China retaliated by suspending the issuing of short-term visas in South Korea and Japan. The infection situation has been stabilizing in Japan and the government will consult with public health experts before reviewing the country's . }(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. May 18 - Japan is Reopening for Tourism to 4 Countries on May-end On Tuesday, May 17, government officials announced that Japan will accept some tourists from the U.S., Australia, Thailand, and Singapore on a trial basis starting at the end of this month. Visit Japan Web App also let me pre fill out for immigration and customs, and just use the QR codes for those as well. We know there are a lot of people overseas who want to come to Japan, Kihara added. Passengers from Hong Kong and Macau will be exempt from any on-arrival testing or pre-boarding negative test requirements, broadcaster TBS reported earlier on Monday, citing government sources. One wildcard is the downgrade of COVIDs legal status. The Polynesian island country of Samoa will open its international borders in August, although again . This will save you significant money on accommodations, attractions, temples, groceries, transportation, and even Michelin-rated restaurants! 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. From September 7, 2022, the country plans to drop pre-departure testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers (including one booster dose). Japan to ease COVID border controls like G-7 states in June: Kishida This is now the same as the best-case scenario. Of . Its borders were shut. To say it one last time cheers, Tom. 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. Marufukuro Located in the former HQ of pop culture behemoth Nintendo, this Kyoto hotel is a stylishly renovated property opened in 2022, featuring a suite of exclusive rooms in a richly storied building, with a special whiskey bar and library showcasing the works of Nintendo pre-Super Mario and then through the ages until now. Felix Ng. 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. It also will see the opening of the TIAD luxury hotel in the buzzy Sakae/Shin-Sakae entertainment districts, after the opening of the art deco hotel The Tower Hotel Nagoya (2020) on the upper levels of Nagoyas TV tower, with the large beams of the tower as a centrepiece within each room. Grab your passport: Japan is once again open to the world It was, indeed, a rare bright spot in such a dark, sad time. Japan, one of the world's last major holdouts during the pandemic, is dissolving its COVID-19 restrictions and opening the door back up to mass tourism. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has reacted with powerful . It aint over till its over.pls see my recent post which I HOPE isnt accurate and just some fake news, but Reuters is pretty accurate. Was great being here. Is this a here we go again moment looming? TRAVEL NEWS, JOBS & EVENTS! Travel to Japan during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go - CNN 1. 2023 when Japan is scheduled to downgrade the categorization of the virus. Japan finally opened its borders to tourists on Friday, but with strict rules. Thank you Tom for providing us a platform to discuss thing amidst all the confusing developments and giving us updates. On the same topic. |. In terms of the latest news, the current vaccine and testing policies are likely to end on May 8, 2023. Thanks, [] to individual tourists for the duration of the festivities. 7:09. Can you write one last update about the boarder being opened. More likely, the impact wont be fully felt until next years cherry blossom season. Subscribers also receive a totally free copy of ourJapan on a BudgeteBook. Are you concerned that Japan wont reopen until 2023, or think October is still realistic? I am incredibly pleased to finally welcome back individual travellers after coping with the pandemic during a wait of two-and-a-half years. All Asia-Pacific's Biggest Races Return for a Primed and Ready 2023 PP PRITESH C PATEL 10 months ago How about Sept, Oct? Intrepid Travel: Japan - Land of the Rising Sun. 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. Sheesh! Japan to relax border controls for passengers from China from Wednesday There are no quarantine requirements, and travel is visa-free for the vast majority of people reading this. Frankly, the miscalculation here by the Kishida administration is thinking that this will have an immediate impact on inbound travel. This assumes thatJapan downgrades COVID-19 from its special status to Category 5 literally any day now orthat this is not a necessary prerequisite to an individual tourist reopening. See countries around the world ring in 2023 with a bang. Ive started to see on JP twitter people asking for No mask in Japan too, so the sentiment is shifting even there. Either way, thats something to continue keeping in mind. This is where there is disagreement among the major outlets. After a series of head fake border. Then theres the middle ground or base case. Independent tourists are not yet granted entry, although they can be expected to be allowed back by Autumn 2022. Japan Border Opening | Travel Restrictions Loosening for Tourists in Were excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad. Migrants Walk Through Joe Biden's Open Border Loopholes - breitbart.com 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. With the yen weak, tourism has the potential to provide an . Why You Should Visit Japan in 2023and Where to Go Just booked my accommodation/flights/insurance/rail pass for a 22 day trip to Hiroshima, Fukui, Kanazawa, Nagoya and Osaka! The national border is under the management of central government, Koike said. 