For months now people who are moving to Japan for school, work, etc, have been allowed into Japan. Almost 73% of hotels nationwide said they were short of regular workers in August, up from about 27% a year earlier, according to market research firm Teikoku Databank. You will see the most beautiful spots in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara on this 7-day tour. Travelers may wish to learn more about the program before arriving in Japan. A non-comprehensive list of some COVID-19 testing facilities can be found. "We will speed up our responses while balancing the infection measures and social and economic activities as much as possible.". Non-native Okay! Japan to Allow Limited Tour Groups From May as Step to Full Re-Opening In July, the last travel restrictions have been lifted overseas arrivals no longer have to prove they have been vaccinated. With the spread of new variant, it's hard for anyone to guess when and how long Japan opens up the border. Here are some ideas for fun summer tours in 2023! Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is. If you dont have a smartphone capable of downloading the app, you will be asked to rent one at the airport upon arrival. Hopes for tourisms roaring return are also tempered by a shortage of workers. Japan eases foreign tourism ban, allows guided package tours With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. PM says relaxation will take effect from 11 October as Hong Kong scraps hotel quarantine measures for visitors. Japan is FINALLY planning to open its borders to tourists from next month ( June 2022 ). Here's the announcement from the Japanese Ministry of Health (under "Quarantine procedure," third bullet point). To learn more see our FAQ, A new journey: Reviving Japans hospitality industry, As travel demand rebounds, Okinawa firms look to sustainable tourism, Inflation and labor crunch prodding Japan's smaller firms to raise pay, Online migrant celebrities bring wave of Chinese nationals to U.S. border, Ruth McCreery: 'In tough situations, be patient with yourself.'. No. Searches for travel to Japan reached their highest point this year at the end of August, he said. We will visit Kyoto, Matsue, Hagi, Hiroshima, Shikoku Island, and many more. Covid restrictions stymie tourism revival in Japan and much of Asia [Update, 23 September 2022] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on 22 September that Japan will be fully reopening its borders on 11 October! See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. First published on Fri 23 Sep 2022 00.27 EDT Japan has announced it will lift tough Covid restrictions on foreign tourists, reopening the borders after two and a half years. Hanging on is where power lies, Abe said. We will lift the ceiling of the number of entrants into Japan, lift the ban on individual travel and lift the ban over visa-less travel, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday at a news conference in New York City, where he was attending the UN General Assembly meeting. The country's strict border restrictions are impacting Japanese businesses . In this case, you will have to present proof of a negative test. visit again in 2022 when they heard borders were reopening, but were frustrated by the . Japan travel sector calls for Covid-19 entry curbs to end as economy TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it would start conducting "test tourism" in the form of limited package tours in May as a way of gathering information prior to a full re-opening of the . 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. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. From the beginning of March 2022, authorities raised the number of people allowed to enter to 5,000 a day, from . Much of the economic benefit pre-pandemic came from high numbers of Chinese visitors coming and spending lots of money on tech products, cosmetics.. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The Japan Times LTD. All rights reserved. (Your local government, a medical institution, or somewhere deemed equivalent to either of those- whatever that means.). 2022. That didn't happen, at least as it impacted tourists. Independent tourists are not yet granted entry, although they can be expected to be allowed back by Autumn 2022. Clinics have been flooded with patients with mild symptoms such as fever, sore throat and coughs, amid a lack of testing and test kits at pharmacies and online. Japan to reopen to independent travelers and lift daily arrival cap Please refer to theMinistry of Health, Labor, and Welfares websitefor more details. A negative pre-departure test is no longer required. AP We strive to keep Japan Guide up-to-date and accurate, and we're always looking for ways to improve. Inside Japan, there are no restrictions on the activities of businesses and individuals; however, the wearing of masks remains common. The chief executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, said the current three days of hotel quarantine would be reduced to zero for those arriving into Hong Kong from overseas and Taiwan. in the Profile section of your subscriber account page. He is in the city for the United Nations general assembly. The long-awaited move will bring relief to residents and businesses who have been clamouring for the Asian business hub to rejoin the rest of the world in resuming unhindered travel and living alongside the coronavirus. The following items must be provided in Japanese or English: name, date of birth, vaccine name/manufacturer, date of vaccination, and the number of doses administered. On the other hand, if your new flight is over 96 hours from the time of the specimen collection, you MUST take a new test and receive a new certificate. Japan announced changes on Wednesday to its entry policy for foreigners, causing confusion among travelers who hoped to enter the country. There are some minor restrictions introduced in response to the latest Covid-19 outbreak in China, though these only relate to flights coming from this country. 3. Visa waiver is back, no daily limit and free individual visits.. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday his country will ease COVID-19 border control requirements next month, a key step in fostering a recovery in Japan's tourism sector, which is eager to take advantage of the yen's slide to a 24-year low. For more details, you can check our Japan latest entry requirements page. Japan was the top choice among survey respondents by a good margin, with the second choice, Taiwan, garnering interest from 39% of those surveyed. Akihisa Inaba, general manager at the hot-spring resort Yokikan in Shizuoka, central Japan, who said short staffing during the summer meant workers had to forego time off. Returning natives even had a hard time getting back into the country, with PCR test requirements, proof of vaccinations, and strict hotel quarantine rules all in place. Elaborating on the lifting of restrictions, Kishida said that on the same day, we plan to launch a campaign to offer domestic travel discounts and event discounts to residents of Japan and hope that many citizens will take advantage of the offer to support the hotel, travel and entertainment sectors that have suffered enormous blows during the pandemic.. Japan to reopen to mass tourism in October | CNN There is no law requiring people to wear masks, but they are still near-ubiquitous in public places such as trains and shops, with many Japanese willing to sport masks when ill even before the pandemic. "Thanks to the toughest border rules in the G7 nations, we've been able to keep the spread of Omicron to a minimal level, giving us time to prepare to deal with domestic infection," Kishida told reporters. Highly infectious COVID-19 variants have occasionally led to strained hospital capacity and medical infrastructure. Japan endures its worst COVID-19 wave, as strict entry rules deter Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. Japan Disaster Updates and Travel Alerts - Latest news on events What to expect as Japan opens back up to the world Japan Eases COVID-19 Border Restrictions - The Diplomat New Zealand, Japan and Samoa set to reopen to visitors | CNN Japan, one of the worlds last major holdouts during the pandemic, is dissolving its Covid-19 restrictions and opening the door back up to mass tourism. 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 Tuesday, though some exceptions for humanitarian reasons may be considered. Japan has fully opened its doors to visitors after more than two years of pandemic isolation. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. When traveling internationally, people who received their vaccine in the United States should travel with their white CDC vaccination card. Japan reopened its borders to holders of long-term visitor, business or student visas on Jun 1, as well as to tourists on authorised package tours. 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. This time, he says, its a perfect opportunity., Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report, Japan to reopen to tourists after more than two years of Covid border restrictions, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Liz Ortiguera, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said demand from Europe might still be subdued due to the increase in the cost of living in Europe caused by the Russian-Ukraine crisis plus the rising fuel costs driving up air travel costs. Japan closed its borders in March 2020 but is now one of the . Below are answers to the most pressing questions would-be tourists and other arrivals should be asking as they dust off their suitcases, open up those phrase books and get ready once again for a journey to Japan. Slow Vaccine Approval Process. Since June, Japan has allowed tourists to visit in groups accompanied by guides, a requirement that was further relaxed to include self-guided package tours. Inside Japan, there are no restrictions on the activities of businesses and individuals; however, the wearing of masks remains common. This is the news we were all waiting for more than 2 years! Officials are finalizing those details, he said. So, Im not so sure we can be overjoyed.. For information on Japans latest travel restrictions, please see these websites: For questions regarding the government of Japans travel restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides contact information inSection Two ofthis websiteand you may also contactJapanese immigration Information Centers. These digital versions must, however, be in a non-editable format (no Word documents or Emails, for example). What needs to be done is prioritising vaccinations and the use of oral medications," he said, terming the entrance freeze "unbelievable and stupid". Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also disclosed at a regular press conference that the number of people newly entering Japan from Nov. 29 to Feb . Those who received their vaccine in Japan and wish to apply for a vaccine certificate should contact their Ward Office for additional information. Under this arrangement, the quarantine hotel system will be cancelled, Lee told reporters. Finally, Japan will reopen the border, the tweet said. Paraguay's President-elect Santiago Pena: puppet or pragmatist? (modern). Business organizations in and outside Japan have called for the country to ease its border controls to support the economy, especially the tourism industry, which has been badly hurt by the pandemic. Of course, there are rules for this also: On a positive note, electronic vaccine certificates and test results are accepted when entering Japan. Just over half a million visitors have come to Japan so far in 2022, compared with a record 31.8 million in 2019. Another little detail that needs to be considered, is that anyone over the age of 13 entering Japan MUST be in possession of a smartphone. The cost of the Japan Rail Pass will increase by around 70% this autumn. We will send you the ERFS certificate by e-mail and you will have to go to the Japanese embassy with this document to get your Japan tourist visa. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name The measures have sparked protests and a petition drive calling for change, especially to reduce family separations, and media reported on Tuesday the government was considering easing some of rules in exceptional cases. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. For more than two years, Japan's borders remained closed to tourists. The government will also launch a nationwide travel discount program, which had been shelved due to the spread of COVID-19 infections. Tourists who come to Japan will benefit from a weak yen, which has plummeted so low against the dollar that the finance ministry intervened in the currency market on Thursday for the first time since 1998. For this, we need a copy/scan of all passengers passports, every travelersemail address, and your exact travel itinerary. COVID-19 Information - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan The country eased border controls imposed to counter the pandemic since March 2020. 4:16 AM EDT, Fri September 23, 2022, Fujiyoshida, Japan Beautiful view of mountain Fuji and Chureito pagoda at sunset, japan in the spring with cherry blossoms. Japan also began allowing unguided tours, meaning ones not accompanied by tour conductors. The return of the visa-waiver program suspended in March 2020 will restore the ease of access that saw a record 31.9 million foreign visitors to the country in 2019.