they were no longer “making a decision” this week, but “announce it”. So the decision is made.
Hope “the coming days” won’t be more than too many
@zazza I think it will definitely be blue countries and be one of the 50~60 countries previously enjoying visa waivers. So if any country had to get a visa to get to Japan before Covid, it’d still need it now. I think..
I agree Shinn. The language suggests the decision has been made. There’s also the new piece of information about visa waivers for US and “certain countries”. It seems like we are just waiting for the exact dates they implement changes and which countries will be allowed to travel visa free. I do wonder how they’re bypassing the Covid issue after stressing the obsessive restrictions around it for so long. Will there be requirements like travel health insurance and how do they confirm/enforce that without a visa application? Or are they under so much pressure due to the yen and economy that it doesn’t matter anymore?
It’s very concerning that there’s still no mention of dropping the travel agency requirement. I have a trip booked October 17, and if that falls through I have another booked November 14. Praying that one of the two trips will occur, but that will only happen once the bands and restrictions are fully lifted. Sounds like we’ll be halfway there next week but unless they also announce removing the travel agency requirement, that would be a deal breaker.
Do a search for “japan open tourism”, or something similar, and go to the news tab. This news has been picked up by major news organisations and travel blogs all over the world. It would be hugely embarrassing for Japan if they didn’t announce an opening for October. The international mockery would be intense, and they’d blow much of whatever little goodwill they have left among the hardcore travel community. Honestly, I think they have to now. This is the end.
Seems to be their way. A language school instructor predicted last summer that it would happen very quickly once underway. The J govt decision making process is unbelievably slow but once it happens it goes down with unbelievable speed. Can only hope there have been lessons learned.
Hi Tom-
I’d be Very interested in a blog post regarding exactly what you pack (in a carry-on) for a 2- week trip to Japan (incl. Kyoto, Tokyo, and Disney).
The idea of only packing in a carry-on for such a long trip boggles my mind honestly.
I’m (tenatively) planning a 2-week “Hallo-Christmas” trip for 2023 and have never been to Japan before. Thanks!
Hello Bob, through my experience, my number one advice is to wear rubber shoes during the Christmas time! It’s cold and it rains daily so when your walking around the Disney parks and your not wearing rubber shoes your sox/feet will get wet and it being so cold it’s not fun.
He has a post on this:
https://www.travelcaffeine.com/packing-list-kyoto-japan/
A carry-on and small backpack should be enough for a trip of any length. Just plan on doing laundry more often. Nobody cares or knows that you’re wearing the same clothes over and over again.
Slip-on shoes, new socks, a hanky or small hand towel, small change purse and 15 disposable masks. Everything else should be what you normally would take on a trip.
Has anyone tried getting their certificate from Japan Experience? JGA has stopped issuing them out of nowhere and since I am planning to go early November I’m not holding my breath for this announcement.
JGA still issues them, you just have to contact them by email instead of directly on their website (prob because they were overwhelmed with requests and also to make it more hidden, all other companies that are doing the ERFS thing require email contact first)
I would wait at least this week announcement, especially if you are from a visa waiver country.
I got mine from JGA but am trying to smooth out a problem what could be a major issue depending on the immigration officer I get. What they give is a official document ERFS. They also give a skeleton itinerary which can be “edited’ as per a representative of the company. My problem is they did not ask what airport I am entering through. They put Narita, I am coming in KIX. How do I explain that away? So far, after 2 requests, they did not change it. I put in 3rd yesterday. I’ll give update when I hear something.
Thank you Leo! If they are still giving them out I feel better and will wait a week before making a move. Hoping for something in the next week to make this all go away for everyone!
They have stopped giving them out completely.
No new info but an interesting article about reopening.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/tourists-will-love-the-yen-will-japan-love-them-back/2022/09/12/0d9547ee-32e7-11ed-a0d6-415299bfebd5_story.html
Hello – and THANK YOU for this wonderful in-depth examination of travel to Japan! I have already bought my ticket to visit my son (who is a student in Japan) for mid-November 2022. I hope and pray that I will be allowed into the country at that time!
If your son is in Japan you are allowed in anyway.
Very heartening to read some of the commentary here. I empathize! I too was visiting Japan two or three times a year, and I miss it terribly. There really is no other place like it, when you consider both the society and the scenery.
I do not feel entitled to traipse through their wonderland, I am a guest and will always be one. However, I don’t feel that isolation does Japan very many favors either. Glad to hear that saner heads may be prevailing inside the Japanese government.
Japan entry rules still say you can’t use public transportation other than transport from the airport. Is this still the case?
I saw that while ago, where did you see it recently.
ANA has a summary of the public transit rules on their site. According to it:
Blue and any status or yellow and vaccinated may use public transit
Yellow and unvaccinated or red and unvaccinated may use public transit only to go to quarantine
Red and unvaccinated may not use public transit
Could you put a link to the ANA information? I’m sure you understand what you’ve posted but it doesn’t make any sense out of context
Mikel, I was unable to post it with the link before. The post just didn’t appear, so I assumed the link got automatically scrubbed. I’ll try again now.
https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/topics/coronavirus-travel-information/immigration/
Use the “After Entry to Japan” tab
Mikel, I was unable to post it with the link before, and I just tried again now. The post just didn’t appear, so I assume the link got automatically scrubbed.
The colours I referenced are the divisions of countries into blue, yellow, red categories. You can probably find the country list somewhere online. I think all or almost all developed countries are blue.
Sorry about that! For whatever reason, the system (not me) flagged your comment as spam. I manually reinstated it.
Thanks, Tom. Of course there is an error in what I wrote. It should be (2nd rule changed to “red and vaccinated”):
Blue and any status or yellow and vaccinated may use public transit
Yellow and unvaccinated or red and vaccinated may use public transit only to go to quarantine
Red and unvaccinated may not use public transit
Hi Tom, We have booked a family holiday for late January 2023. Are you pretty optimistic we will be able to go? I have booked all flights and accommodation myself and did not book through a travel company. We only have 4 of our 5 kids vaccinated against COVID. Do you think we need to get the unvaccinated 9 year old vaccinated now whilst there is still time or we won’t need to prove vaccination to get into Japan? Would love to hear your thoughts to help me put my mind at ease! Thanks!!!
There might be an announcement on a full reopening this week.
Never been required. Unvaxed need a pre arrival test but hopefully that is dropped with the reopening announcement coming soon.
You already don’t have to vaccinate or get PCR for under 18s as long as their guardians are triple vaxxed and from a blue country. It’s buried in one of the many FAQs.
Hi Tom,
What do you think are the chances of Japan opening by March 2023? My husband and I would love to visit the country over March/April, but we prefer to plan months in advance and are risk averse, so we’re not sure about whether to postpone this trip to another year or whether to take the risk. Accommodation bookings are not an issue with free cancellation, but changing flights tends to be expensive… We’d welcome your thoughts on this.
Many thanks,
Valeria
Hang on a week or so there is supposed to be an announcement on a potential full reopening very soon.
https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/543767
Looks like the Go Travel (or whatever it’s called now) will start around the same time.
From an outside perspective I deeply despise it since it requires vaccination or negative test, hence it’s discriminatory for Japanese citizens.
I’m just going by Google Translate but I think it says they plan to run the new Go To Travel campaign from late September through the end of the year.
That would certainly affect domestic travel crowds this autumn.