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]
Mar 4, 2022, 9:05 am
#7861
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,970
I was in Singapore in Nov 2019, then Jpn until early Jan 2020. Was supposed to fly back to Jpn in Feb 2020 but decided to cancel because I didn’t want to take any chances with Covid. I think I was more wary of this virus in the early days than most people. I stopped going to the gym too. After canceling my Jpn trip, used that fund to head to Utah 2 different times in Feb. I have not been back to Jpn ever since. I had two more trips booked for Jpn in 2020, one of them Olympics, canceled both.
Then I headed up to Canada in March 2020 and, while there, the world came to a screeching halt really when Stifle Towers (can’t remember his real name) went around touching all the postgame microphones as a joke then came down with Covid. That canceled the NBA, then came announcement that Vail Resorts were shutting down which I heard a couple hours after I came off the slope couple days later. Soon after my work shut down. That was my last international trip… until last month when I went back to Canada and for old times sake headed back to the same restaurant where I heard the news of NBA shutting down 23mo prior.
I had no buffet for 4months, from March until July 2020… longest I ever went without food. Finally found a semi-buffet in Lake Tahoe in July which was like reuniting and it felt so good. I’ve just been dinking around mostly in California all this time. Have not been able to go to Jpn mostly due to the quarantine requirement and the fact that I can’t take off work more than 10days. But I have a feeling things are getting close. I really miss Asia’s real hotel hospitality and lavish breaksfast buffets. But I must say being stuck in America due to the pandemic has really made me appreciate vacationing in America (well, California really), something I never really did before. There’s just a lot of cool places here. I was in Zion National Park over the Holidays which is in middle of nowhere… so many people there from India, China, even Jpn… probably a lot of them would normally have spent the Holidays back in their home countries if it weren’t for the pandemic. Yet there we were, doing something different, enjoying Americas great outdoor.
I’m planning on Jpn this Dec. When I consider the uncertainty still for this summer, and the thought of wearing mask despite the awful humidity, I think it’s best I wait till fall or winter.
Then I headed up to Canada in March 2020 and, while there, the world came to a screeching halt really when Stifle Towers (can’t remember his real name) went around touching all the postgame microphones as a joke then came down with Covid. That canceled the NBA, then came announcement that Vail Resorts were shutting down which I heard a couple hours after I came off the slope couple days later. Soon after my work shut down. That was my last international trip… until last month when I went back to Canada and for old times sake headed back to the same restaurant where I heard the news of NBA shutting down 23mo prior.
I had no buffet for 4months, from March until July 2020… longest I ever went without food. Finally found a semi-buffet in Lake Tahoe in July which was like reuniting and it felt so good. I’ve just been dinking around mostly in California all this time. Have not been able to go to Jpn mostly due to the quarantine requirement and the fact that I can’t take off work more than 10days. But I have a feeling things are getting close. I really miss Asia’s real hotel hospitality and lavish breaksfast buffets. But I must say being stuck in America due to the pandemic has really made me appreciate vacationing in America (well, California really), something I never really did before. There’s just a lot of cool places here. I was in Zion National Park over the Holidays which is in middle of nowhere… so many people there from India, China, even Jpn… probably a lot of them would normally have spent the Holidays back in their home countries if it weren’t for the pandemic. Yet there we were, doing something different, enjoying Americas great outdoor.
I’m planning on Jpn this Dec. When I consider the uncertainty still for this summer, and the thought of wearing mask despite the awful humidity, I think it’s best I wait till fall or winter.
Mar 4, 2022, 6:25 pm
#7862
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,378
I don't think I can go more than 4 hours without food when I'm awake.
Mar 4, 2022, 6:32 pm
#7863
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,378
As much as I love buffets, I will pass on Golden Corral.
I've been enjoying buffets at various hotels and DL Sky Clubs. Now all the buffets are self-serve. In the early part of pandemic, I was worried buffets might become forever extinct. But they came back pretty quickly. Very relieved. Even in California, buffets were back up and running fairly quick. I saw a buffet operating at the Del Amo Mall sometime around spring 2021 (did not eat because it didn't look good).
I'd be interested to hear about the hotel buffet situations in Tokyo from those who live there.
Mar 4, 2022, 6:46 pm
#7864
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,378
When DL had red-eye SEA-HND, one used to be able to actually do a weekend trip with 24+ hours in Tokyo from SEA without taking any time off work.
With red-eye gone, trips to Jpn seem no longer possible unless you take at least 1 day off.
