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Japan to reopen to independent travelers and lift daily arrival cap
- humanistbot 4y agoPlease don't link to a newspaper's tweet when they have an actual story: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/23/national/kishida-japan-border-opening/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/23/national/kishid...
- mortenjorck 4y agoThe headline, "Japan to reopen to independent travelers and lift daily arrival cap," is also a more relevant framing, in that the "visa-free" part is a return to the pre-pandemic status quo, not some novel customs policy as some other comments are interpreting it.
- dang 4y agoOk, we'll changed to that from https://twitter.com/japantimes/status/1572962383252934656 https://twitter.com/japantimes/status/1572962383252934656 above. Thanks!
- Laaas 4y agoJapan HN meet-up?
- creamyhorror 4y agoI'm up for it. Experienced traveller to Japan, thinking of Shikoku for the coming trip.
- kaycebasques 4y agoRoad trip across Japan is quickly moving to the top of my bucket list? Has anyone done it? How was it? Must see stops?
- lemoncookiechip 4y agoI would recommend you give https://www.youtube.com/c/AbroadinJapan https://www.youtube.com/c/AbroadinJapan a watch. Chris has been all over every Japanese prefecture multiple times, and he usually records places that aren't the kind of places you'd see on a quick Google Search or trip advisor. He has biked across Japan in his season 1 of Journey Across Japan, he showcases all kinds of hotels, capsule hotels, Ryokans (Japanese inns), etc, in every video. It's just a great way to learn about Japan, it's culture, food, what dos and don'ts.
- jinto36 4y agoKind of like a more modern Alan Booth? I read both The Roads to Sata and Looking for the Lost and they both really resonated with me. They're both travelog(ue)s. The Roads to Sata chronicled a complete 2000 mile north-south walk across the country. Looking for the Lost was more focused on specific regions. I enjoyed both books. One thing that's strange to me, having been all over the country myself (including Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Okinawa) and living in Aichi for a year, is that I only saw a wild small mammal once. Even that one time, I wasn't sure if I actually saw it, because it vanished before I got a good glimpse of it. I know there are squirrels somewhere- there's a native word for squirrel- but I've never seen them. Being from the northeast US, the concept that a location with a temperate climate lacking in abundant squirrels could exist seemed absurd. On my next trip to Japan, I will dedicate some portion to seeking out native squirrels. Of course in Japan there are also a few places known for wild monkeys that like to hang out hot springs, but I haven't seen them in person either. I did see a guy with his girlfriend hanging out on a mountain pass in a wrecked "panda trueno" that was being loaded on a flatbed when I was hiking once. I hadn't brought my real camera that day, and I deeply regretted it since my flip phone only had a VGA camera.
- kadoban 4y agoTrain trips mostly fit Japan better, and it's more relaxing. Kyoto is an amazing place, Tokyo is a must, and Mount Fuji is quite nice. I've heard Osaka is cool, but I've never been. Beyond that, specifics depend on what you're into. My favorite bits were generally the food, temples, museums, onsen and just wandering around shopping districts and taking it all in.
- yuan43 4y agoI wonder to what extent this reflects desperation for foreign currency (especially dollars) given the recent intervention by BoJ to stop the yen's freefall. https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/boj-keep-ultra-low-rates-remain-global-outlier-despite-weak-yen-2022-09-21/ https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/boj-keep-ultra-low-rate... My guess is that this would be a drop in the bucket, but who knows?
- bobthepanda 4y agoI haven't been following this. This is very interesting considering most Japanese economic policy has been an attempt to reverse deflation or stagnation. Now it's inflating too fast?
- Legogris 4y agoIt's nuanced. Consumer prices (with some exceptions, like gas and raw produce) and worker wages have barely moved at all. It's eerie. It makes me sad to think about that a lot of service staff is already living tight on eq ~7 USD/h pay and very likely cost-of-living will continue to increase sharper than any pay increase. There's a large poverty in Japan you don't necessarily see on the surface.
