##**August 2022 – [There is still no indication on when solo tourism will resume as the 7th Wave of infections continues in Japan.](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_19/) If you have a trip booked to depart in the next 60 days, please contact your airline for information on making changes or processing a cancellation if required. Pre-booked & guided tour groups began entry in June and are available to the public for purchase from official tour agencies only, please see our links below for information on these packages.**
##**All posts & comments are currently set to be manually reviewed by the Mod Team before being released.**
##**Frequently Asked Questions on Tourism Entry – August 2022**
**”Where do I book a tour package within current re-opening standards?”**
>- **Please check with the [Japan National Tourism Organization](https://www.jnto.go.jp/) to locate agencies in your area that *may* offer tours eligible for entry. Availability will differ from country to country, and even within the same city – there is also no guarantee that all tour agencies will have tours available at this time. [Japan-Guide.com](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2275.html) also has a listing of some of the online tour companies that are offering tour packages as well. We’ve also enlisted the assistance of one of our users, who works for a company currently booking package tours for entrants on vacation, to answer some questions that we are seeing from others in this sub. Please check out the Q & A [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/wd8htm/japan_travel_covid19_and_you_tourism_information/iigz5v4/) for more information.**
**”Can we go exploring solo before, during, or after a pre-booked tour?”**
>- **No. The very nature of these tours is to keep those on it within a travel bubble. You will be picked up from the airport as a group, taken to your hotels and dining locations as a group, and to the actual attractions as a group. You are then guided back to the airport at the end of the tour, and must cross Immigration for your flight before your guides pick up the next group and move on. There is no ‘break-away time’, no ‘solo exploration’, no ‘stopping to visit other locations not on the plan’, nothing. If you are not interested in heading out on a fully guided tour at this time, please stay home.**
**”Can I get a visa for tourism activities without a tour group, like a pre-booked cruise?**
>- **It’s not expected to be an option at this time. Visas must be applied for, and are only awarded to, specific tours and tour agencies, so previously booked excursions by a non-approved individual or agency is unlikely to get a separate visa awarded at this time. If you need to make adjustments to your vacation package, please contact the company you booked with for more information.**
**”Should I buy tickets for tourism entry later in 2022?”**
>- **There is no indication on when the borders will fully reopen to individual tourism. We advise to *avoid booking non-refundable tickets from any airline or third-party supplier* until the formal announcement has been made regarding the full opening of borders to tourism.**
**”Why are tickets to Japan *so* expensive right now?”**
>- **[This article](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-06/sky-high-airfares-are-the-latest-headache-for-globetrotters) covers all the details, but the short form answers are: Smaller planes than usual are flying – so less seats are available and the ones that are get quickly gobbled up by those who have been waiting for a few years to travel. Another wrinkle is there are less staff to operate the flights that are existing and thus less routes are flying, as well as the larger planes still being parked as they are not seen as being cost-effective to load. Finally, fuel prices have taken a major jump and that surcharge is being passed down to ticketholders. This all adds up to higher priced tickets for everyone flying anywhere, and Japan specifically as the push to increase tourism from a few years ago meant cheaper flights to get more folks in seats. It’s safe to expect this to continue for awhile yet, as Japan slowly reopens.**
**”What if the borders don’t open in time for my previously booked flight?”**
>- **If you have already booked a flight (current border opening guidelines apply to pre-booked tour groups only), we advise you to carefully look over the refund/rebooking policy with the airline you purchased your tickets with. If you have booked tickets that are non-refundable or cannot be moved, please contact your airline for further questions or concerns.**
**”What are the current quarantine and vaccination requirements for entry to Japan?”**
>- [**Entrants will be subject to a grouping system that will determine entry measures.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14623293) **Approved vaccines are currently listed as Moderna, Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca, J&J, COVAXIN, and Novavax – however there is no word yet on any other vaccine types being accepted by the Government for entry, tourism or otherwise. Please check the** [**official MOFA website**](https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page24e_000317.html) **for more information on dosage requirements, and futher information on the grouping system for entry.**
##**Frequently Asked Questions on Non-Tourism Entry – August 2022**
**”I am arriving in Japan for a stopover/layover while on the way to another country, what do I do?”**
>- **No entry to Japan is permitted on stopovers, overnights, or for transit between airports – and at this time there is no indication whether this restriction will be lifted any time soon.
