whkento

Yeah, it's great for visitors, but I earn yen and have to pay bills back home in dollars. 😕

whkento

By the way, I read in today's newspaper that they're looking at allowing tourists from June. 😎

NewbieRunner

As far as I understand the country will be initially open to organised tour groups with a prearranged itinerary.

Bundy Bear

What is the chance Japan will be open for Easter 2023, its on my radar.

nme7

So that would be us!

restlessinRNO

Haha! Very funny! 😊

whkento

Well, things are on the right track. We no longer need to test at the arrival airport when entering Japan. Still have the tour group restriction, though.

beckoa

A friend and I have ticketed JL F into TYO (and out) - different flights for now over Easter 2023. Hope something can happen with normal entry into Japan resuming (and we're there for a week post holiday weekend as well).

I propose we split discussion off into a speculative 2023 TYO thread (not sure if NGO is back on, or somewhere else)

pudgym29

OK. I pull this back to the first page.

It seems that Japan is going to reopen to gaijin even if they are not part of a tour group, from 11 October 2022.
Of course, I can understand why it would not want me to enter Japan. I would seek any number of physical entertainment media {ahem} which Japanese purveyors would not ship to the U.S.A. At 140 yen to the dollar, I could clean out any number of shops offering DVDs. The ASUTO shopping street in Ota-ku near the Kamata train station is atop the list.

But I do not possess a smartphone, and I would genuinely prefer to not have to obtain a smartphone. I understand why Japan wants somebody to obtain its applications, and I trust it enough it would not react adversely if a tracking application showed I was shopping at ASUTO, or any other purveyor offering physical entertainment media which might raise eyebrows or drop jaws if it had to be disclosed at U.S. Customs. (In other words: Japan = yes. U.S.A. = no.) What is my alternative? My communication device is going to be my Windows 8.1 laptop computer - a 2.4 GHz device. Here in the U.S.A., I have encountered a number of venues which broadcast their wi-fi network only to 5 GHz devices. I appeal to them to revise their network settings; even showing them how my home 1 GB fiber broadband network is available for both 2.4 and 5 GHz devices, but they never respond to me.

I have had a fourth Moderna vaccination. When I was searching health care facilities for an annual Flu vaccination, the resultant screen declared I could also get another COVID-19 booster shot at the same time. I was not going to decline that offer.

Essentially, I pull this back to the front because it now seems likely we can have a Japan Do the weekend of 7-9 April 2023. Where it will be I leave to our honorable organizers. If it is the long-delayed Nagoya region, that is O.K. with me; because it means I will get to ride the shinkanshen again. In what is a first for me, this will specify I have to buy the J.R. Pass. But this may also be a plus as far as I am concerned. When Japan reopens, I can reasonably expect the Khaosan hostels to reopen. I stayed at a new Khaosan hostel in Namba Osaka in 2016. It was sufficient. There was | is a new Khaosan hostel in Ryogoku which I hope but expect it will reopen. This hostel is within staggering distance from Beer Club Popeye. I could end every night I stay in Tokyo at Popeye - without having to worry about missing the last train. -And, if hotel prices go into the stratosphere, and the hostel turns out to be the best value for lodging (most hostels have private rooms available if booked enough in advance), I would host other FlyerTalkers each night.
Concluding: It looks good for a resumption of Japan Do in 2023.

whkento

Yes, it's opening back up!
I'm hoping folks will come to Nagoya (where I live), but will join up wherever the DO is happening.

elliott44k

I'm headed to Tokyo in a couple weeks, but I'll be in Japan a bunch over rhe next year, and Nagoya is definitely on my list.

beckoa

Was watching NHK news on PBS today. JAPAN IS OPEN!

pudgym29

From another link train I surfed out-&-about in Chicago, IL.,U.S.A., I encountered a post by La Carmina {no link because I want to refer a future reply here into her blog} in which she mentioned Tashirojima, a "cat island" near Fukushima.
On Japan Do 2017 we had a guided tour of Tokyo neighborhoods in Bunkyo-ku including both a cemetary and a neighborhood dedicated to cat-favoring activity. I have photographs of the area.
What was the name of the neighborhood? What is the geographic area to which I can refer when describing this neighborhood?

wysiwyg

i was there that year. It was a wonderful walking tour the organizers planned for us.
I can’t really see the street name in Apple Maps but here are the coordinates: 35.72759° N, 139.76494° E
This is the spot this picture was taken. It is in Taito Yanaka neighborhood.

NewbieRunner

We did indeed have a walking tour of Yanaka district in Taitō-ku (Taitō Ward) during Japan Do in 2017. The cemetery would have been Yanaka Cemetery and the area is known for cat-themed shops.

Here are a couple of posts about the walk.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28098326-post260.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28101061-post266.html

And some photos of a cat-themed shop.