- kmlevitt 4y agoCan’t find the link at the moment, but some economists in Japan think it would have a real impact. Tourism has been a major industry for Japan in the last decade, and all those tourists buy up lots of yen for their trips.
- mdorazio 4y agoJapanese economists are at least hopeful it will help: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/18/business/japanese-economy-yen-tourism/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/18/business/japane...
- abc_lisper 4y agoWhat's the catch? Can anyone visit Japan without a visa? People of any country?
- hunterb123 4y agoNo just the countries that previously didn't need a visa.
- Wohlf 4y agoIt's only a return to the previous norm.
- karaokeyoga 4y ago"On Sept. 7, the government allowed those on nonguided tours who had booked their flights and hotels through registered travel agencies." ← is the "through registered travel agencies" portion dropped now as well? I couldn't discern that from the article.
- rippercushions 4y agoYes, independent travel will be allowed again.
- midoridensha 4y agoTo be technically accurate, to my knowledge it's impossible to enter Japan from any country without a visa. However, if you come from certain countries (basically any western country, plus various others), they will automatically give you a 90-day tourist visa when you land, so it's effectively "visa free". Otherwise, you have to apply for a visa and get that in your passport before you arrive.
- Markoff 4y agoEven if you don't need visa they can always ask for proof of funds, so nothing for budget backpackers.
- ilarum 4y agoDoes this mean tourists don't need a visa for Japan anymore? Including people with traditionally "weaker" passports like Uganda, India, etc.? The article linked elsewhere in the comments is not clear on this.
- bobthepanda 4y agoProbably not. It sounds like they are lifting COVID era restrictions on travel (you could only do pre-arranged tours with strict itineraries)
- eloisius 4y agoProbably not. So far, after COVID, Japan is “open” but only if you go as part of a tour group. You can’t just land and get visa-free entry to go backpacking around. It sounds like that’s what’s changing.
- eswat 4y agoIf a passport allowed visa-free entry pre-pandemic, this change allows that again. Otherwise you will have to apply for a visa.
- immigrantheart 4y agoNooooooooooo, I was about to go to Japan this November, using my iPhone 14 Pro to take pictures of Japan with less tourists............... With special privilege that’s not available for regular tourist of course.
- hunterb123 4y agoYeah all of those pesky tourists always taking pictures with their iPhone 14 Pros, oh wait...
- immigrantheart 4y agoLoooll, thankfully I am not your average tourist.
- netsharc 4y agoFeels like everyone thinks they're not the average tourist. Ok well the average tourist is really the tour bus, get off, take photos, back on the bus kind. But are you the average "not-average tourist" ;)
- immigrantheart 4y agoI mean as in I could get special visa.
- hunterb123 4y agoSo in your mind it's not your behavior that sets you apart as a tourist, but your ability to get a special visa? Personally, someone going with the main purpose to take photos of a place is the most touristy of tourists. Even when I visit a place like Japan for 3 months, I barely take photos because it takes you out of it and you get in the way. Take enough photos to capture key memories and places but mainly enjoy the actual adventure. To not be a tourist in my mind you should be living there, not trying to document it. But to each their own how they want to live, I just wanted to rant on your rant.
- tamiral 4y agoThis will make a day layover for a trip much simpler !
- golemiprague 4y ago
- orblivion 4y agoThis reminded me to check on Canada as I periodically do, and it looks like they also just made a related announcement today: they're ending vaccine requirements for the border at the end of the month: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-lifting-pandemic-border-measures-1.6591883 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-lifting-pandemic... I've previously been misdirected here, since they have different rules for vacationers vs business travelers or something like that. But, this sounds like a blanket lift of restrictions.
- dennis_jeeves1 4y agoBtw, cool concept: https://itsnotgov.org https://itsnotgov.org, hope it grows over time.
- orblivion 4y agoHeh, wow! Thanks. Haven't touched it in a good while but I may again at some point.