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. despite protests. Japan's struggling tourism sector despairs at lack of COVID exit Economic benefits of international tourists is one big reason why Japan is expected to reopen its border. 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. STAY UPDATED WITH THE LATEST I already moved on to read your other Japan travel posts to get tips which are also so helpful! With all of that in mind, we remain cautiously optimistic that individual tourists will be allowed to enter Japan sooner rather than later. 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 fully reopening in full is all but inevitable at this point. Any thoughts or tips of your own to add? Japan will fully reopen borders on October 11 32 last-minute Valentine's Day 2023 gifts . Would you consider visiting Japan later this year, or is international travel out of the question for you anytime soon? Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Im very glad its dead but am also appreciative of what existed while it did. Who is currently allowed to travel to Japan? This is. Update: As of October 11, 2022, Japan will reopen to individual visitors on a visa-free basis. At best, this helps with winter. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Just open the borders already. Its entirely possible that Kishida sees this polling and his sagging approval numbers and realizes that its time to move forward. 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. Lets say that happens in early November. Our view is that the worst-case scenario is nowhighlyunlikely. The new Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park opens here with a rooftop infinity pool and views over the park, in 2023. Which brings us to a threshold issue:when will Japan reopen?This week, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is in New York to deliver an address at the U.N. General [], Your email address will not be published. Morgan Stanley Research analysts expect China to broadly reopen in the second half of 2022 and move away from the Zero-COVID policy by the end of this year. This is the end weve all be anxiously awaiting for ~2 years! 28 Feb 2023 0. Thanks for all the updates and helpful info during this stressful and hard time, Tom!! 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. For general inquiries about border measures for entry into Japan, please contact the following numbers Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Call Center Open 9 AM to 9 PM, everyday including weekend and holidays. We were wrongthe unguided tours offered two steps forward but one step backwards. Economists fear a double dip recession in Japan due to the prolonged closures and restrictions. Im heading to Tokyo for the first time in 3.5 years on October 23rd and I cant wait! Koike said that Japans borders would fully reopen soon. As COVID Fears Ebb, Japan Readies for Tourists From Abroad Analysis | Relax, This Isn't the Future of Japanese Tourism During the Bloomberg New Voices panel,Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would open the countrys doors tomorrow if it were her decision. 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. 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. As frustrating as this whole process has been, Japan is not still (completely) stuck in March 2020. Nevertheless, despite loosening restrictions in September, travelers will still need to . The government is planning to submit a bill in October, which could give accommodation operators more authority to impose these types of infection control measures. Thats all we need, more authority (power), given to an already power drunk country, to impose more measures on us tourists. Japan to reopen to mass tourism in October | CNN Are borders open as normal in 2023? [1/2]Passengers on a plane from Chinas capital Beijing arrive at Narita international airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan January 8, 2023. "We will lift the ceiling of the number of entrants. Japan eased its border restrictionslast week, raising the daily arrival cap from 20,000 to 50,000 and dropping the requirement for pre-arrival PCR testing for vaccinated travelers. Saturday, 4 March 2023, 15:47 Last update: about 1 hour ago. Copyright - Sarah & Tom Bricker, Travel Caffeine. The number of people anxiously awaiting Japans reopening is shrinking, not growing. 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.. Even if China begins opening sooner, we forecast China will not fully reopen until at . The Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) loophole has long been used by foreign teenagers who hope to work in the nation's fast-growing child workforce, jobs . Japan to reopen borders to tourists in October - denver7.com Japan has announced it will lift tough Covid restrictions on foreign tourists, reopening the borders after two and a half years. Demand vaccine certificates or PCR testing, and give people the freedom of movement. The key question is: Can it learn to love foreign tourists again? 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. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Wada Kouichi . May 6, 2022. I wish you all the best with your upcoming tripsthanks again for everything. Most people need months of time between booking and traveling; very few plan and take last-minute tripsespecially international ones. What we had here was a weird little community of sorts, and a really nice one considering the circumstances. That theres more upside than downside risk in reopening and encouraging more economic activity. 