Everything You Need To Know About Travelling To Japan Right Now
- Japan has changed its travel restrictions for international tourists and here's what you need to know.
Since international borders reopened, Australians have been desperately awaiting the day that Japan would allow travellers to enter the country without an escort, and thankfully, we finally have a date to look forward to.
While Japan is technically open to foreign tourism, travellers have only been able to enter the country on guided and organised tours from low-risk countries (including Australia). Only 20,000 international tourists have been permitted to enter the country per day thus far — however, only 8,155 tourists have actually visited Japan in the last two months, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
However, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced this week that Japan will allow the entry of 50,000 international tourists — including those on nonguided tours — from September 7.
“In countries worldwide, international exchange is growing. To participate in these exchanges and to benefit from the weaker yen, we will raise the daily arrival cap to 50,000 from Sept. 7, as well as allow (tourists on) nonguided tours from all countries to enter the country,” said Kishida on Wednesday.
You No Longer Need To Be Supervised But You Do Need To Be On A Tour
While the news is a step in the right direction for tourists, it certainly isn’t a free-for-all, with Japan still reserving travel for people who are assigned to a package tour.
To enter Japan you will still need to have your visa sponsored by a tour group or travel agency, who will act as your point of contact if you catch COVID while you’re travelling.
It’s unclear what actually constitutes a package tour, but Japanese ministers have stressed that more information will be available in the coming days.
We’ll be sure to update you when more information becomes available.
You Don’t Need To Produce A Negative COVID Test To Enter
Japan has also eased restrictions regarding COVID tests, with fully vaccinated travellers no longer being required to test negative prior to arrival.
To be considered fully vaccinated, you need to have two doses of an approved vaccine, as well as an additional booster shot.
Unvaccinated travellers will not need to self-isolate upon arrival, but will need to provide proof of a negative COVID test 72 hours prior to departure.
However, you will still be required to self-isolate for seven days — regardless of vaccination status — if you are identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive upon arrival.
