For these two-plus years, weve been closely monitoring the situation in Japan, watching several hours of NHK each day and reading multiple Japanese news sources. On Thursday, Kishida announced that Japan will resume visa-free entry for individual travelers on October 11. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has offered new guidance that we're covering in Japan Reopening to Individual Tourists: FAQ, Rules & Guidelines. 11 helpful votes. Wow, i cant believe it. Here are all the details on visa-free travel, vaccination and Covid test requirements. Our trips to Japan come in two travel styles: Check out our Small Group Tours departures calendar, Check out our Best of Japan itinerary its perfect as inspiration for a first-time trip. Autumn is already a lost cause. Travel restrictions such as visa requirements and arrival caps were removed on October 11th, and Japan is fully open for tourism. (With the possible workaround of travel insurance or some other awkward fix.). To enter Japan tourists simply need to: Return a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure, OR provide a valid Covid-19 certificate of having had at least 3 vaccine doses (the certificate needs to be uploaded onto Visit Japan web) The country has also dropped its daily cap of 50,000 arrivals and its list of permitted countries, with visitors from all countries and regions now being accepted. }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-adqosrqps")); If youre planning a visit to Japan, our recommendation at this point is to target sometime in November at the earliest. Travel agencies eye discounts for those vaccinated for COVID-19. Those reading regular updates on Japans reopening are not representative of international travelers at large. There are also signs that stringent travel measures, including the border closure, are having a greater impact on Japans economy than previously believed. Try another? May all our trips be everything we dreamt of and more. Beloved for its unique mix of vibrant urban culture and natural beauty, the country is lifting its tight regulations on foreign tourists, according to a tweet Thursday from Taro Kono, Japan's. It kind of fell like a little community in here, like I know from Discord groups. We will review all three restrictions together. This means that people can book their own flights, accommodation and experiences, without having to go through a travel agent, which was the previous rule. Its been our perspective that this was a necessary prerequisite towelcoming 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. Economists fear a double dip recession in Japan due to the prolonged closures and restrictions. In many places, customers should browse the menu via a QR code. Yet despite the wealth of praises I have for Tom, this article and its two-year community, I am so, so glad, perhaps gladder than ever now, that compulsively opening this link in my browser is no longer part of my daily routine. We are eager to revisit our favorite places, see friends in Japan for the first time in over two years, and continue creating this sites wealth of free planning resources. Were excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad. Here are 7 of the new tourist attractions that are opening in Japan in 2022! Together, youll craft your itinerary. With all of this said, Ill present my revised best, worst, and base-case scenarios for Japans reopening to individual tourists, Lets start with the best-case scenario. Your updates were by far the best I could find on the internet and helped lots of us getting through this (dare I say; emotional) rollercoaster the past several years. Thanks Tom, and everyone! The government had a goal of 40 million in 2020 timed with the Summer Olympics. Most read in 2022 Japan's reopening, war in Ukraine -- our 12 most read stories of 2022. Basically, travelling with a guide either as part of a group or a private guide just for you and your travel companion(s). Some independent shops namely those with a more international customer base have notices saying that it is okay to not wear masks, but these places are rare. Im heading to Tokyo for the first time in 3.5 years on October 23rd and I cant wait! Impediments to international travel to Japan also come from measures imposed by the tourists' own countries. Its thus our view that Japan reopening in some capacity to individual tourists in October is a very realistic scenario. There will be a winter resurgence. I was there for 11 days, mostly in Tokyo, and also to the bullet train to Sanjo (near Niigata) for a couple of days, and also a day trip to Mount Fuji with a driver/guide. Before the pandemic, Japan's tourism industry was booming. Any questions? You dont have to be vaccinated to travel to Japan, but whether you need a PCR test does depend on your vaccination status: Sort of, hence the confusion! June 23, 2022 mean getting rid of the mask. Either way, thats something to continue keeping in mind. (It took a few more days for the guidelines to be released, and the clarifying FAQ isstillbeing updated. Naoko Kutty. This is specifically forunguided tour groups or non-escorted visitors on package tours andnotindividual tourists. Use the Visit Japan Web app to upload your Covid vaccination status or Covid test results. The Japanese government has been working on a borders reopening schedule since April 27 to help revive the economy. Previously, travel requirements included booking your trip through a government-approved tour operator and also obtain a visa and ERFS certificate, but both these requirements are no longer necessary. Cases are currently in freefall and will continue decreasing next month before bottoming out sometime between late October and early November. Despite the aforementioned numbers, Japan is maintaining its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors by 2030. Here is the lowdown on Japan's relaxed travel rules. 