>-*Haneda Airport* allows overnight stopovers, but you will likely need to stay at your gate as there is no hotel airside open, and few shops and services are available.
>-*Narita Airport* will NOT allow overnight stays at all & you will need to change your ticket if your flight involves an “overnight” stop, as you cannot stay in the airport after it closes. Further questions or concerns should be directed to your airline only.**
**Do I need a PCR Test to enter Japan if I am NOT leaving the airport?**
>- **No. A PCR test is only required if you are entering Japan on a Visa, as outlined above. If you have further questions, please speak to your airline, or review their entry requirements for your trip.**
**”I need more information on [special entry as a partner, family member, or Spouse](https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page22e_000921.html), where should I post?”**
>- **Contact the [Embassy of Japan](https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html) in your country to find out more on the requirements for entry, and to learn if your situation qualifies.**
**”I need more information on the border opening as a New Entrant for work or school, where should I post?”**
>- **Please go to /r/movingtojapan for information and updates.**
##**Daily Cases, Deaths & Vaccinations – Updated: 08/03**
>- **Confirmed Total Cases:** [**13,396,555 (+249,830)**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/)
>- **Confirmed Deaths:** [**33,032 (+169)**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/82/)
>- **1st dose:** [**103,918,476 – 82.1%**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)
>- **2nd dose:** [**102,523,836 – 81.0%**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)
>- **3rd dose:** [**79,947,833 – 63.1%**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/vaccine/)
##**Monthly News Updates – August 2022**
**08/03** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Experts: Relieve doctors from having to report all COVID cases.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14686333) The government needs to consider two points if it aims to sustain both the medical system and social and economic activities, the proposal states. The first point is “Responsible behavior by individuals that does not lead to the spread of infection.” The other is “Shifting to a flexible and efficient health and medical system that better fits the characteristics of the Omicron variant.” Experts warned, however, that the government will need to consider restricting people’s behavior if the medical system is still under strain even after these two points are put into action.
**08/03** – [**From NHK News – Experts urge those with mild COVID symptoms to refrain from visiting hospital.**](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220803_34/) Four emergency care and community healthcare societies, including the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, held a news conference on Tuesday. They noted that the current wave of infections strains emergency care and fever clinics, affecting other medical services. They warned it seems likely that lives that can normally be saved will be lost. They also pointed out that in many cases with the Omicron variant, symptoms ease within several days and only about one in several thousand patients becomes seriously ill. The experts say those who have no problem with eating, drinking and breathing do not need to visit hospital in a hurry as no special treatment will be given. Meanwhile, they advise that people who have difficulty in drinking water or breathing and those who continue to have a fever of 37.5 degrees or over for four or more days should see a doctor. People aged 65 or older, those with underlying conditions and pregnant women are also recommended to consult a doctor.
**08/02** – [**From The Japan Times – Japan learns to live with COVID-19 as locals flock to travel spots.**](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/03/national/domestic-tourism-rebound/) The zest for domestic travel suggests that the world’s third-largest economy, one of the most cautious countries in reopening and with border curbs that are only eclipsed by mainland China’s strict rules, is increasingly ready to move on. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ruled out re-imposing nationwide curbs, and has said that his government may look to downgrade the status of COVID-19 to endemic after the wave, which would allow the new coronavirus patients to be treated at general clinics and remove the requirement for closely tracking case numbers.
**08/02** – [**From The Japan Times – Experts urge Japan to downgrade COVID to similar class as seasonal flu.**](https://archive.ph/kiddh) In a 19-page proposal, the experts also urged the government to adopt a flexible approach to COVID-19 that would prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed, such as by no longer identifying close contacts and allowing general clinics to treat patients. “Care at medical facilities and public health centers is on the verge of collapsing,” Shigeru Omi said in a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. “We’ve been discussing this topic for over a month.” Under the proposal, the basic course of treatment for COVID-19 patients under the law would no longer involve hospitalization, even if beds are available, although exceptions for mildly ill patients have been granted for some time. Those who are infected would not be requested to stay at home, but would do so voluntarily in line with common sense. “It’s important for each and every person to actively take measures to reduce the risk of infection,” said Hideaki Anan, deputy head of Fujisawa City Hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture.
