#24 Breakthrough for independent travellers to Japan
Important points to keep in mind for the next stage to enter Japan
Time flies and we have three months to go before 2023. First of all, I apologize for two weeks absence from this newsletter. It was due to my business trip to Mozambique for two weeks. Visiting Mozambique and writing newsletter for overseas travellers may sound nothing to do. No, there is no relation with my newsletter. My visit to Mozambique was a filming trip to rural areas in the north part of the country. So, there is nothing that I can write in my newsletter in this circumstance. But there is one thing that I can share with you when I came back to Japan. I went through the latest immigration procedure when I came back to Japan. It has been nearly one year since I went out of the country since last October and the procedures for the entry of the country was simplified since then. Japan is trying to simplify all the procedure to accept more tourists and there seems to be more simplification of waterfront measure taken towards October. There should be more good news for long-awaited overseas tourists to come. In this newsletter I will write about the current procedures I took to come back to Japan and the expected situation for visitors towards October.
Japan took the first stage of simplification of waterfront measures in June, which I wrote it in my previous newsletter. Japan has since progressively eased its measures for the entry, but this has not been supported by independent travellers, who were the most vocal in their wishes. The latest officially announced measures are as follows (valid from 7th of September)
Daily entry limit increased from 20,000 to 50,000.
Three doses of vaccine exempt from pre-departure inspection.
Sightseeing tours can be accepted without tour operators.
But the major focus of independent travel and visa obligation was unchanged. Obviously this change didn’t benefit long-awaited independent travellers and nothing has changed for them. The gate of Japan was still closed literally.
On the other hand, for those who are coming back from abroad or entering the country under certain conditions are enjoying the benefit of simplified waterfront measures by fast track.
Fast track applies to those who have vaccinated more than three times or negative COVID-19 certificate with completed questionnaires and preregistration of SOS application or website.
I used the fast track for the first time, and it really made a big difference in the consuming time of the quarantine section. After disembarking from an aircraft, I was guided to the green lane which I have a vaccine certificate and blue sign of SOS application on my iPhone. It took less than 10 minutes to go through. It was not so crowded, but definitely it took much less than last time I came back to Japan last October. SOS application saved as a large part of the headaches I had last time. But the huge question remains. Preparation for the registration needed quite long procedures to set up including scanning passport and vaccine certificate ,and other information. And to make the matter worse, this application is not really user friendly. I really had to use my insight fully to finish. It took me more than half an hour and I don’t think everybody can finish by themselves, including people unfamiliar with smartphones and at places with poor reception of signals.
On the 21st of September (22nd in Japan) Prime Minister Kishida mentioned about relaxation of further waterfront measures in New York. Details of the measure haven’t announced yet, but this is going to be a huge change for long-awaited independent travellers from overseas. Summaries of changes available right now are as follows:
Removal of limits on the number of people entering the country per day
Lifting of the ban on individual travel
Visa exemption for individual travellers for short stay
Scheduled to start on the 11th of October
These will cover most of the points that independent travellers have been longing for. These will remove most of headaches to start planning to visit Japan. But you can’t miss other points that Prime Minister Kishida mentioned. He stated that a “national travel discount” to subsidize the cost of domestic tourism and an “event discount” to discount ticket prices would also be launched on the same day. The date the 11th of October is one day after the last consecutive holiday of the year and Japan's tourism market enters its autumn high season. Discount tickets will encourage long-awaited Japanese tourists to travel, and psychological effects spurred by long-standing patience will make a strong influence on the market. In Japan, the high season for autumn leaf peeping starts from mid-October onwards.
So, technically entering the country will be possible, but the question is if it is going to be the best timing. Japanese people will enjoy the benefit of discount, but for those who are visiting from abroad may have to pay more and face highly congested destinations. This travel discount will be expected to be over the end of the year or the end of January, my advices are as follows.
Start making your travel planning after the official announcement of the new measure.
Leave certain time slot for your travel until the Japanese travel market settles down
Situation will be more settled towards the next spring season.
Lastly more details of new measures will be announced as early as Monday the 26th of September. The daily number of new infections in Japan with regard to new coronaviruses continues to decline. The new coronavirus situation is no longer a decisive factor when considering a visit to Japan. The most important question is when will the environment return to the same level of travel enjoyment for international visitors as it was before the pandemic. It is hoped that Japan, which has fallen far behind the Western countries in dealing with tourists, will be quick to announce a breakthrough to revive inbound tourism.
Hideo Thanks for the information… good news: I personally am very excited to plan an independent tour of Japan again; after such a long time away!