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 . 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. A guide to all things new in Japan in 2023, Japan in 2023: A bucket-list-worthy adventure, These locations in Japan inspired beloved Studio Ghibli films, AutoFlight achieves worlds longest eVTOL Flight, Accors Mvenpick BalaLand Resort Lake Balatonopens in, AirAsia X resumes services to Shanghai with four weekly. For better or worse, Japan is an insular and culturally conservative countrya characteristic that is often valued by visitors. 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 . 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. sheeesh still cant believe my trip starting october 22nd might actually happen this time (). World News Reuters Updated: May 30, 2022 2:06 pm IST Japan reopened its borders to overseas visitors on package tours Friday in a move that will potentially boost the economy over time, though the initial spending impact is likely to be limited. Japan to lift COVID-19 entry ban for 106 countries - RAPPLER (It took a few more days for the guidelines to be released, and the clarifying FAQ isstillbeing updated. Zenbo Seinei A new meditation experience centre above the canopies of the Hyogo prefecture next to Kyoto and Osaka, designed by award-winning architect Shigeru Ban. First, after reopening to guided tour groups, Japan reopened to individual tourists on October 11 of last year. The specifics are not consistent among outlets, so lets start with where theyre in agreeance. Japan: A deep-fried pork . Can I Travel To Japan? Requirements and Travel Restrictions [March 2023] That's a hardship for the many. I have been to Japan many times pre-covid, and I am now going again this year late October. Toranomon-Azabudai- A futuristic development project by Heatherwick opening in 2023 in the well-heeled area of south-west Tokyo by the same name, the Toranomon-Azabudai Project will foreground. I assume well hear from AndyO soon, admitting he was wrong, like he demanded from so many of us. 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. Its possible the country views this as sufficient for tourism businesses to stave off bankruptcy or other financial hardship for another few months. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; . As borders are reopening, Japan is finally seeing some improvements in its travel performance, according to the latest update of the Skift Travel Health Index. At Juwai IQI, we believe China will maintain zero-Covid through at least the rst-quarter of 2023. Who knowsit still may take until early 2023 to fully downgrade the legal status of COVID. Is Japan ready to reopen its borders? | East Asia Forum Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. Updated 7 June 2022. Japan Tourism: The decision means Japan will allow in a limited number of foreign tourists on package tours starting June 10. P.S. Reopening to individual tourists in October presents minimal (political) risk and maximum (economic) upside. 23/02/2023. As of 2022 it features a recently renovated hotel area and local market, as well as a marine leisure area and an exclusive seafood restaurant located on a long pier into the ocean, flanked by infinity pools. Japan Travel Advice & Safety | Smartraveller Thank you Tom and to everyone for all the insights, info, and updates. If you cant respect another countrys Covid policies you shouldnt visit and be an entitled tourist. 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. Ive been following since the very beginning and only started actually posting at the very end, but I want you to know how grateful I am that your blog existed as truly the gold standard for Japan-related travel blogs throughout the pandemic. We also recommend consulting ourUltimate Guide to KyotoandUltimate Guide to Tokyoto plan. Think the need to adapt and live with the endemic virus will outweigh fear when it comes to Japans reopening plans? The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Thursday that the. Japan slams the borders shut on Omicron. so its confirmed Thanks so much Tom. js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/28/412454028.js"; Japan will open an embassy in Malta. Travelers from most countries can now enter Japan without applying for a visa in advance. Japans economy has serious issues and inbound tourism was previously a bright spot. Japan opens borders to tourists as last pandemic travel restrictions Second, theres awareness within theKishida administration that the window of opportunity to reopen the border is closing. 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. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Several recent updates have centered around Japans internal debate over whether tostrip COVID-19 of its special status and downgrade it to the same level as the flu in Japans infectious disease categories. Well, I visited only recently but it was one of the (very few) level-headed sites that discussed this topic. Its 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. Japan plans to reopen to independent travelers in major shift, report Ill be sticking around for the future updates and travel guides. All Rights Reserved. With this, the visa exemption would be reinstated, making that a non-issue. While I hope to see you around here on future updates, I know that probably wont be the case. Will be heading back again in a couple of weeks. Not so much in the last couple of years, as this has been reflected in policy-making. Japan reopens: Here's what to look forward to in 2023 Decreased tourism plus falling exports, an increased consumption tax, reduced consumer spending, weak yen, and growing national debt.