**08/01** – [**From The Asahi Shimbun – Kishida hints he may reclassify COVID-19 into a lower category.**](https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14684596) Currently, the novel coronavirus is categorized as “equivalent to a Type II” infectious disease. This means prefectural governors can advise COVID-19 patients to be hospitalized or restrict their work activities. However, it also means strict measures required for Type II infectious diseases impose huge burdens on health centers and hospitals if cases spike, including local public health centers needing to be aware of the number of all patients in their areas. In addition, the current categorization means businesses and public transport could cease to function if many employees or staff members must be isolated after coming into close contact with those infected. Therefore, considering the Omicron variant is less likely to cause serious symptoms, experts, governors and mayors have called on the government to reclassify COVID-19 as a Type V disease. Type V diseases include the seasonal flu, whereas Type II diseases include tuberculosis.
**08/01** – [**From The Nikkei Asia – COVID in Japan shuts one in 10 hotels and travel agencies.**](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Travel-Leisure/COVID-in-Japan-shuts-one-in-10-hotels-and-travel-agencies) “Accommodation facilities may fall into a negative spiral where they are unable to make new investments in preparation for travel demand recovery as they are pressed to repay their debts,” said Kotaro Toriumi, an aviation and travel analyst.
**08/01** – [**From The Nikkei Asia – JAL, ANA face slow recovery due to strict border restrictions.**](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/JAL-ANA-face-slow-recovery-due-to-strict-border-restrictions) Kimihiro Nakahori, an ANA executive vice president, told reporters that “while demand for connecting flights is important, as a Japanese airline, I believe that our important role is to capture demand for flights to and from Japan.” Aiming to ease border restrictions, he added that “We are requesting the elimination of negative certificates prior to entry into Japan, and asking the government to allow individual tourists to enter Japan.”
**08/01** – [**From The Mainichi – Tokyo records 21,958 more coronavirus infections on Aug. 1.**](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220801/p2a/00m/0na/007000c) It is the 13th straight day for Tokyo to see over 20,000 infections. New case numbers typically dip on Mondays due to low weekend testing figures, especially on Sundays. There were three COVID-19 deaths reported in the capital on Aug. 1, and total coronavirus fatalities in Tokyo stand at 4,672.
1 comment
**As Guided Tours continue to be the only path to entry to Japan for tourism at this time, /u/ThatTravelingDude has graciously agreed to answer a series of questions we’ve posed, based on some of the posts we’re seeing in the subreddit on the topic of Guided Tours in Japan.**
**If you wish to book an excursion for yourself, please see our links above for more information on where to check for packages for entry at this time.**
**General Tour Information**
>- What kind of tours are you booking currently? Some companies seem to offer a package itinerary from the Golden Route and beyond, where others seem to indicate the availability of a tour guide for just about anything the clients want to plan themselves. Are you offering both, and are you seeing more of one type over the other?
We are operating all of our Small Group tours right now, which are a mix of shorter more “Golden Route” style trips with longer more off the beaten path trips. We do have one that digs into Shikoku, for example. We are operating a few fully escorted tailor made trips, but not so many primarily due to cost. It’s really expensive as a single family unit to have an expert guide travel along with you everywhere you go! We have also run into guide availability issues for the fully escorted private trips. Not every guide likes to be away from their family that long, or feels comfortable guiding outside their home town.
>- What kind of response are you seeing from folks looking to book, availability and cost-wise?
Availability on the ground has been fine for the moment, one of the biggest barriers we’ve run into is flights. Flights are crazy expensive, and even people who find a tour that works for them price and date wise have been running into cost barriers at the flight stage. A lot of previous routes are still not operating, so we are hopeful that as we get into fall/winter and the schedule starts to normalize things will get better.
>- Are you seeing more response from tourists from certain countries or age groups more than others?
All of our markets are really keen to travel, and I’d say that the age range is quite wide as well. After almost two and a half years – everybody wants to get to Japan again!
>- Aside from the ERFS certificate, are your tours now any different from what you have offered in the pre-Covid days?
Really there is only one thing that we’ve run into right now, and that is the Ghibli Museum. They’ve made booking for foreign travelers very difficult. They say the new process is temporary, so here is hoping that they revert back to the previous process very soon.
>- What changes have you had to make in order to comply with the Government requirements for the clientele and the locals in the areas you visit?