- maldev 4y agoThis is awesome! Me and a few friends were planning a trip, but their old policy was really confusing and I couldn't find good guidance on it, most of it contradictory. Hopefully they see a big boost, I imagine their hospitality sectors got hammered.
- gailees 4y agoWhat's your favorite snowy mountain onsen in Japan? Thinking of going to meditate for ten days for New Years.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- warabe 4y agoTo fellow American HN people. Right now USD/JPY is around 145, and it was about 100 in 2020, which means almost 30% discount for everything! (Please note that CPI of Japan is not so high) Come to Japan, and enjoy!
- TrainedMonkey 4y agoUSD/JPY purchasing power ratio change between 2020 and 2022 is even better than 30% because Japanese inflation is so low: https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/inflation-cpi https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/inflation-cpi
- karaokeyoga 4y ago… and it was below 77 in 2012, ten short years ago.
- suggestion 4y agoAny advice or resources for someone seriously considering this?
- yieldcrv 4y agoJust use your own bank card from a major US bank at ATMs, they dispense cash extremely close to spot rate, compared to converting at a currency exchange place. In Tokyo, hit up harajuku and omotesando for awesome fashion. I'm really curious how well those boutiques have survived (around the world hasn't been pretty over the last year). but aside from that, Tokyo is a day trip for me, the real cosmopolitan action is in Osaka.
- drderidder 4y agoSevenEleven ATMs generally take foreign interac debit cards if you need cash (yen). Most places accept credit cards. When given the option on the debit card machine to pay in yen or convert to USD / CAD etc always choose yen, to avoid high conversion rates charged by the processor. Allow your credit card company to convert to your home currency at a much better rate. Get a Japan Rail pass. Pack lightly and hit a Uniqlo on arrival. Call hotels to book rather than using western-based online booking platforms whose prices are a lot higher, or use Jalan.net. Remember you’re a guest in a foreign country, stay humble and be polite, it’ll get you further. Seriously, get a Japan rail pass. Get an esim for your phone upon arrival using an app like Ubigi or similar (1 month with 10gb for ~$20). Be prepared for reverse culture shock when you return home.
- notpushkin 4y agohttps://archive.ph/oC2Vv https://archive.ph/oC2Vv
- stefandesu 4y agoI'm fully expecting them to reverse this decision a few weeks in when their COVID cases shoot up again. Is it just me? I really want to travel to Japan again though. I have friends there and I also miss the country in general.
- Markoff 4y agoPersonally I don't support countries which locked people outside under some false pretense of protecting anyone as Australia, NZ, Canada or Japan is doing and LATE reversal on such policy is even more reassuring me to not visit (out of those 4, only Japan is a bit interesting for me and worth visiting (as someone who lived for years in Eastern Asia)). If you didn't fully open by spring 2022 for everyone, then you don't deserve my money and can wait at least 1-2 extra years before I even consider spending money, since you didn't rush I won't rush either. Same reason I didn't even consider this year holidays in Spain (maybe not one specific harsh restriction but overal sum with locking children inside, wearing mask outdoors and other nonsense), Italy (work ban for unvaxxed takes the gold) or Greece (fines for unvaxxed seniors takes the gold) this summer in Europe, because of what they did to own citizens.
- KTallguy 4y agoPersonally, I’m thankful that they’ve locked down as long as they have. We’ve already had our share of death, long Covid cases and stress on our public health system. Simultaneously, people are generally free to choose whether or not they want or be vaccinated, and there are no heavy handed lockdowns like many other countries. It’s inevitable that Covid will still spread even with our best efforts, but not overwhelming hospitals and avoiding needless death and disability is very important. I think that Japan‘s response to this ongoing crisis is not perfect, but well balanced overall. When tourists do return, I hope they respect the norms here and wear masks in public spaces, disinfect their hands, and do their best to avoid risky situations… and don’t act like Japan is a giant theme park where Covid doesn’t exist.