Mar 5, 2020, 5:17 pm
Last edit by: CPH-Flyer
This thread is for discussion of the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to Japan. Non-Japan-related discussion should be taken either to the most relevant forum, the Coronavirus and Travel forum, or the OMNI forums.
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. And quarantine as described for the countries and territories below.
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
From March 1st, business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa. For business travelers, there will be one point of contact with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. Though the full details are not published yet (as of typing on the 27th of February, please add them if you have seen them)
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than. 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf
From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required.
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines are Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, Covaxin.
Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
UPDATE FOR TOURISTS LOOKING TO VISIT JAPAN AFTER COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASE
Japan does currently not allow entry for general tourism purposes. Most visa waivers are suspended, and travel to Japan for non resident foreigners generally require a visa. And quarantine as described for the countries and territories below.
UPDATE FOR PEOPLE WITH VISAS THAT ALLOW ENTRY INTO JAPAN
The quarantine requirements mentioned below will generally apply to entrants in Japan. As the conditions of who can obtain a visa for entry on exceptional circumstances are not clearly listed anywhere, it is necessary to confirm entry requirements with your local Japanese diplomatic representatives
Spouses and children of foreign permanent residents or Japanese nationals, can obtain visas for short term stays (up to 90 days) by applying in person or by mail at an overseas Japanese consulate. Required documentation includes application form, letter with reason for purpose of visit, bank statement and Koseki Tohon. Processing times have been reported as on the spot to up to one week.
From March 1st, business travelers, students and technical trainees can again enter Japan. There is a need to have a receiving organisation to apply for the visa. For business travelers, there will be one point of contact with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. Though the full details are not published yet (as of typing on the 27th of February, please add them if you have seen them)
Business travelers must have a Japanese company or organization apply for a Certificate for Completion of Registration to the MHLW ERFS system. This is a two step process. The company must first register and then apply for the Certificate for the traveler. These can both be done online and completed in less than an hour.The website for doing this is https://entry.hco.mhlw.go.jp/.
After getting the certificate the traveler must apply for visa at the Japanese Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction for where they reside. (They are quite strict about this. E.g. you can't apply while traveling in a foreign country.) The information on the Consulate pages state that you need Letter of Guarantee, Invitation Letter, etc when applying for the visa. In fact, however, if you have the EFRS certificate, all you need is the visa application, your passport and a photo. The Consulate will issue the visa within 5 days.
UPDATE JAPANESE CITIZENS AND RETURNING FOREIGN JAPAN RESIDENTS
All people travelling to Japan has to present a negative PCR test taking no earlier than. 72 hours before departure to be able to board the flight. The certificate has to meet the information requirements and test types from the Japanese government.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000799426.pdf
From the 7th of June, passport number, nationality, signature and stamp from the doctor/medical institution are no longer required.
The requirement for pre-departure test will be removed for passengers on flights landing after the 7th of September 00:00 provided that they have received a full bases vaccination and a booster vaccination. Accepted vaccines are Moderna, Pfizer, Astra, Zeneca, J&J, Novavax, Covaxin.
Uploading documents in advance via the mysos app or via the mysos website is required. For details please see https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/en/
The arrival process is as follows. Countries will be grouped in red, yellow, and blue.
- Group “Red”：On-arrival test is required. 3-day quarantine at a government-designated facility is required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate may have 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) instead.
- Group “Yellow”：On-arrival test and 5-day home quarantine (or 3-day home quarantine + negative result of a voluntary test) are required, however, those who obtain a valid vaccination certificate are not required to have on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures.
- Group “Blue”：Regardless of the vaccination status of the entrants/returnees, on-arrival test, home quarantine and other measures are not required.
Red countries:
Albania, Sierra Leone
Yellow countries:
Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Island, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Congo, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Vanuatu, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Solomon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Blue countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentine, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Western Sahara, Zambia
For updates to the lists of countries and territories and changes to the rules check the website of the ministry of foreign affairs https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html and ask in the thread for clarifications and experiences of entering Japan.
Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]
Jul 3, 2020, 9:18 pm
#2191
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,713
So idle question, but what would be the consensus opinion here why, despite the Tokyo cases progressively ticking upwards, there's consistent insistence of no further lockdowns? Powerlessness on the part of the government, worries about economic impact, or?... It seems odd that the daily cases are comparable to the last time the emergency declaration was issued, yet nothing is being done. Or am I missing something in the narrative?
Jul 4, 2020, 2:00 am
#2192
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,376
So idle question, but what would be the consensus opinion here why, despite the Tokyo cases progressively ticking upwards, there's consistent insistence of no further lockdowns? Powerlessness on the part of the government, worries about economic impact, or?... It seems odd that the daily cases are comparable to the last time the emergency declaration was issued, yet nothing is being done. Or am I missing something in the narrative?
