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Japan Opening Tourism – Latest Updates

August 14 – Japan to issue vaccine passports for outbound travel, but continues to be closed for inbound tourism.

Japan has started issuing vaccine passports for international travel. The plan is to streamline international travel for Japanese people but it does not mean that they will accept inbound travel yet.

To date, Japan has agreements with Italy, Austria, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Vincent, Thailand (Phuket, Samui, Pha Ngan, Tao, only), Germany, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Bulgaria, Belize, Poland, Hong Kong, Honduras, Lithuania and South Korea.

The country is struggling to be accepted by other nations because most countries are not willing to allow Japanese visitors without any reciprocity.

Source: NHK.org

July 31 – Japan to extend state of emergency to metropolitan area and Osaka over COVID spike in Tokyo

Following an “unprecedented spreading rate” Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged citizens not to visit the city for the Olympic Games.

“If the increase of infection does not stop, the severe symptoms cases will increase and the medical system may possibly be further under strain,” Mr Suga said.

Osaka and other 3 nearby prefectures will go under severe restrictions from August 2-31, as the country enters a “extremely frightening” stage of the pandemic, said Health Minister Norihisa Tamura.

Source: BBC News

July 20 – Japan’s Olympic Games without spectators and under emergency until August 22

Japan has extended its emergency in Tokyo through August 22. This means that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will not have spectators, according to the Japanese Olympic Committee.

“The number of infected cases in the area including Tokyo has been increasing since the end of last month,” said Japanese Prime Minister Yoshide Suga, speaking at COVID-19 task force meeting.

In addition to this devastating news for tourism, restaurants and bars hours will be restricted and locals and visitors will be required to avoid nonessential outings.

Businesses that do not follow these rules will face fines of up to JPY 300,000.

Source: CNN

July 3 – Visitors might see their plans canceled since Tokyo’s Olympic Games could have no spectators

Only 20 days before the Olympic Games start in Tokyo, The Japanese prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, said having no spectators is still an option as COVID-19 cases rise.

“I have made clear that having no spectators is a possibility,” […] “We will take steps as we prioritise the safety and security of the people,” said the Minister.

On Thursday, Tokyo reported 673 new Covid-19, 103 more than the same day a week before.

Tokyo and other 3 prefectures are under a ‘quasi’ state of emergency until July 11.

Source: Aljazeera

How safe is Japan at the moment?

The CDC has recently placed Japan at Level 3 of risk (High Level of COVID-19).

Who can visit Japan?

To contain the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Japan has suspended all travel bubbles with all countries and regions. This restriction also includes travel for business purposes.

COVID-19 situation in Japan

As of August 14, Japan has seen 1,108,269 cases of COVID-19 and 15,383 people have lost their lives to the virus. The government is imposing different local measures in order to stop the spread of infections.

The pandemic has hit Japan in different devastating ways. Not only it has killed thousands of Japanese people, but also it forced the postponement of the 2020 Olympics to 2021 and without spectators.

What to do in Japan during pandemic

Domestic travel has been largely unimpeded in the country ensuring that Japanese citizens continue visiting their own tourism sites.

This means that many attractions have begun to reopen for tours.

This includes a wide array of Japan’s most popular sites, including the Tokyo Tower, Imperial East Gardens, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo National Museum, and more.

Below is a list of the most popular tourist attractions open in Tokyo and their current state of business.

Tokyo Tower (reopened)
Tokyo Government Building observation decks (reopened)
Toyosu Market (reopened)
Kyu Shiba Rikyu (reopened)
Tokyo Disneyland (reopened)
Tokyo DisneySea (reopened)
Guided tours of the Imperial Palace (reopened)
Imperial East Gardens (reopened)
Hama Rikyu (reopened)
Rikugien (reopened)
Edo Open Air Museum (reopened)
Shinjuku Gyoen (reopened)
Koishikawa Korakuen (reopened)
Koishikawa Botanical Garden (reopened)
Kiyosumi Garden (reopened)
Institute for Nature Study (reopened)
Sumida Hokusai Museum (reopened)
Tokyo National Museum (reopened)
Tokyo Skytree (reopened)
Sumida Aquarium (reopened)
Edo-Tokyo Museum (reopened)

Disclaimer: Travel restrictions and governmental regulations can change rapidly and the information below might be outdated within a few hours. Therefore, double-check all information with your embassy or on official websites. Traveling Lifestyle does not take any responsibility for your decision to travel.

Japan reopening for tourism: Updates Archives

June 22 – Japan to launch travel vaccine passport in July

Japanese travelers will have access to a new vaccine passport from July, according to the government.

This paper-based certificate (not digital) is supposed to permit Japanese travelers to have easier access to other countries.

“We are preparing to issue a certificate of vaccination for those who need one… when they visit foreign countries,” Japan spokesman Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference.

The government also announced the ending of the state of emergency from June 20. Only Okinawa Prefecture will remain under the measure through July 11.

(Source: Nikkei Asia)

May 10 – Japan is reportedly working on Vaccine passports to reopen international borders

Japanese authorities are reportedly working on a vaccine passport app. This app will be connected to the Japan Vaccination Record System and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. It will keep record not only of travelers’ vaccination certificates but also of negative COVID-19 tests so unvaccinated travelers don’t feel discriminated against.

This means Japan is also working on a reopening plan to allow international visitors. So far, the country is open for essential travel only and this exception does not even include all countries.

Japanese Minister Taro Kono said that if other countries have already started using vaccine passports to reopen travel, “so Japan will have to consider it too.”

March 11

Japan has had to make a tough decision not only for the world but also for its own economy. The government has officially decided not to extend their invitations to this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games to foreign visitors.

Officials say the country is obligated to protect the Japanese population from a bigger spread of the coronavirus and its new variants.

The Olympic Committee and two other organizations will be announcing this decision to the international community possibly next week.

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