Luckily, we didn’t have to make any changes to the Tour schedule or plan for any of our tours. We are staying at the same hotels as before, using the same trains, eating at the same restaurants (obviously allowing for places that just closed during Covid), etc. We did have to register everything with the government, but no alterations to the tour plans were requested or implemented.
**Pre-Entry Requirements**
>- What are the current steps your agency has to undertake to admit someone to Japan for tourism?
We need a ton of details from the traveler – names, birthdates, addresses, email addresses and the like. Then we fill out paperwork for the government on our end for the ERFS, which we then hand off to the client for the final visa request.
>- What steps are required for the tourist to complete on their end? For example, do they need to fill out paperwork and submit it independently of the agency for the ERFS?
The traveler takes the ERFS, their passport, and a form and goes to the consulate in person or mails it in. The consulate usually has the visa ready to go in about five days.
>- How long does it take to complete the process from booking & payment to entry to Japan? Are last-minute bookings advised?
It takes about a month for most people- that’s as last minute as I would advise. There is a lot of paperwork and preparation to do for both us and the travelers, and we want to make sure that there is enough of a time cushion in case anything doesn’t run perfectly smoothly.
>- Clients are clearly booking from everywhere outside of Japan, but Japan has developed a colour coded system for entries to determine who may need to quarantine when coming from certain regions. Are you seeing any issues for entrants arriving from outside the Blue countries, or are most of your arrivals from that group?
Our sales offices are in the US, UK, and Australia, so for the moment we haven’t had any requests from outside the Blue group. To be honest, looking at the list, we don’t really ever get requests from Yellow areas either.
**Arrival and Tour Experiences**
>- Once the clients have arrived in Japan, how does the tour proceed from the airport?
Clients are picked up by a guide and driver – a change over past years for most tourists! Once they get checked in to the first hotel things proceed as normal.
>- What rules are required by the Government for the entrants to follow? For instance, we’ve read that things like mask-wearing and travel health insurance are a mandatory requirement, but are the tours really as “North Korea” style as folks have been worried about?
The tourists are required to wear a mask while outside of their hotel most of the time. Some activities are allowing them to remove their masks, and of course you take it off while eating! The guidelines are strict, but its not as all encompassing as we had feared back in June. Basically, as long as the guide is no more than ten or fifteen minutes away, travelers can sightsee, shop, and eat on their own. So for example, when coming back to the hotel at the end of the day, you can walk around the neighborhood, hop into a bar and more. You just can’t go climb Fuji while leaving the guide back in Tokyo.
>- What does an average day’s schedule look like? Is unguided free time permitted during the tour at all?
Our average tour days have all the usual included sightseeing and activities, with a break for lunch and maybe an afternoon free to explore the area at your own pace. Or nap! It is only if you want to go a bit further out that you need to take a guide with you.
>- Have you run into any problems with entrants not complying with requests from your staff? Are you hearing any concerns from others in the industry on this topic?
Nothing. Our clients have always been respectful of the host country, and that respect has stayed intact. I think this is far more a concern from Japan than anybody in the industry. Usually people who are inclined to book a cultural tour are those who are more interested in the reality of where they are visiting, and are less likely to be chasing Geisha for a selfie!
>- As the tour wraps up are clients able to extend their stay in Japan, or is the Government firm on entry and exit dates?
Clients are able to extend their stay in Japan, but a guide is required to do so.
**Possible Entry Scenarios**
>- One of the scenarios we get asked about quite often is the idea of “day packages” for people who arrive at the airport for a long stopover, hoping to enter the country for a quick bit of sightseeing before getting back on a flight to their final destination – do you foresee any viability with this type of entry?
Not yet. We don’t offer this sort of package, but we have plenty of other clients to other Asian destinations who transit Narita and would love to break up that 8 hour layover! I’ve been keeping an eye on this and haven’t seen anything as yet.
>- Obviously, lots of folks are still holding onto flights, hotels and itineraries in case a miracle happens and Japan opens in the next 4-6 weeks. Are you seeing clients who would like to book around existing plans? In those cases, are tours able to be accommodated?
Yes, we have seen some try to book around existing plans. It can be hard, as our Small Group Tours are the most likely solution, but if the dates don’t line up it can be tricky to make it work. We do try though!