Think those will stick around for several months, or are simply theater to shift public opinion? All Asia-Pacific's Biggest Races Return for a Primed and Ready 2023 2 days agoJapan on Monday reported 95916 new coronavirus cases. We also recommend consulting ourUltimate Guide to KyotoandUltimate Guide to Tokyoto plan. Bon voyage! There will be a winter resurgence. First, there is consensus that the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, will be eliminated entirely. This will save you significant money on accommodations, attractions, temples, groceries, transportation, and even Michelin-rated restaurants! This . -. 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. This is where there is disagreement among the major outlets. On October 11, Japan will finally open its doors to independent travel following more than two years of some of the world's toughest border restrictions. The national border is under the management of central government, Koike said. Will China Fully Reopen in 2023? - Juwai IQI | RE Talk Asia Japan Border Opening | Travel Restrictions Loosening for Tourists in 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. ), While presenting the above as a cautionary tale against optimism or over reliance on logic when assessing Japans decisions, thats exactly what Im going to do. Updated August 23 2022 Japan has eased border control measures several times in. Its borders were shut. New Zealand is finally open for business. 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. Thanks again for all the work you put into this. 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. Visa waiver is back, no daily limit and free individual visits. Japan is finally reopening its borders to mass tourism on October 11. Compared with the pre-pandemic level in 2019, it dropped 99.2 percent. Japan's borders finally reopened to independent travelers in October 2022, and visiting Japan now is virtually as easy as it was before the pandemic. 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. Cheers . Its pretty clear the government is focused on moving forward. Im very glad its dead but am also appreciative of what existed while it did. Japan has resumed its visa exemption scheme for short-stay tourism and business travel. }(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. Crowds not a problem. This indicates that Japan is finally ready to move forward and sets the precedent for future changes during waves. At that time, it was unclear whether unguided tourists would be allowed to enter. Second, theres awareness within theKishida administration that the window of opportunity to reopen the border is closing. Do I need to be vaccinated to enter Japan? for individual tourists. Be part of our community of seasoned travel and hospitality industry professionals from all over the world. . Best wishes to everyone on your travels!! That's a hardship for the many. Starting Tuesday October 11, Japan will drop its 50,000 entry cap and will allow independent tourists to visit Japan visa-free. A guide to visiting Japan in 2022/23 - Lonely Planet Its now the popular position being advanced publicly by politicians, not just being advocated by Keidanren or Japans business lobby. As governor of Tokyo, that would be tomorrow.. These measures are long-awaited news for tourists around the world who have been looking forward to visiting Japan. Grab your passport: Japan is once again open to the world See countries around the world ring in 2023 with a bang. Is Japan ready to reopen its borders? | East Asia Forum What is required to travel to Japan and what about visas? 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. InUnguided Tours in Japan Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. Multiple media outlets, including NHK, Kyodo, Nikkei, and Fuji TV are all reporting thatJapansgovernment is planning to further relax restrictions and border measures with an eye to implementing the revisions by the start of October. 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. Join over 180,000 travel agents, professionals 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. 28 Feb 2023 0. STAY UPDATED WITH THE LATEST Im heading to Tokyo for the first time in 3.5 years on October 23rd and I cant wait! 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? Your email address will not be published. China retaliated by suspending the issuing of short-term visas in South Korea and Japan. 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. Cant wait! Visit Japan Web App also let me pre fill out for immigration and customs, and just use the QR codes for those as well. After a series of head fake border. Public opinion nowadays is very reluctant to allow foreigner to enter Japan even if you guys want to enter Japan on the purpose of studying or business. Reopening to individual tourists in October presents minimal (political) risk and maximum (economic) upside. Trump promises GOP will never again be led by 'freaks, neocons (This number includes hotels used as government quarantine facilities, not just leisure stays.). The country is also bringing back visa-free entry for visitors from more than 60 countries. This is despite Japans Go to Travel campaign that subsidized domestic travel, which was offered at various times during the last two years. 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. What we had here was a weird little community of sorts, and a really nice one considering the circumstances. 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. This time, instead of Black Ships, the. One of the last closed-border hold-outs is now allowing entry for Australian tourists, with visitors from the rest of the world to follow on May 1. 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. 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. Essentially, there will be no (legal) basis for the current border protocol effective May 8, 2023. TOKYO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Japan will from Wednesday ease its COVID restrictions on travellers from China, dropping a requirement that everyone take a test for the virus upon arrival, its top government spokesperson said. Is Japan open to travelers? Some locals not ready to reopen borders - CNBC First, after reopening to guided tour groups, Japan reopened to individual tourists on October 11 of last year. 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. 7:09. I assume well hear from AndyO soon, admitting he was wrong, like he demanded from so many of us. It could start as soon as late November, but is more likely in December. Japan Disaster Updates and Travel Alerts - Latest news on events Was great being here. While there are still some covid-related protocols in place, it's likely that the entire pandemic-era regime of border measures will be done away with my some point in 2023. 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. The new Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park opens here with a rooftop infinity pool and views over the park, in 2023. One wildcard is the downgrade of COVIDs legal status. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has confirmed "no schedule has been decided" for fully reopening the borders, though members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party have discussed a potential. Japan eased its border restrictions last week, raising the daily arrival cap from 20,000 to 50,000 and dropping the requirement for pre-arrival PCR testing for vaccinated travelers. Ive missed it so much. Japan is always one decade lagging behind the developed world. Japan To Open Borders From June 10 To Aid Hobbled Tourism Industry: Report As COVID Fears Ebb, Japan Readies for Tourists From Abroad obsolete information. Thanks for all the updates and helpful info during this stressful and hard time, Tom!! The total of guests at hotels and inns was 315.75 million, down 4.8% from 2020 and 47% from 2019. Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) looks forward to welcoming individual inbound travellers back to Japan with the long-awaited lifting of entry restrictions. Hi Tom and THANK YOU for everything this platform had AND still has to offer! Were excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad. Quite simply,Japan is inflicting pain on itself by remaining closed. South Korea eased its border controls on visitors from China early this month, which China welcomed. 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. 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. Well keep watching the news and keep you posted if/when there are further developments about Japan reopening and allowing entry to travelers from the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond. As frustrating as this whole process has been, Japan is not still (completely) stuck in March 2020.