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InUnguided Tours in Japan Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. 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. Its now the popular position being advanced publicly by politicians, not just being advocated by Keidanren or Japans business lobby. Who is currently allowed to travel to Japan? 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. It could start as soon as late November, but is more likely in December. Again, if youd like to be notified as soon as more details are released or rumored, subscribe to ourfree email newsletter for ongoing updates and alerts: (function(d, s, id) { Visit Japan Web App also let me pre fill out for immigration and customs, and just use the QR codes for those as well. More information can be found here . This follows on from the opening of high-end luxury Onsen Ryokan Yuen Sapporo (2020) and in the run-up to the Adventure Travel World Summit due to be held here in the autumn of 2023. We also recommend consulting ourUltimate Guide to KyotoandUltimate Guide to Tokyoto plan. I am so glad that our community died, and that all of us who were trapped in this purgatory for so long have finally been able to resume our travels, adventures and lifestyles. Moreover, how this played out with Japans last announcement is also instructive. Statements by politicians and medical advisors, gradual border relaxation measures, and other changes could be interpreted as Japan laying thegroundwork for a resumption of normalcy and the countrys eventual reopening. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Thanks for your commitment, communication and consultation over the last 2 years. Did the Visit Japan Web App before arrival and was simple getting through everything at Narita, just had to show them the QR codes, two people traveling, one with the triple vaccination and one just using pre travel PCR test. Under the current COVID-19 border restrictions, foreign tourists need to obtain a short-term visa and prepare their flights, itinerary, accommodation, and car rentals ahead of time through a. Except for everyone wearing masks, things seemed mostly back to normal. You all made the (repeated) cancellations and premature excitement a bit more bearable. Two years after their Euro 2008 triumph, Spain went to South Africa determined to make history-but they would have to overcome defensive tactics, lunging tackles and intense media scrutiny. Thanks for all the updates and helpful info during this stressful and hard time, Tom!! Flooding in southern Malaysia forces 40,000 people to flee homes, Hong Kong court convicts 3 members of Tiananmen vigil group for security offence, Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Eimi Yamamitsu; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Robert Birsel, China says should advance 'peaceful reunification' with Taiwan, Philippines says Chinese navy ship spotted near disputed island, North Korea says US causing international arms control collapse, China plans 7.2% defence spending rise this year, faster than GDP target, Hong Kong women's rights protest cancelled after police cite risk of violence, Cameroonian businessman charged with complicity in torture after journalist's murder, Ecuador assembly backs report calling for Lasso impeachment process, UK to unveil new law to stop Channel migrants on Tuesday - paper, China to promote vaccine development, new medicines, Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals. Japan is finally reopening its borders to mass tourism on October 11. Will Japan open borders in 2023? Want to receive free updates on when Japan will reopen for travel? Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; For now, direct flights from China can only land at the Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Chubu airports. P.s. I am incredibly pleased to finally welcome back individual travellers after coping with the pandemic during a wait of two-and-a-half years. Japan has vilified and scapegoated foreigners and had an overly aggressive approach to its borders. Can you write one last update about the boarder being opened. Japan is always one decade lagging behind the developed world. I have been to Japan many times pre-covid, and I am now going again this year late October. Elsewhere, the star-studded Super Mario movie (name TBC) will be opening in cinemas in April 2023, and a film adaptation of popular video game Ghost of Tsushima is in the works. 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. 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. Thats the sharpest fall on record according to the Japan Tourism Agency. Just booked my accommodation/flights/insurance/rail pass for a 22 day trip to Hiroshima, Fukui, Kanazawa, Nagoya and Osaka! 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. Japan is a highly attractive country not only for tourism, but also for international conferences and incentive travel. sheeesh still cant believe my trip starting october 22nd might actually happen this time (). The infection situation has been stabilizing in Japan and the government will consult with public health experts before reviewing the country's . I will be in Japan from the second week of Nov. No doubt I will walk past some of you on here at the customs or one of the many beautiful places in Japan . This . 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. Against that economic backdrop, lets take a look at the latest changes to Japans reopening plans. Thanks, [] to individual tourists for the duration of the festivities. Just open the borders already. So why aren't tourists coming back? TOKYO: Japan looks like it may finally open its borders and end its splendid isolation. Hi Tom, Sort of. 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. Come see the new Japan. Do you or anyone here know if we need this after Oct. 11? The political and economic appetite for fully relaxation now clearly exists, and theres a vocal chorus of politicians in Japanincluding those who were previously in favor of closed borderschampioning reopening. Nevertheless, despite loosening restrictions in September, travelers will still need to . Japans economy has serious issues and inbound tourism was previously a bright spot. Mount Fuji: One of Japan's three sacred mountains and. 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. Frankly, the miscalculation here by the Kishida administration is thinking that this will have an immediate impact on inbound travel. May all our trips be everything we dreamt of and more. Were preserving this for posterity, but everything that follows is now (thankfully!) 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. Those two posts cover essentially everything you need to know about visiting Japan as of 2023. 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. Cant wait! Independent tourists are not yet granted entry, although they can be expected to be allowed back by Autumn 2022. First, there is consensus that the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, will be eliminated entirely. Putting aside how I obviously need to be clearing my web history more often, it all feels so surreal now that is, how religiously I checked this comments section for news on Japan not even half a year prior, a somewhat embarrassing fact that Firefox is keen to remind me of. Call 81 3 3201 3331. Visit in Spring or Autumn. Ive started to see on JP twitter people asking for No mask in Japan too, so the sentiment is shifting even there. Sapporo 2023 will see the return of the Snow Festival for the first time in person in 3 years, and comes as the Susukino nightlife district grows with a new OMO3 property (2022) aimed at more adventurous travellers and a new Tokyu complex (2023) on the iconic Susukino crossing, including entertainment spaces and a new hotel. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that his top priority was formulating new economic measures and implementing these goals. The country's domestic and international business community united on Friday in urging the government to open further, including "rapidly resuming" individual tourist travel and bringing. Any thoughts or tips of your own to add? That theres more upside than downside risk in reopening and encouraging more economic activity. During the Bloomberg New Voices panel,Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would open the countrys doors tomorrow if it were her decision. So you can do more than take in Japans captivating culture, history, nature, and cuisine, we are also working hard on projects for sustainable tourism, adventure travel, and luxury travel. While it certainly sounds likethe end is nearfor the Japan travel ban, its premature to have a high degree of confidence. Thank you Tom for providing us a platform to discuss thing amidst all the confusing developments and giving us updates. That this would be achieved in such an unexpected setting on the comments section of a single article on a white-and-orange travel blog, which came to accumulate nearly 3,000 comments as though it were a 2000s-era forum feels almost too ridiculous to be true. Thanks to everyone in here in the comments for that! TOKYO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Japan will maintain its tight entry restrictions to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus until the end of February, the prime minister said on. Japan has maintained some of the strictest 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. I assume well hear from AndyO soon, admitting he was wrong, like he demanded from so many of us. Second, theres awareness within theKishida administration that the window of opportunity to reopen the border is closing. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future, he said. Regardless, its 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. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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. Were excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad. I didnt comment here as much as many, but I sure did check this articles comments several times every day for the pastI dont know how long. Japan relaxed its border measures earlier in September while still being #1 in the world for new cases. This is despite Japans Go to Travel campaign that subsidized domestic travel, which was offered at various times during the last two years. Thats a wild card that could further extend any timeline. Japan slams the borders shut on Omicron. As frustrating as this whole process has been, Japan is not still (completely) stuck in March 2020. Any questions? Was less crowded than when I was there before, especially at the airport. It is finally over. Im inclined to say Spring 2023, but its easy to envision a worst-case that isnt until summer. Still, Wanping Aw, CEO of the Tokyo-based travel agency Tokudaw said her company saw a large uptick in business after Japan reopened its borders in June with 50% of enquires and bookings . 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. 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 . Not so much in the last couple of years, as this has been reflected in policy-making. 2023 will also see the opening of Yokohamas first high-end Hilton property in a waterfront development that will also house the K-Arena, one of the worlds largest live music venues, as part of the new Music Terrace. Recently, Japan reopened to limited numbers of fully vaccinated foreign business travelers and students, and raised its daily limit of these arrivals from 3500 to 5000. Either way, thats something to continue keeping in mind. Finally booked my flights, enjoy your trips everyone! Instead of blanket testing of travellers from mainland China, Japan will only test selected samples, although travellers will still need to show a negative test before boarding their flights to Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference on Monday. All Rights Reserved. Be part of our community of seasoned travel and hospitality industry professionals from all over the world. Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. Like a moth to a flame.). 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. despite protests. With that in mind, lets 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.. The Japanese government recently eased its COVID-19 entry restrictions, meaning tourists can now visit without being on a guided tour. Its possible the country views this as sufficient for tourism businesses to stave off bankruptcy or other financial hardship for another few months. The Tokyo Olympics briefly saw Japan reopen its borders to the world (a year later than planned) in 2021, amid the onset of the pandemic, but just three months after the closing ceremony Prime Minister Fumio Kishida banned all incoming foreign travellers in a bid to prevent the spread of omicron. Autumn is already a lost cause. As COVID-19's Omicron variant surges around the world, advanced democracies are generally responding vigorously but with lower levels of restrictions on social life and travel than in 2020 and 2021. so its confirmed Thanks so much Tom. As for you, Tom Id buy you a round at my favourite izakaya if I could! Updated on Oct 29, 2021 01:32 PM IST While other Asian countries are inching toward reopening, Japan's borders will likely remain shut for some time to come. For my own peace of mind, could you please confirm that MYSOS form completion will no longer be a necessary requirement for entry into Japan from October 11th when the travel restrictions are lifted? of course the opposition (not all of it, from what I read) is against this. Its pretty clear the government is focused on moving forward. . The Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched a multilingual call center on COVID-19 for foreign residents. 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. 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. 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. That would mean individual tourists would not be welcomed back to Japan until sometime in the first half of 2023. (It took a few more days for the guidelines to be released, and the clarifying FAQ isstillbeing updated. Japan reopened its borders to holders of long-term visitor, business or student visas on 1 June 2022, as well as to tourists on authorised package tours. 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. Currently, citizens of 68 countries and regions will be allowed to . Kiyomizu-dera Temple with cherries in full bloom: f11 photo / Shutterstock.com Situation Summary However, Japan remains one of the few major economies with significant restrictions on travel still in place, including a cap on visitor numbers. In today's Face-to-Face interview, Professor Wolfgang Arlt, founder and CEO of the China Outbound . The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party recognizes these problems and realizes it needs to rebuild Japans economy. For more than two years, the nation was effectively impossible visit Japan. 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. Starting Tuesday October 11, Japan will drop its 50,000 entry cap and will allow independent tourists to visit Japan visa-free. The specifics are not consistent among outlets, so lets start with where theyre in agreeance. Yuen Bettei Daita ryokan traditional accommodation, illi Shimokitazawa studio apartment rentals and Mustard Hotel affordable (even by the hour) room rates, have made staying in Shimokitazawa more feasible alongside new boutique and food facilities like Bonus Track, Reload, tefu Lounge and Mikan Shimokita.