Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Japan reopens to tourists but with strict rules

Japan reopens to tourists but with strict rules

Neasa Ronayne plans to visit Japan for the first time this year.
She has paid more than £3,500 ($4,390) for a 16-day tour, as under the country's Covid-19 restrictions she is not allowed to roam around on her own.

But Ms Ronayne, who lives in the UK, is still keen to make the trip.

"This will be my first time in Japan and also my first time in Asia. I am looking forward to it. I have been watching [Japanese reality TV show] Terrace House to learn some phrases," she said.

She is not alone. Several travel agencies have told the BBC they were seeing a jump in inquiries about holidays to Japan - although the country's strict regulations are still keeping some visitors away.

Japan has been largely closed to foreign visitors since 2020, as it implemented some of the world's toughest Covid-19 restrictions. And even now, as it opens its borders to tourists from nearly 100 countries and regions on Friday, it is putting new restrictions in place.

This includes the requirement for travellers to be part of a package tour. They must also buy medical insurance and wear masks in all public places, including outside.

Under the rules, tourists will also have to avoid the so-called "three Cs": closed spaces, crowded places and close contact settings.

Earlier this week, the Japan Tourism Agency said tour leaders needed to accompany visitors "from entry to departure", while reminding them of Covid requirements like mask wearing.

"Tour guides should frequently remind tour participants of necessary infection prevention measures, including wearing and removing masks, at each stage of the tour," the agency said in 16 pages of guidelines issued on Tuesday.

"Even outdoors, the wearing of masks should continue in situations where people are conversing in close proximity," it added.

Still, travel agencies say they have seen a surge in interest in visiting the country.

Singapore's Chan Brothers Travel said it had received bookings for 50 tour groups to Japan, with each including as many as 30 people.

Its spokesperson, Jeremiah Wong, told the BBC that inquiries have been "streaming in exponentially" since Japan's reopening was announced.

"To make up for the time lost in the past two years or more, travellers have no qualms going on their long-awaited holidays," Mr Wong said.

But he is unsure when the company's first post-pandemic tour to Japan will be able to go ahead: "The potentially earliest departure will be after mid-July due to the requirement for tourist visa application... for all travellers."

Zara Bencheikh, the managing director of Intrepid Travel, said there was a "huge pent up demand to visit Japan".

Her firm hopes to restart its tours - which cover popular destinations like Mount Fuji - from August. But Ms Bencheikh said it was still in the process of getting approval from the Japanese authorities.

Japan has barred most foreign visitors for the last two years as it imposed measures to slow the spread of Covid-19. Last year, overseas visitors were even banned from the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The country only relaxed travel restrictions for foreign residents and business travellers earlier this year.

Last month, Japan said it would double the daily limit for foreign arrivals to 20,000.

This "modest reopening strategy" will not bring much benefit to the Japanese economy - which is the world's third largest, said Kentaro Koyama, chief economist at Deutsche Bank Japan.

"The government's response has been rather delayed. The aging Japanese population is more fearful of infection than other countries," Mr Koyama said.

Before the pandemic tourism was big business in Japan with a record 31.9m foreign visitors to the country in 2019. Last year, there were fewer than 250,000.

But the tourism industry of this once-popular Asian destination still has some way to go on the road to recovery.

Rad Sappany told the BBC that she has dropped her plans to visit Japan next month from Australia because of the restrictions.

"We are not interested in a package tour - it's not the way we like to travel," she said.

Wanping Aw, who runs Japan-focussed boutique travel agency TokudAw, said her company has not secured any bookings, despite getting two to three enquires every day.

"We do not have any finalised bookings yet as no one is willing to make a commitment," she said.

Ms Aw added: "'We do not want to be guinea pigs' is a phrase I often hear."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×