Hi Tom, Updated On September 26, 2022. Subscribe to our email newsletter for the latest news & instant alerts. (It took a few more days for the guidelines to be released, and the clarifying FAQ isstillbeing updated. TOKYO Japan will open its borders to foreign tourists in June for the first time since imposing tight pandemic travel restrictions about two years ago, but only for package tours for now . Slowly but surely, foreign visitors are returning to Japan. 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. See details here. November 2 - International travelers to Japan exceeded 200,000 in September. The U.S. Embassy strongly urges any U.S. citizens considering travel to Japan to carefully review the information available from the Government of Japan. Japan is finally open! What about proof of vaccination? Yes! When Visa Free Travel to Japan Since October 11, 2022, tourists from countries in the visa waiver program have been able to enter Japan visa-free again. Decreased tourism plus falling exports, an increased consumption tax, reduced consumer spending, weak yen, and growing national debt. Fully independent, visa-free travel to Japan is now possible from October 11, Sort of, hence the confusion! Most read in 2022 Japan's reopening, war in Ukraine -- our 12 most read stories of 2022. . Kiyomizu-dera Temple with cherries in full bloom: Japan Airlines planes at Narita International Airport: Guide to the Visit Japan Web app and Japan Entry Procedures, Kansai International Airport (for Osaka and Kyoto), Kyoto Walking Tour 1: Nanzen-ji Temple to Yoshida-jinja Shrine, Kyoto Walking Tour 2: Tofuku-ji Temple to Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, Kyoto Walking Tour 3: Classic Southern Higashiyama, A Guide to the Visit Japan Web app and Japan Entry Procedures, Kyoto Itineraries for Families with Children, Kyoto One-Day Off-the-Beaten-Track Cherry Blossom Itinerary, The Most Romantic Hotels and Ryokan in Kyoto. However, as we have seen time and time again, the patently obvious conclusion often is not the outcome reached by Japan. Who knowsit still may take until early 2023 to fully downgrade the legal status of COVID. Fortwo-and-a-half years, travel to Japan has been pretty tough. By September 14, 2022 Credit: Depositphotos Advertisement After. Those reading regular updates on Japans reopening are not representative of international travelers at large. Istanbul is one of the most important tourism spots not only in Turkey but also in the world. From Sept. 22nd, In a Reuters report published on The Japan Times, the government may allow hotels to refuse entry to guests who do not wear masks and follow other anti-virus measures.This new measure is still in its infancy. InUnguided Tours in Japan Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. One wildcard is the downgrade of COVIDs legal status. Japan on Friday eased its borders for foreign tourists. May all our trips be everything we dreamt of and more. Travel restrictions such as visa requirements and arrival caps were removed on October 11th, and Japan is fully open for tourism. Kishida has also acknowledged that Japans border control measures are the strictest among Group of Seven nations, and expressed a desire/need to bring Japan in line with its counterparts. First, there is consensus that the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, will be eliminated entirely. Thank you Tom for providing us a platform to discuss thing amidst all the confusing developments and giving us updates. We had a nice little community here, and that was greatly appreciated. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that Japan will allow the entry of nonescorted visitors on package tours and raise the daily arrival cap to 50,000 starting Sept. 7 . Dont get us wrong, we love Japan (enough to dedicate 22 years of our lives to the place), and part of loving Japan is marveling at how delightfully confusing it can be at times. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Exercise normal precautions in Japan. Visit our main site to read more about this topic or contact one of our specialists. Its possible the country views this as sufficient for tourism businesses to stave off bankruptcy or other financial hardship for another few months. Turkey's largest city, Istanbul has a number of major attractions derived from its historical status as capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.These include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the "Blue Mosque"), the Hagia . The definitive guide to Japans tourist reopening in 2022, However, after more than two and a half years of waiting, the country fully reopened to tourism. July 20, 2021. Japan will resume accepting some foreign tourists in June at the earliest, a government source said Friday, likely reversing a ban on their entry introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. Some facilities such as museums, aquariums and theme parks require prior booking or a ticket purchase. Some places expect more self-service, such as helping yourself to water, though this can change from one establishment to another. It could start as soon as late November, but is more likely in December. But I was there from the beginning, first as a lurker and then eventually as a participant, so I know precisely how it came to be. There is a lot of pent up demand for travel to Japan, so plane tickets and accommodations should be a priority. The basics. If there are no screens, you may be expected to practice social distancing by sitting a table or two away from other customers. Government advice is for masks to be worn on public transport and some indoor venues but, contrary to what one might expect, there has never been a mask mandate in the country. May its borders remain open forevermore. Any questions? It kind of fell like a little community in here, like I know from Discord groups. Things To Do In Kyoto Overview Start Here! These include: checking body temperature on arrival, social distancing when possible and regularly sanitizing hands, in addition to wearing a mask. This is would allow a bit of wiggle room for Japans 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, its that inaction is Japans baseline, and anything that does happen occurs gradually and in stages. Think those will stick around for several months, or are simply theater to shift public opinion? To learn more see our FAQ, Rust belt province got old before it got rich, as much of China will. Wow, i cant believe it. 