Be part of our community of seasoned travel and hospitality industry professionals from all over the world. (Im sorry, I cant help myself. The Japanese government recently eased its COVID-19 entry restrictions, meaning tourists can now visit without being on a guided tour. As for why Japans border is still closed over a year after most democracies reopened, that can largely be explained by the countrys apprehensiveness of outsiders. 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. 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. Everybody have a great trip! Not sure whether youll ever see this, but just want to let you know that I saw your comment and really appreciate you taking the time to share. 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. 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. Japan Opening Borders 2022 For Tourists WHO urges countries to keep borders open as world races to contain Covid variant. It will happen soon. You no longer need a visa to travel to Japan for up to 90 days. 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. Japan to increase daily border cap to 5,000 people from Nov 26 Trump promises GOP will never again be led by 'freaks, neocons Those two posts cover essentially everything you need to know about visiting Japan as of 2023. Are you concerned that Japan wont reopen until 2023, or think October is still realistic? Nov. Dec. Then Covid hit. That would mean individual tourists would not be welcomed back to Japan until sometime in the first half of 2023. Or, that this barrier does still exist and Japan will have to create a solution for it (travel insurance?) Oct 19, 2022 SHARE Not since 1853, when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to open its borders to trade, has a reopening been so newsworthy. Ive started to see on JP twitter people asking for No mask in Japan too, so the sentiment is shifting even there. Japan to lift COVID-19 entry ban for 106 countries - RAPPLER Japan has seasonal attractions in fall and winter. Your email address will not be published. Human behavior and sentiment dont change overnight, even if its economically advantageous and objectively safer to do so. 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. 2 days agoJapan on Monday reported 95916 new coronavirus cases. Travel update: when can I travel to Japan? - Time Out Tokyo Autumn is already a lost cause. We will review all three restrictions together. Then theres the middle ground or base case. The National Museum of Scotland is currently hosting an exhibition on contemporary Japanese design until 5th March 2023, and Stonehenge will host an exhibition on stone circles and the prehistoric sites of Jomon Japan from 30 Sep 2022 until August 2023. By Lilit Marcus, CNN Published 9:20 PM EDT, Sun July 31, 2022 Link Copied! Japan has resumed its visa exemption scheme for short-stay tourism and business travel. 2023 will bring the opening of a farm area for agritourism, with a private villa area due to open in 2024. Japan fully reopened its borders to tourists on October 11, 2022. 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. Thanks again for all the work you put into this. More likely, the impact wont be fully felt until next years cherry blossom season. The total of guests at hotels and inns was 315.75 million, down 4.8% from 2020 and 47% from 2019. Japan is open to travel. Just booked my accommodation/flights/insurance/rail pass for a 22 day trip to Hiroshima, Fukui, Kanazawa, Nagoya and Osaka! The changes were intended to "support smooth international travels, given a low rate of positive test results among entrants", Matsuno said. Who is currently allowed to travel to Japan? Japan reopened its borders to independent foreign travelers and reintroduced visa-free entry from October 11, 2022. . This is something weve pointed out in our best and worst case scenarios in prior updates, but theres only a limited amount of time between waves. 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. It kind of fell like a little community in here, like I know from Discord groups. 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. Kishida says Japan will ease COVID border controls from Oct 11 InUnguided Tours in Japan Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. 01:51 . This is where there is disagreement among the major outlets. Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. 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. Join over 180,000 travel agents, professionals Nevertheless, despite loosening restrictions in September, travelers will still need to . May all our trips be everything we dreamt of and more. Will Japan open borders in 2023? Japan: A deep-fried pork . Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly plans to make a decision as early as the end of this week, according to the news outlets sources. Among fellow G7 countries, Japan has had some of the strictest rules it comes to border restrictions. 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 . We typically spend a couple of months in Japan each year, and are ecstatic to be returning after nearly 3 years away. It has been well over two years since coronavirus initially shut down global travel. How to Travel to Japan in 2022 as a Tourist | Tokyo Weekender It is finally over. The government will also take measures to stimulate and jump-start the economy. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; After a series of head fake border. Japan to reopen to mass tourism in October | CNN As improbable as it mightve seemed even a week ago, Japan welcoming back international visitors who are not part of tours (guided or unguided) sometime before November is likely. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Japan border reopening: One of Australia's favourite destinations opens 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 green spaces, a new temple, retail spaces designed by Sou Fujimoto, Japans tallest high-rise building, two Aman properties and the new permanent location for teamLab exhibitions in Tokyo from 2023. 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. First, there is consensus that the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, will be eliminated entirely. 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. Grab your passport: Japan is once again open to the world These are questions among those planning trips to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and this covers the answers. 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. From the early days of Covid-19, our team of Japan travel experts has been closely monitoring developments and in constant contact with our network throughout the country. Tour groups from 98 countries, including Australia, can now visit the country - but only if they wear masks, have . Japan has eased travel restrictions, but will tourism bounce back 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. March 2023 Japan is finally open! Update: As of October 11, 2022, Japan will reopen to individual visitors on a visa-free basis. Japan reopens: Here's what to look forward to in 2023 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. Japan Tourism: The decision means Japan will allow in a limited number of foreign tourists on package tours starting June 10. 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. Economic benefits of international tourists is one big reason why Japan is expected to reopen its border. Of course, things could change between now and then, but its likely the border will revert to late 2019 status as of that date. Shimokitazawa An ongoing redevelopment around a suburban railway line stretching across three stations (Senrogai), cementing the districts place as a youth culture hub. As always, Japan is cautious and conservative, with a slow and belabored decision-making process that often embodies analysis paralysis and usually defies logic. Japan will open an embassy in Malta - The Malta Independent A Hong Kong women's rights group cancelled a demonstration at the last minute on Saturday after police said violent groups might want to join the protest. Despite a sharp fall in the yen, just 120,400 visitors entered Japan in June, fewer than in May and April when borders were still closed, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Japan will open an embassy in Malta. Required fields are marked *, Free Money-Saving eBook & Japan Email Updates, https://www.travelcaffeine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/mount-fuji-sunrise-field-autumn-foliage-japan-bricker.jpg, https://www.travelcaffeine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/travel-caffeine-new-logo-2.jpg, Is Japan Open to Tourists? first infection wave in spring 2020, and some closed again during subsequent waves; however, almost all of them are now open again. Even if China begins opening sooner, we forecast China will not fully reopen until at . 32 last-minute Valentine's Day 2023 gifts . 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. I have been to Japan many times pre-covid, and I am now going again this year late October. 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. Koike said that Japans borders would fully reopen soon. This is the end weve all be anxiously awaiting for ~2 years! Kyodo, Nikkei, and NHK are reporting that this is to be determined, with government officials still deciding whether to proceed with this plan or start with lifting the daily arrival cap. This is specifically forunguided tour groups or non-escorted visitors on package tours andnotindividual tourists. What we had here was a weird little community of sorts, and a really nice one considering the circumstances. This is. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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. Given that none of the recent reports have even mentioned COVIDs status in regard to reopening, its possible our perspective was wrong. 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. Im heading to Tokyo for the first time in 3.5 years on October 23rd and I cant wait! Covid restrictions stymie tourism revival in Japan - Financial Times Was great being here. Japan reopens: Heres what to look forward to in 2023, Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE), Destination NaJomtien BanAmphur BangSaray *NEW*, *NEW*, Affordable Luxury in Thailand by Centara Hotels, Rising Above the Oridinary by Conrad Bangkok, Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), 5 reasons why traditional travel protection is obsolete, 5 reasons why Cross Hotels & Resorts is APACs hotel operator of choice, Wake up at the magnificent Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions). While the pandemic is still very much a thing, we've largely seen countries start to take the approach of trying to resume "normal" life while living with . The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Thursday that the. Explore Japan's lesser-known destinations over 13 adventure-packed days, sipping sake in Takayama and marvelling at the iconic floating torii gate . Sheesh! On August 23, specifics of the September relaxation measures were leaked to the same media outlets. 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.