Thanks for the posts, Tom. 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. The number of people anxiously awaiting Japans reopening is shrinking, not growing. of course the opposition (not all of it, from what I read) is against this. Re: Will Japan will re-open fully to tourists before October? 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. New Galleries In Naoshima (March 12th, 2022) 4. Experience the best of Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone and Kamakura on this 9-night, low-cost Small Group Tour. tomthanks for ALL the help.I was told I need the MYSOS app to enter now, but there is mixed information on JapanWeb. Ill never forget this amazing, special blog and the unlikely community of shared pain that flourished here for as long as I live. The Japanese governmentis now looking to capitalise on huge demand from travellers to visit without booking through an agency, especially as the weak yen means that travel to Japan is currently cheaper than it has been for many years. This is a major policy shift and will relaxif not eliminate entirelyJapans intensive COVID-19 countermeasures, including limiting the movements of infected people and their close contacts. Published Feb. 18, 2022 Updated Feb. 28, 2022. Will those be a requirement for overseas travelers? If youre planning a trip to the Japan, check outour other posts about Japanfor ideas on other things to do! Kiyomizu-dera Temple with cherries in full bloom: f11 photo / Shutterstock.com, Last Update: February 28, 2023 (this page will be updated as needed). Read on to find out about the current atmosphere in the country. The short version is that it is possible to enter, regardless of whether youre vaccinated or unvaccinated, albeit with a testing requirement for the latter. February 24th, 2022 at 2:15 PM EST Skift Take Japan is clearly taking steps to prepare for a reopening to foreign tourists not just the gradual border easing that will take place next month.. Slowly but surely, foreign visitors are returning to Japan. Guidelines for tourist attractions are straightforward. Either way, thats something to continue keeping in mind. TOKYO . The endisnear. Sheesh! Contents. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. 2023 Yosemite Firefall Viewing Guide: Best Dates, Reservations Info & Face Masks in Japan: Rules v. Reality (2023), Please subscribe to our FREE email newsletter, Japan Fall Colors Forecast & Autumn Foliage Viewing Guide, Tokyo Disneyland 40th Anniversary 'Dream-Go-Round' Details, New Parade & Japan Reopening Disney Tourist Blog The KKK News. From the beginning this page was the only place I checked (sometimes daily) for hope. Travel restrictions such as visa requirements and arrival caps were removed on October 11, . Please subscribe to our FREE email newsletterand stay tuned if you are curious about how things are on-the-ground for tourists in Japan post-reopening. Most read in 2022 Japan's reopening, war in Ukraine -- our 12 most read stories of 2022. Were excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad. 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. Visa-free, independent travel is now possible for most nationalities. Can you really see Japan's best bits on a budget? Lets have a look at the measures that are still in place, despite the reopening of borders. Moreover, how this played out with Japans last announcement is also instructive. Japan finally reopened its borders to independent foreign travelers and reintroduced visa-free entry from October 11, 2022. Visa-free, independent travel restarted on October 11. The specifics are not consistent among outlets, so lets start with where theyre in agreeance. Even though the Japanese government relaxed a prior mandate in late May, many people are still wearing masks outdoors. Ready for the trip of a lifetime? sheeesh still cant believe my trip starting october 22nd might actually happen this time (). 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. 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. Japan also began allowing unguided tours, meaning ones not accompanied by tour conductors. =w=)b. Japan Airlines planes at Narita International Airport: EQRoy / Shutterstock.com. Single-use cutlery is rife, including disposable chopsticks and plastic forks. All travel companies are different. Early detection of postpartum depression? Find inspiration for your Japan holiday plans by exploring our latest brochure. 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. Up until now, the government has eased access to the country in baby steps amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. And indeed, there was nothing today, either, or even this year so far because at last the Japan we loved, the Japan that rejected us against sense, science and reason, has finally provided a sensible, responsible option for people like us to enter the country, which was all we ever asked for in the first place. 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 this case, his/her screen will be Yellow, but he/she can use Fast Track.. The national border is under the management of central government, Koike said. Thats simply a good time to visit Japan and, hopefully, the country will be open to individual tourists by then. This was a great place to keep up to date on the happenings. Japan To Open Borders From June 10 To Aid Hobbled Tourism Industry: Report . There are thousands of hotels and other tourist-oriented industries in the city. The reopening to tourism was very slow and gradual, but there are not any constraint anymore and anyone can travel freely to Japan. Dining out doesnt mean getting rid of the mask. P.s. While I hope to see you around here on future updates, I know that probably wont be the case. You all made the (repeated) cancellations and premature excitement a bit more bearable. All others must show such proof. Kyoto in cherry blossom season: f11 photo / Shutterstock.com. 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. 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. Japan is always magical, but if you like to have the magic all to yourself, 2022 could be a once in a lifetime opportunity! 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. Will be heading back again in a couple of weeks. We also recommend consulting ourUltimate Guide to KyotoandUltimate Guide to Tokyoto plan. Like a moth to a flame.). Koike said that Japans borders would fully reopen soon. Use the Visit Japan Web app to upload your Covid vaccination status or Covid test results. Thanks for all the updates and helpful info during this stressful and hard time, Tom!! While it certainly sounds likethe end is nearfor the Japan travel ban, its premature to have a high degree of confidence. If youre planning a trip to Japan, there are some things you should do now. In June, the country first reopened to leisure travelers from 98 countries including the U.S., but officials required a visa . Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Japan. If you want a copy of thistotally freeeBook and Japan reopening updates, all you need to do issubscribe to our newsletter! Thu 26 May 2022 23.20 EDT Japan has announced it will end a two-year pandemic closure and reopen to tourists from 98 countries and regions next month, but travellers will only be allowed in as. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; Before the pandemic, Japan's tourism industry was booming. 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 Japan open for tourism After almost two and a half years of strict Covid-19 protocol and restrictions, this is a major shift in policy. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future, he said. Spending another night in Okinawa for the 55th stay of my ongoing 87-day adventure across Japan, I absent-mindedly typed the letter J into my web browser, only to have this article come up as the first suggestion. 1) Register for "Visit Japan Web". Another possibility is that Japan will allow individual foreign tourists to enter the country andexempt them from visas if they have been vaccinated three times or submit a pre-arrival test result. These are all our latest exclusive holiday, vacation and tour offers brought to you from InsideJapan Tours. 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. 2022, Japan removed visa requirements and arrival caps, returning to pre-pandemic travel arrangements. by: Kristy Tamashiro. It could start as soon as late November, but is more likely in December. With this, the visa exemption would be reinstated, making that a non-issue. Setouchi Triennale (First Session from April 14th, 2022) 3. The next step for Japan, I think, is Corona downgrade and mask usage. Europeans are currently only allowed into the country in exceptional circumstances. Thanks, [] to individual tourists for the duration of the festivities. Mon 10 Oct 2022 23.22 EDT Last modified on Tue 11 Oct 2022 07.34 EDT Japan has fully opened its doors to visitors after more than two years of pandemic isolation. Thank you, for this wonderful site with its very helpful regular updates! The country will allow visa-free entry for. Now that borders are open you can visit a new UNESCO site in northern Japan, open since May 2021. History. Our view is that the worst-case scenario is nowhighlyunlikely. As of October 11, 2022, Japan is open for tourism for independent travelers without a guide or a packaged tour. From October 11, 2022, almost all restrictions are to be lifted. Kihara isnt the only one who has been vocal about fully reopening to tourists recently. Among fellow G7 countries, Japan has had some of the strictest rules it comes to border restrictions. 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. Jul 18, 2022, 1:40 PM. Asia Welcomes Travelers, but Japan Says, Not Yet Countries across region are reopening borders to tourists, but Japan continues to turn them away. This is the end weve all be anxiously awaiting for ~2 years! Mount Fuji: One of Japan's three sacred mountains. Japan has maintained fairly strict border control since the pandemic began however as of October 11th, 2022, all COVID restrictions and border controls have been lifted. Tourists from all countries or regions can visit Japan on a package tour (including non-guided package tour). This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, InsideJapan Tours, an award winning travel brand specializing in group tours, tailormade travel and cultural experiences across Japan, Tokaido Trail - the original InsideJapan group tour, DOWNLOAD OUR BRAND NEW 2022/2023 BROCHURE. 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. The government had a goal of 40 million in 2020 timed with the Summer Olympics. Japan's tourism industry is still waiting for the country's borders to fully reopen [File: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg] (Bloomberg) When Japan implemented a blanket ban on inbound tourists in. If the plan goes ahead, it would mark a major shift in Japans border restrictions, which have been conservative compared with those of fellow Group of Seven members. Essentially, there will be no (legal) basis for the current border protocol effective May 8, 2023. In our view, koyo (autumn leaves) season is a good bet, and that takes place from mid-November through December. 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Reopening to individual tourists in October presents minimal (political) risk and maximum (economic) upside. Even just seeing the site suggestion come up, I could feel my heart reflexively sink into my chest in dread, as though it were already anticipating nothing today, either. Frankly, the miscalculation here by the Kishida administration is thinking that this will have an immediate impact on inbound travel. (This number includes hotels used as government quarantine facilities, not just leisure stays.). Coronavirus . See details here. (February 2023 Update). Speaking of which, check out ourJapan Fall Colors Forecast & Autumn Foliage Viewing Guideto get started on planning your trip to visit Japans popular fall foliage cities, including Kyoto, Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Nara. Hospitalizations and mortality remain relatively low. Is Japan open for internationalindividual travelers? Domestic criticism and lobbying have already allowed a significant easing of the restrictions. May its borders remain open forevermore. If you're not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site. Of course, things could change between now and then, but its likely the border will revert to late 2019 status as of that date. Are borders open as normal in 2023? It also intends to abolish the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, the report added. These leaks came after Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara spoke on Fuji TV over the weekend and stated thatJapan will consider easing all three restrictionsthe daily arrival cap, ban on individual tourists, and visa requirements. Japan has vilified and scapegoated foreigners and had an overly aggressive approach to its borders. Those two posts cover essentially everything you need to know about visiting Japan as of 2023. Visit our main site to read more about this topic or contact one of our specialists. 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