Shutdown (or emergency declaration in Jpn) was needed the first time around, because this was new for everyone and we needed the time to figure things out while slowing down the outbreak. But recurrent shutdowns are not feasible. This is not specific to Tokyo. Here in Western USA, we are seeing massive resurgence of Covid. But we're not going to react the same as we did the first time around and shut everything down again. Large-scale shutdown is just not feasible from economic and morale standpoint. Unless you're retired, rich or your income is not affected by it, you would understand the devastation of a shutdown. Well, I hear the California governor has shut down restaurants again. But think about what that means to restaurant owners after 2 months of no revenue, then huge cost to hire back and retrain staff and secure food.
This virus will not go away anytime soon. The case count will ebb and flow, but businesses can't be turned on and off. Going forward, all we can do is keep the economy open while doing the best we can to deal with Covid... mask, social distance, wash hands, test aggressively, keep mild/no symptom Covid cases out of the hospital, ensure healthy supply of PPE, telework. Are we actually doing the best we can now? Of course not. In America, the wheels have completely come off.
Much of USA shut down from mid-March to mid-May. Jpn shut down in April. You'd hope that the society would've used that time to fix its shortcomings and make adjustments to be able to coexist with Covid. But USA has too much political divisiveness and too many self-centered ignorant people, and so people aren't taking things seriously, not masking. It's insane. I'm nervous to go to work everyday as it probably also is the case for restaurant workers, but we can't shut down again because quite frankly I can't afford it. You'd hope that Jpn made good use of the initial shutdown period to learn the necessary lessons and address its shortcomings (test capacity, healthcare protocol, telework). Obviously Jpn did a far better job than America, as its current number of new daily cases is still only 1/3 of its peak. The thing that's most discouraging to me is that the current trends shattered my hopes that Coronavirus would dwindle to almost nothing at least during the summer months.
Jul 4, 2020, 4:03 am
#2193
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,623
With the exception of the "nightlife economy" in which breach of social distancing is not a bug but a feature, Japan seems to be capable of suppressing the virus while maintaining a high degree of activity. In any country, I guess policy makers have to make choices about how much economic disruption they can tolerate and for how long. It's not a binary choice between suppressing the virus or allowing the economy to function - having a widespread epidemic will, itself, damage the economy and the morale of the population.
Why the authorities haven't moved more aggressively to tackle the issue in the "nightlife economy" is a question worth asking. I think that allowing a localized problem in Kabukicho to spread and create outbreaks around the country was a big mistake. I suspect that it was allowed to get out of hand because it's politically tricky to deal with. As I see it, you can take one of two approaches:
1. Clamp down on vice with whatever laws are available. No doubt, Koike could make life very difficult for a lot of bars and clubs. But in the end it's impossible to entirely eliminate even illegal activities. If you try, they go underground.
2. Introduce measures from a public health perspective in cooperation with the industry. This may mean compensating businesses and individuals to shut down their activities, providing enhanced screening to those who continue to operate, introducing tools to monitor as much of the activity as possible (to support better contact tracing), and taking a non-judgmental approach to shift the riskiest activities to less risky activities. I have a feeling that this might be political suicide.
I think that if the decision makers can be a bit more imaginative, then Japan still has the opportunity to put a lid on the current wave and get back to an effective reproductive number below zero - i.e. suppression rather than mitigation.
Why the authorities haven't moved more aggressively to tackle the issue in the "nightlife economy" is a question worth asking. I think that allowing a localized problem in Kabukicho to spread and create outbreaks around the country was a big mistake. I suspect that it was allowed to get out of hand because it's politically tricky to deal with. As I see it, you can take one of two approaches:
1. Clamp down on vice with whatever laws are available. No doubt, Koike could make life very difficult for a lot of bars and clubs. But in the end it's impossible to entirely eliminate even illegal activities. If you try, they go underground.
2. Introduce measures from a public health perspective in cooperation with the industry. This may mean compensating businesses and individuals to shut down their activities, providing enhanced screening to those who continue to operate, introducing tools to monitor as much of the activity as possible (to support better contact tracing), and taking a non-judgmental approach to shift the riskiest activities to less risky activities. I have a feeling that this might be political suicide.
I think that if the decision makers can be a bit more imaginative, then Japan still has the opportunity to put a lid on the current wave and get back to an effective reproductive number below zero - i.e. suppression rather than mitigation.
Jul 4, 2020, 6:56 am
#2194
Moderator: Mileage Run, InterContinental Hotels
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5,911
Seeing reports of massive flooring in Kyushu. How is social distancing working in shelters? I assume if there's one country that's planned for this, it's Japan.
Jul 4, 2020, 8:13 pm
#2195
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,623
The governor of Kagoshima has instructed that people at evacuation sites should maintain social distance and wear masks. I don't see how they're going to maintain optimal distancing. Had it happened a week ago, when the case count in Kagoshima was zero, I would not have been so concerned, but Kagoshima has a new outbreak as of this week. If the outbreak in Kagoshima is currently limited to people with connections to "nightlife" areas in the cities, then perhaps it's possible to strictly control who is interacting with the facilities. But I don't think anybody can know if that's the case.
