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Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]

Old Mar 5, 2020, 5:17 pm
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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.

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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.
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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.
Vaccine certificate does require three doses of vaccines.
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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 dlvoire, 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.
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Coronavirus impact in Japan [consolidated]

Old Sep 26, 2021, 7:16 pm
  #6001  
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Originally Posted by ainternational
I just came back from Tokyo to the US yesterday. Amazes me every time I walk out of the airport (1A to curb in 4.5 minutes this time - no bags, Global Entry - and yes I timed it) in America, not even a temperature check or questionnaire. Land of the free (and infected), but somehow, I must say, personally I do prefer it this way.
US and Japanese airports stand in stark contrast at this time. At O'Hare, right after immigration, there is someone passing out government-issued handouts about the need to get vaccinated, but other than that and wearing masks, its business as usual, the airport is crowded and you'd think it was a normal non-pandemic day. At Narita, it's like a scene out of the movie "Outbreak" (90s film about a fictional Ebola virus outbreak) with plastic sheeting draped everywhere in immigration and the customs area and no crowds, almost feels deserted. Japan is putting a lot of effort in containing the spread at international airports, but I think their efforts at containment among the local population lack the same rigor.

The obstacles to international travel now, especially those put out by the Japanese government, make it an incredible hassle for me. Domestic travel in either country is just so much easier. I think I'll wait for the dust to settle before I consider another international trip. Or perhaps this is the new normal for years to come. I hope not.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 7:41 pm
  #6002  
 
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Originally Posted by Nagasaki Joe
Japan is putting a lot of effort in containing the spread at international airports, but I think their efforts at containment among the local population lack the same rigor.
IMHO it's all theater with a big heap of xenophobia on top.

The obstacles to international travel now, especially those put out by the Japanese government, make it an incredible hassle for me.
Totally. It used to take me 20 minutes to prep for a trip. Now it's more like 20 hours.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 7:46 pm
  #6003  
 
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Originally Posted by ainternational
I just came back from Tokyo to the US yesterday. Amazes me every time I walk out of the airport (1A to curb in 4.5 minutes this time - no bags, Global Entry - and yes I timed it) in America, not even a temperature check or questionnaire. Land of the free (and infected), but somehow, I must say, personally I do prefer it this way.
That is pretty impressive for an international arrival. Even pre-COVID, walking/train time alone means at least 15 minutes to the curb at KIX. Then again the immigration auto-gates are not "auto" as there is someone who will double-check the passport.
Domestic Japan is a different story of course. Took me 5 minutes from curb to gate at Kobe once (including security and getting my boarding pass at the machine).
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 8:12 pm
  #6004  
 
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Originally Posted by JapanFlyerT
That is pretty impressive for an international arrival. Even pre-COVID, walking/train time alone means at least 15 minutes to the curb at KIX. Then again the immigration auto-gates are not "auto" as there is someone who will double-check the passport.
Domestic Japan is a different story of course. Took me 5 minutes from curb to gate at Kobe once (including security and getting my boarding pass at the machine).
See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21646031-post62.html for my personal best .... 3:50 from plane door opening to curb arriving on an international flight into Narita.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 8:25 pm
  #6005  
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Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
The food is a poor version of a convenience store bento.

Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer

Whoever said the Japanese diet is healthy knew nothing about Japanese bento food culture. Dry, starchy, plenty of fried food, few vegetables, a carb-fest, no wonder constipation is a common ailment in Japan. And those supposedly wonderful ekiben are pretty much the same (though there may be exceptions here and there). If you eat three meals a day and one of them is a store-bought bento (as it is for many people), that will likely be your least healthy meal of the day. I'll admit, for some it may be their healthiest, God forbid. A meal served in the economy section of a flight is probably about the same quality as a bento, maybe better.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 8:59 pm
  #6006  
 
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Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
You can ask for a vegetarian bento. That's the alternative. If you have more complex medical or religious needs I am sure they could find ways to accommodate.

Top right is a chicken namban with tartar sauce. If memory serves me right.


Random breakfast example. (I photo documented part of my misery)
Breakfast definitely looks better, but Id need 2 of these.
That corn bread looks good. Looks like the famous one from Biei that everyone buys at CTS.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 9:03 pm
  #6007  
 
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Originally Posted by Nagasaki Joe
Whoever said the Japanese diet is healthy knew nothing about Japanese bento food culture.
I agree esp if youre talking about konbini bento. I try yo avoid them. And lots of oil in konbini onigiri.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 9:05 pm
  #6008  
 
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Originally Posted by ainternational
I just came back from Tokyo to the US yesterday. Amazes me every time I walk out of the airport (1A to curb in 4.5 minutes this time - no bags, Global Entry - and yes I timed it) in America, not even a temperature check or questionnaire. Land of the free (and infected), but somehow, I must say, personally I do prefer it this way.
Me too.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 9:09 pm
  #6009  
 
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Originally Posted by 5khours
See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21646031-post62.html for my personal best .... 3:50 from plane door opening to curb arriving on an international flight into Narita.
Oh this thread natsukashii
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 9:36 pm
  #6010  
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Originally Posted by Nagasaki Joe
Whoever said the Japanese diet is healthy knew nothing about Japanese bento food culture. Dry, starchy, plenty of fried food, few vegetables, a carb-fest, no wonder constipation is a common ailment in Japan. And those supposedly wonderful ekiben are pretty much the same (though there may be exceptions here and there). If you eat three meals a day and one of them is a store-bought bento (as it is for many people), that will likely be your least healthy meal of the day. I'll admit, for some it may be their healthiest, God forbid. A meal served in the economy section of a flight is probably about the same quality as a bento, maybe better.
From Kyoto I usually get the semi-eki ben from Isetan. There is nothing like a bento from 京都吉兆 or 祇園にしかわ. Pick your train bentos well and they can be wonderful. But then also a bit more than 1,000 yen.

