Even if China begins opening sooner, we forecast China will not fully reopen until at . The changes were intended to "support smooth international travels, given a low rate of positive test results among entrants", Matsuno said. Independent tourists are not yet granted entry, although they can be expected to be allowed back by Autumn 2022. It is finally over. Japan has seasonal attractions in fall and winter. 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. tomthanks for ALL the help.I was told I need the MYSOS app to enter now, but there is mixed information on JapanWeb. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. Will Japan open borders in 2023? Japan has been busy over the past two-and-a-half years with preparations to welcome back everyone. 216. Thanks again for all the work you put into this. 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. The big one for most of you is likely going to beJapan Face Mask Rules v. Reality in 2023. At that time, it was unclear whether unguided tourists would be allowed to enter. =w=)b. For better or worse, Japan is an insular and culturally conservative countrya characteristic that is often valued by visitors. despite protests. 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. "We will lift the ceiling of the number of entrants. 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. Sort of. In response to the announcement, JNTO will be doing everything we can to provide you with the latest information on coming to Japan so that many tourists can visit and journey throughout our country. 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. Japan relaxed its border measures earlier in September while still being #1 in the world for new cases. 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. 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. Critically, this would eliminate the legal requirement of a responsible receiving party for visitors to Japan. 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. Japan is a highly attractive country not only for tourism, but also for international conferences and incentive travel. 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. 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. Also as previously mentioned, recent poll data also shows the public is now far less concerned with COVID than the economy, Unification Church scandal, Abes state funeral, and other issues. This is the end weve all be anxiously awaiting for ~2 years! As for you, Tom Id buy you a round at my favourite izakaya if I could! Yokohama 2023 sees the return of the Yokohama Biennale art festival, timed with the reopening of the Yokohama Museum of Art post-renovation. Im so excited and happy for everyone! Let's have a proper look at what has changed for those planning to travel to Japan in 2022 and what to expect when you finally do get here. Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; Your email address will not be published. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Wada Kouichi . 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. The Polynesian island country of Samoa will open its international borders in August, although again . KONO Taro (@konotaromp) September 22, 2022 "Finally, Japan will reopen the border,". You no longer need a visa to travel to Japan for up to 90 days. At Juwai IQI, we believe China will maintain zero-Covid through at least the rst-quarter of 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. These are questions among those planning trips to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and this covers the answers. In terms of the latest news, the current vaccine and testing policies are likely to end on May 8, 2023. TOKYO: Japan looks like it may finally open its borders and end its splendid isolation. Sep 12, 2022 SHARE The government is planning to allow independent tourists to come to Japan and exempt them from visas if they have been vaccinated three times or submit a pre-arrival test. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Thank you so much for this free and respectful space for everyones opinions that has helped us get through these difficult years. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. and executives subscribed to our daily newsletter. We can't expect Japanese government to reopen their border on April 2022 due to the emergence of Omicron variant. Kishidas government has been trying to take advantage of the weak yen and accelerate growth by attracting more foreign visitors. Along with revelling in the many ways to take in the allures across Japan, now is a time when international visitors can take advantage of shopping opportunities. The infection situation has been stabilizing in Japan and the government will consult with public health experts before reviewing the country's . 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. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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. Kiyomizu-dera Temple with cherries in full bloom: f11 photo / Shutterstock.com Situation Summary Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) looks forward to welcoming individual inbound travellers back to Japan with the long-awaited lifting of entry restrictions. This was a great place to keep up to date on the happenings. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Cases are currently in freefall and will continue decreasing next month before bottoming out sometime between late October and early November. Think those will stick around for several months, or are simply theater to shift public opinion? Yes, Japan's borders are now open to all international tourist travel.. Japan has completely removed the entry cap on daily foreign arrivals.. Additionally, all visa exemptions have now been reinstated.This means that citizens of around 70 countries, including the United States and all European Union nations, can once again visit Japan for 90 days without a visa . In short, the early October reopening is not just our most optimistic viewits now what we expect to happen. Come see the new Japan. Japan is finally reopening its borders to mass tourism on October 11. The country is also about to increase the daily cap of tourists allowed to enter Japan from 20,000 to 50,000. The recent lockdowns in Shanghai and Guangdong are unmistakable signs that China will not be backing down from its zero-Covid policy, at least for the rest of 2022. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. I already moved on to read your other Japan travel posts to get tips which are also so helpful! 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. In light of the border reopening, Qantas will at last fire up its much-delayed Sydney-Tokyo Haneda service from October 27, with flights from Brisbane also resuming on December 1 and Melbourne primed to join the duo from March 2023.. Qantas International CEO Andrew David says "forward bookings are tracking well, in particular for the upcoming Australian holiday period", which shows how . Autumn is already a lost cause. I was there for 11 days, mostly in Tokyo, and also to the bullet train to Sanjo (near Niigata) for a couple of days, and also a day trip to Mount Fuji with a driver/guide. 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. Japan and South Korea imposed stricter border control on travellers from China after COVID cases surged there when it lifted its strict zero-COVID policy late last year. This indicates that Japan is finally ready to move forward and sets the precedent for future changes during waves. Spending another night in Okinawa for the 55th stay of my ongoing 87-day adventure across Japan, I absent-mindedly typed the letter J into my web browser, only to have this article come up as the first suggestion. 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. obsolete information. The national border is under the management of central government, Koike said. By Lilit Marcus, CNN Published 9:20 PM EDT, Sun July 31, 2022 Link Copied! The endisnear. It thus stands to reason that opening to individual tourists necessarily needs to occurthat raising the entry cap will do nothing in furtherance of their stated goal. 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. sheeesh still cant believe my trip starting october 22nd might actually happen this time (). Finally, there has been some good news about the state of the Japanese border closure for almost all tourists. Summary Since October 2022, Japan is fully open, without the requirement for a visa for most visitors. 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. Ive started to see on JP twitter people asking for No mask in Japan too, so the sentiment is shifting even there. With all of that in mind, we remain cautiously optimistic that individual tourists will be allowed to enter Japan sooner rather than later. }(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. Subscribe to our email newsletter for the latest news & instant alerts. |. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched a multilingual call center on COVID-19 for foreign residents. It takes the shape of a long wooden sky deck on various levels encompassing an open-air deck for meditation, wooden rooms with tatami made for overnight stays, study/contemplation rooms and a restaurant serving fresh seasonal cuisine. One wildcard is the downgrade of COVIDs legal status. Hi Tom, Japan will further ease in June border controls implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and bring them on par with other Group of Seven nations, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday. Its possible the country views this as sufficient for tourism businesses to stave off bankruptcy or other financial hardship for another few months. Nagoya 2023 will see the opening of the remaining two areas of the Studio Ghibli Park, making the lesser celebrated city of Nagoya a key transit point for would-be visitors. Was great being here. Felix Ng. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the news in September at a press conference. Japan also began allowing unguided tours, meaning ones not accompanied by tour conductors. Japan fully reopened its borders to tourists on October 11, 2022. Then theres the middle ground or base case. 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. 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 . I came to your page because this comments section and its provisional community provided something both unique and welcome in a dark time for travellers of Japan. . (This number includes hotels used as government quarantine facilities, not just leisure stays.). Fly into one airport and out of another Plan to do 4 nights in Singapore on way back to Australia