Jul 4, 2020, 9:19 pm
#2196
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,713
Jul 4, 2020, 10:07 pm
#2197
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
Jul 5, 2020, 1:58 am
#2198
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,376
Why the authorities haven't moved more aggressively to tackle the issue in the "nightlife economy" is a question worth asking. I think that allowing a localized problem in Kabukicho to spread and create outbreaks around the country was a big mistake. I suspect that it was allowed to get out of hand because it's politically tricky to deal with. As I see it, you can take one of two approaches:
1. Clamp down on vice with whatever laws are available. No doubt, Koike could make life very difficult for a lot of bars and clubs. But in the end it's impossible to entirely eliminate even illegal activities. If you try, they go underground.
2. Introduce measures from a public health perspective in cooperation with the industry. This may mean compensating businesses and individuals to shut down their activities, providing enhanced screening to those who continue to operate, introducing tools to monitor as much of the activity as possible (to support better contact tracing), and taking a non-judgmental approach to shift the riskiest activities to less risky activities. I have a feeling that this might be political suicide.
1. Clamp down on vice with whatever laws are available. No doubt, Koike could make life very difficult for a lot of bars and clubs. But in the end it's impossible to entirely eliminate even illegal activities. If you try, they go underground.
2. Introduce measures from a public health perspective in cooperation with the industry. This may mean compensating businesses and individuals to shut down their activities, providing enhanced screening to those who continue to operate, introducing tools to monitor as much of the activity as possible (to support better contact tracing), and taking a non-judgmental approach to shift the riskiest activities to less risky activities. I have a feeling that this might be political suicide.
But if Jpn were to go hard after any group, then I agree that it should be those cabaret clubs and hostess bars. Seems like half or more of the current cases are related to that industry. I don't really know the politics, or what percent of those businesses are related to organized crime or antisocial groups.
Jul 6, 2020, 11:08 pm
#2199
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: BA Silver, ANA Mileage Club
Posts: 155
I'm finally ticketed! I'm flying next Monday UA 881 (ORD-HND) in J ("Polaris"...)... I'll be sure to get on here and update everyone after check-in at IAD (IAD-ORD is my first flight then ORD-HND)
Thanks again to everyone for your advice. I have plenty of documentation and, based on my situation, I hope to be let back in. I'm going to follow all the advice given here as well as common sense and my own intuition.
I'm ditching the suit in favor of the salaryman special - dark slacks, black shoes, black belt, white shirt. Suit jacket is overkill and even in J will be a pain in the ...! Thanks again!
Thanks again to everyone for your advice. I have plenty of documentation and, based on my situation, I hope to be let back in. I'm going to follow all the advice given here as well as common sense and my own intuition.
I'm ditching the suit in favor of the salaryman special - dark slacks, black shoes, black belt, white shirt. Suit jacket is overkill and even in J will be a pain in the ...! Thanks again!
Jul 7, 2020, 12:55 am
#2200
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA MP
Posts: 1,658
Apparently, at a rival company (a very big one anyone living in Japan would be familiar with) apparently one of the execs got coronavirus from one of those establishments.
If there aren't any superspreaders, I would say Japan will be fine - there will be more than enough hospital beds for the people frequenting those establishments.
Jul 7, 2020, 1:28 am
#2201
Join Date: May 2018
Programs: JMB
Posts: 132
Thanks to the current situation (superspreader increasing the number of active cases) I fear Japan will stop the discussion to open the borders (if it was even existing) soon.
Man, someone should explain to them that the virus won't disappear just because they close the borders forever.
Man, someone should explain to them that the virus won't disappear just because they close the borders forever.
Jul 7, 2020, 2:06 am
#2202
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,917
Thanks to the current situation (superspreader increasing the number of active cases) I fear Japan will stop the discussion to open the borders (if it was even existing) soon.
Man, someone should explain to them that the virus won't disappear just because they close the borders forever.
Man, someone should explain to them that the virus won't disappear just because they close the borders forever.
Jul 7, 2020, 1:17 pm
#2203
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TYO
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,744
Thanks to the current situation (superspreader increasing the number of active cases) I fear Japan will stop the discussion to open the borders (if it was even existing) soon.
Man, someone should explain to them that the virus won't disappear just because they close the borders forever.
Man, someone should explain to them that the virus won't disappear just because they close the borders forever.
I think those expecting to return this year may be in for a big disappointment.
Jul 7, 2020, 7:28 pm
#2204
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,713
Wish they would relax PR travel restrictions though.
Jul 7, 2020, 7:41 pm
#2205
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Flipping through the scrapbooks, YouTube, and the virtual visit threads it is.
Take care, all! Got a buddy there who's a longtime resident (w/ family) and the current situation is creating some long dormant homesick pains. At least before, he always had it in the back of his head that he could come back for visits or longer if he wanted to.
Take care, all! Got a buddy there who's a longtime resident (w/ family) and the current situation is creating some long dormant homesick pains. At least before, he always had it in the back of his head that he could come back for visits or longer if he wanted to.