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. Lets 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. Think the need to adapt and live with the endemic virus will outweigh fear when it comes to Japans reopening plans? At best, this helps with winter. Tourists with U.S. passports can stay in Japan visa-free for up to three months. We offer (genuinely small) Small Group Tours with the worlds best Japan guides, passionate Japanophiles who live in the country, speak the language and will bring the culture to life for you. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Japan. Japan, like much of the world, has changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, after more than two and a half years of waiting the country is fully reopening for tourism. Thank you Tom and to everyone for all the insights, info, and updates. Its made it slightly more bearable having a community to discuss all the news coming out of Japan especially since group tours first became a reality. Even though the Japanese government relaxed a prior mandate in late May, many people are still wearing masks outdoors. Ghibli Park (November 1st, 2022) 2. Among fellow G7 countries, Japan has had some of the strictest rules it comes to border restrictions. Before heading to Japan to travel, make sure to check the most up-to-date information. Its entirely possible that Kishida sees this polling and his sagging approval numbers and realizes that its time to move forward. Trying a bit of everything is the best way to get beneath the surface of this fascinating country. In this case, his/her screen will be Yellow, but he/she can use Fast Track.. UPDATE: The Japanese government announced on May 26, 2022, that Japan will reopen for tourists visiting on packaged tours starting June 10, 2022. Of course you can! Ive started to see on JP twitter people asking for No mask in Japan too, so the sentiment is shifting even there. Also as previously mentioned, recent poll data also shows the public is now far less concerned with COVID than the economy, Unification Church scandal, Abes state funeral, and other issues. Most flights here are not daily, but a few times a week. Entering Japan 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. (Updated February 12, 2023.). If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this FAQ. I land on Nov. 2, the website the new form come out Nov.I am so confusedbut no one seems to come here anymore.if anyone reads this please answer if you can. If you want to travel to Japan for work: check the true nature of the work offered; get the correct visa before arriving in Japan; get legal advice before signing any contract We uncover the best of the city and put it all in an email for you. Basically, travelling with a guide either as part of a group or a private guide just for you and your travel companion(s). Do you or anyone here know if we need this after Oct. 11? Save. Visit our sister brand Inside Asia Tours. Everybody have a great trip! Frankly, the miscalculation here by the Kishida administration is thinking that this will have an immediate impact on inbound travel. Kiyomizu-dera Temple with cherries in full bloom: f11 photo / Shutterstock.com Situation Summary This Article is From May 30, 2022. Its now the popular position being advanced publicly by politicians, not just being advocated by Keidanren or Japans business lobby. 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. On Tuesday, the country. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has offered new guidance that we're covering in Japan Reopening to Individual Tourists: FAQ, Rules & Guidelines. Plus:youll soon be able to spend six weeks in Thailand, visa-free. Our view is that the worst-case scenario is nowhighlyunlikely. Here is a useful link for the latest coronavirus numbers on Japan: Disclosure: InsideKyoto.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. Thatll help you prepare for arrival, and potentially save time at the airport. According to data from the Japan Tourism Agency, stays athotels and other accommodation facilities hit another record low in Japan last yearbreaking the previous record set in 2020. To enter Japan, travelers will only need to provide proof of a third vaccination (which must be a Japan-approved vaccine), or a negative Covid test result. Travelers from most countries can now enter Japan without applying for a visa in advance. I just got back from my first post re-opening trip to Japan, and am open to answering questions. Easy. Im happy that I soon wont be needing to lurk this site on a daily basis as I have for the last countless months, but will always look back on this unexpected place of community fondly. From 11th October 2022, visa-free travel resumed and all arrival caps were removed as well. In short, the early October reopening is not just our most optimistic viewits now what we expect to happen. Updated: Mar 31, 2022 / 10:45 PM HST. Hi Tom and THANK YOU for everything this platform had AND still has to offer! Heres the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa-free travel list. I wish you all the best with your upcoming tripsthanks again for everything. While the stares have eased, and it is okay to take off the mask at the table, make sure to wear it if you need to use the toilet or even to speak to a waiter. Essentially, there will be no (legal) basis for the current border protocol effective May 8, 2023. Why Japan is Unlikely to Reopen Borders Until 2022 July 7, 20210 When Will Japan Reopen Its Borders for International Visitors (and not just Olympic athletes and coaches)? 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. TOKYO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Japan's government is planning to waive tourist visa requirements from some countries as part of a further easing of border controls enacted to stop the spread of COVID . That would mean individual tourists would not be welcomed back to Japan until sometime in the first half of 2023. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly plans to make a decision as early as the end of this week, according to the news outlets sources. What follows is based on that research and fixation with the on-the-ground situation in Japan. Its thus our view that Japan reopening in some capacity to individual tourists in October is a very realistic scenario. At that time, it was unclear whether unguided tourists would be allowed to enter. Amid the weakening yen, inbound travelers will have greatest economic effectThere are many foreign visitors who want to come visit Japan. Kihara added that eliminating the arrival cap alone was not enough. Published Feb. 18, 2022 Updated Feb. 28, 2022. 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