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. Visa-free, independent travel restarted on October 11. Now that borders are open you can visit a new UNESCO site in northern Japan, open since May 2021. Early detection of postpartum depression? May its borders remain open forevermore. Decreased tourism plus falling exports, an increased consumption tax, reduced consumer spending, weak yen, and growing national debt. Jul 18, 2022, 1:40 PM. Hi Tom and THANK YOU for everything this platform had AND still has to offer! . New Galleries In Naoshima (March 12th, 2022) 4. Its akin to the experience we had when we started InsideJapan in the year 2000, back when the idea of Kyoto being over-touristed seemed impossible. Few countries around the world have been so cautious about reopening their borders to tourism after the cataclysmic shutdowns of 2020. Aug 31, 2022. Ive missed it so much. Cant wait! of course the opposition (not all of it, from what I read) is against this. The reopening to tourism was very slow and gradual, but there are not any constraint anymore and anyone can travel freely to Japan. From the beginning this page was the only place I checked (sometimes daily) for hope. =w=)b. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. If youre planning a trip to Japan, there are some things you should do now. Lets see where THIS goes. Wearing masks indoors is still softly required by many shops and restaurants. Here's a quick breakdown of the details: Only tourists on packaged tours are allowed from June 10 Entry limit updated from 10,000 to 20,000 people per day In terms of the latest news, the current vaccine and testing policies are likely to end on May 8, 2023. sheeesh still cant believe my trip starting october 22nd might actually happen this time (). Coronavirus . On Tuesday, the country. You will be free to make your own choices where masks are not advised we wouldnt recommend choosing not to wear one where they are advised. Well, in September 2022, Fumio Kishida, the Japanese Prime Minister announced that the country will begin to reopen independent, free travel from October 11. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future, he said. Thanks for the posts, Tom. Boosting tourism was core to the late former Prime Minister Abes economic revitalization, and both subsequent prime ministers have indicated their intentions to maintain continuity with those plans. What to Expect? Thats a wild card that could further extend any timeline. So, it seems the country is finallyon the road to properly welcoming travellers again and thats something that we can all get very excited about. In this case, his/her screen will be Yellow, but he/she can use Fast Track.. 2022, Japan removed visa requirements and arrival caps, returning to pre-pandemic travel arrangements. The big one for most of you is likely going to beJapan Face Mask Rules v. Reality in 2023. Japan relaxed its border measures earlier in September while still being #1 in the world for new cases. Re: Will Japan will re-open fully to tourists before October? Visit our sister brand Inside Asia Tours. Im very glad its dead but am also appreciative of what existed while it did. Japan's public transport system is among the best in the world, its jewel the high-tech, high . At the summit, the Japanese company Hotel Management International Company Limited (HMI Group) decided to open hotels in 30 cities including Agra, Ayodhya, and Varanasi.". Visa-free travel is possible for all countries that originally had this arrangement with Japan, which includes countries like Australia, New Zealand, the UK, most of Europe, the US and Canada. These are all our latest exclusive holiday, vacation and tour offers brought to you from InsideJapan Tours. Japan opens up to foreign tourists after two years 27 May 2022 Coronavirus pandemic Getty Images By Nadeem Shad BBC News After being closed to tourists for two years, Japan is opening its. If youre planning a trip to the Japan, check outour other posts about Japanfor ideas on other things to do! Subscribers also receive a totally free copy of ourJapan on a BudgeteBook. Japan Tourism: The decision means Japan will allow in a limited number of foreign . Slowly but surely, foreign visitors are returning to Japan. So, youll be able to have the place mostly to yourself and everything will seem positively cheap! As the Japan experts, weve sought all the requirement information directly from Japanese government sources and broken them down into easy-to-understand sections. Basically, travelling with a guide either as part of a group or a private guide just for you and your travel companion(s). On January 20, Prime Minister Kishida announced that Japan will downgrade Covid to the same category as seasonal influenza on May 8. |. Thanks to so many of you regular readers and commenters who made the last couple of years easier, shared articles, optimistic/pessimistic updates, and so much more. js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/28/412454028.js"; The government is planning to allow independent tourists to come to Japan and exempt them from visas if they have been vaccinated three times or submit a pre-arrival test result, Fuji TV reported Monday. Let's have a proper look at what has changed for those planning to travel to Japan in 2022 and what to expect when you finally do get here. However, if you are not vaccinated and boosted, you will need to have a negative Covid test within 72 hours of boarding your flight to Japan. Children traveling with triple-vaxxed (ie, boosted) parents are exempt from the pre-departure Covid test requirement, whether or not theyve been vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated, you have to take a pre-departure test. fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); Of course, things could change between now and then, but its likely the border will revert to late 2019 status as of that date. Ready for the trip of a lifetime? Hardly a week goes by when we don't get this question from a TravelSort Client. The specifics are not consistent among outlets, so lets start with where theyre in agreeance. Japansreclassification of COVID-19 to Class 5 came after a panel of experts under the health ministry agreed on the plan earlier in the day. In various updates here, weve been sharing our experiences and what its like as a foreign visitor, what has changed, crowd conditions, expenses of visiting Japan with the weaker yen, and much more. Following Japans decision last month to drop pre-departure testing,the Japanese governmentis nowallowing travellers to visit Japan without booking a guided tour or using a travel agency. Published Feb. 18, 2022 Updated Feb. 28, 2022. Well, I visited only recently but it was one of the (very few) level-headed sites that discussed this topic. Dj vu! On August 23, specifics of the September relaxation measures were leaked to the same media outlets. This will save you significant money on accommodations, attractions, temples, groceries, transportation, and even Michelin-rated restaurants! 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