I think the mitigating circumstance is that they are reasonably calorie acceptable after all, due to overall porton size. But then feeling full and staying away from other snacks is the trick.


Originally Posted by evergrn
Breakfast definitely looks better, but Id need 2 of these.
That corn bread looks good. Looks like the famous one from Biei that everyone buys at CTS.
If this was from a famous place, I wonder about their source of fame. But it was OK. The better of the three breakfast bentos that came.

But I do pity the people who had 6 or 10 days of these.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 10:05 pm
  #6011  
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Looks like it will be a full throttle opening (or as much as there has been one ) as no prefectures are asking about a mambo from the 30th. Of course there could be some prefectures that change their minds. All will be decided tomorrow after the requisite committees meet. Get ready to enjoy a bit without "restrictions" domestically. If the weather holds , October will be a great month for outdoor eating, drinking and travel.
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Old Sep 26, 2021, 10:11 pm
  #6012  
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I think the restrictions will simply go from being controlled by the national government to being controlled by the individual prefectures. Okinawa has already announced some of the restrictions that would be in place from October 1st if no emergency or quasi emergency is in place, such as requesting eateries to stop serving alcohol by 7pm and end operations by 8pm (extended an additional hour for places that have received special certification), and I imagine the Kanto prefectures will all do something similar.
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Old Sep 27, 2021, 12:04 am
  #6013  
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Originally Posted by CPH-Flyer
From Kyoto I usually get the semi-eki ben from Isetan. There is nothing like a bento from 京都吉兆 or 祇園にしかわ. Pick your train bentos well and they can be wonderful. But then also a bit more than 1,000 yen.
When I say ekiben, I'm referring to bento bought on the train platform (often a local specialty). Those bought at shops like Isetan within major metropolitan stations are of higher quality and cost and really a different category, but they do follow the same theme as the platform bought bento of being excessively dry, with plenty of starch/carbs, little if any vegetables (usually just salty pickles), and often centered around high-calorie fried food or breaded cutlet. Sure, you can buy good sushi bento or tonkatsu bento made by well-known restaurants there, but these are usually different from those bought on the platform, but perhaps in Tokyo that is changing. Though not a bento, how about the ubiquitous hot dog bun stuffed with yakisoba or spaghetti, which has been around ever since I can remember. Starch on top of starch, I cringe every time I see it. Foodie paradise, anyone?

Years back I used to commute to Tokyo for work by Shinkansen (as many Japanese do) and really enjoyed the return trip home, which was rarely crowded. In Tokyo Station I could buy all kinds of tasty food dishes from the basement floor of Daimaru,as well as nice wine, beer, and sake and turn my train seat table into an Izakaya for the one-hour or so ride home. It would not have been as much fun if I had been limited to buying ekiben on the train platform.
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Old Sep 27, 2021, 12:29 am
  #6014  
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In response to some of the talk about how normal airports are in the USA vs Naritaits true.

Its got to be time, soon, for all developed countries (Japan) to open up for business with mandated vaccines for international travel, even if it is partnered with testing, and no stupid 10 day quarantine. Covid isnt going anywhere, but the risk of extreme illness is mostly cornered to the unvaccinated or certain vaccinated people with underlying health issues. Sure, you guys can dig up some articles, but the rule, not the exception, is that the unvaccinated are crowding the hospitals and dying.

That being said, it still seems the consensus that the Japanese will drag their feet and take way too long, even though they are starting to outpace a lot of countries with vaccination.

Dont get me wrong, I fully believe how awful Covid has been and Im vaxxed to the max. But its time to get some confidence that this can happen, and most will be ok.
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Old Sep 27, 2021, 2:24 am
  #6015  
 
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Originally Posted by wunderpit
In response to some of the talk about how normal airports are in the USA vs Naritaits true.

Its got to be time, soon, for all developed countries (Japan) to open up for business with mandated vaccines for international travel, even if it is partnered with testing, and no stupid 10 day quarantine. Covid isnt going anywhere, but the risk of extreme illness is mostly cornered to the unvaccinated or certain vaccinated people with underlying health issues. Sure, you guys can dig up some articles, but the rule, not the exception, is that the unvaccinated are crowding the hospitals and dying.

That being said, it still seems the consensus that the Japanese will drag their feet and take way too long, even though they are starting to outpace a lot of countries with vaccination.

Dont get me wrong, I fully believe how awful Covid has been and Im vaxxed to the max. But its time to get some confidence that this can happen, and most will be ok.
I don't think extreme illness or death is at play now in developed economies with more than half population fully vaccinated. The problem is wide-spread infections.

With flu, acceptable practice is to isolate oneself away from others. With COVID spread easier, faster and wider, more and more people(and families) have to stay away from work/school. There won't be much economy going on with that.
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