Mar 4, 2022, 9:35 pm
#7865
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,437
At hotels where buffet services have returned, the handling is all over the place.
At the Odaiba Hilton last summer, outside of request to sanitize hands on entry and wearing a mask when getting food, the buffets were essentially BAU.
At every Hyatt I've been to, the requirements include putting on a new pair of plastic gloves every time you get food. Most are equipped with a clever device that blows air into the gloves, allowing one to rather easily slip one's hands inside of them, but they all make the process of taking food a bit clumsier. There's also a higher ratio of food being prepared in individual ramekins for the customer to take over taking food from a communal tray with communal utensils (e.g. Andaz Tokyo's breakfast buffet bread pudding, my most recent hotel buffet experience from just last week. I'd put the experience at about 75% of the glory days of 2014).
Prince Hotels that have returned to buffet service take this one step further. There is still a buffet layout, but the food is behind glass and out of reach of the customer. Everything you want must be pointed out to well-sanitized staff behind a counter, who put the food onto separate plates and pass them to you. This is probably my favorite of all the new methods that I've seen.
Finally, there is the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, and the iconic "Viking" Restaurant Sal. There is still a buffet, and you can still get up out of your chair and go look at it, but it is only for display purposes. Everything you want is ordered at your table using a pre-sanitized tablet, and is brought to your table by staff. It's more of a made-to-order all-you-can-eat restaurant at this point, and this approach comes at a literal cost: the price has increased over 40% since before the pandemic.
Special shout out to what I believe is the greatest buffet in the world: lunch at the Park Hyatt Tokyo New York Grill. It's not the largest selection in the world, but literally every single item is ambrosia from the gods. And somehow, they never stopped serving this for a single day, though in the darkest times, staff would escort each party one by one alone to the food to prevent the chances of infection.
At the Odaiba Hilton last summer, outside of request to sanitize hands on entry and wearing a mask when getting food, the buffets were essentially BAU.
At every Hyatt I've been to, the requirements include putting on a new pair of plastic gloves every time you get food. Most are equipped with a clever device that blows air into the gloves, allowing one to rather easily slip one's hands inside of them, but they all make the process of taking food a bit clumsier. There's also a higher ratio of food being prepared in individual ramekins for the customer to take over taking food from a communal tray with communal utensils (e.g. Andaz Tokyo's breakfast buffet bread pudding, my most recent hotel buffet experience from just last week. I'd put the experience at about 75% of the glory days of 2014).
Prince Hotels that have returned to buffet service take this one step further. There is still a buffet layout, but the food is behind glass and out of reach of the customer. Everything you want must be pointed out to well-sanitized staff behind a counter, who put the food onto separate plates and pass them to you. This is probably my favorite of all the new methods that I've seen.
Finally, there is the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, and the iconic "Viking" Restaurant Sal. There is still a buffet, and you can still get up out of your chair and go look at it, but it is only for display purposes. Everything you want is ordered at your table using a pre-sanitized tablet, and is brought to your table by staff. It's more of a made-to-order all-you-can-eat restaurant at this point, and this approach comes at a literal cost: the price has increased over 40% since before the pandemic.
Special shout out to what I believe is the greatest buffet in the world: lunch at the Park Hyatt Tokyo New York Grill. It's not the largest selection in the world, but literally every single item is ambrosia from the gods. And somehow, they never stopped serving this for a single day, though in the darkest times, staff would escort each party one by one alone to the food to prevent the chances of infection.
Mar 5, 2022, 12:34 am
#7866
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LAX-HNL-TYO
Programs: ANA PLATINUM,HYATT GLOBALIST, AA PLATINUM FOR LIFE, UNITED SILVER, HILTON DIAMOND, MARRIOTT TITANIUM
Posts: 606
How is the Sizzler buffet in Japan?
Mar 5, 2022, 4:27 am
#7867
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
Alive and active throughout the pandemic. As hailstorm says above, these AMAZING AND UNIQUE plastic glove machines are used and required on both hands. At Sizzler and every other buffet restaurant (and Hyatt and Sheraton and Westin and RC and… should I go on?) in Japan and many other countries.
Sizzler remains mediocre though in my opinion. I do like a salad bar with a lot of options though, but it seems they have pulled back over the years like most places. One would have thought I asked for a pot of gold the other day when requesting a few slices of raw onion for my salad at the French Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt for my “elite breakfast” based on their reaction. Incidentally, their made to order breakfast menu has shrunk considerably from a few months ago. Everything seems to be going downhill pretty consistently these days.
Sizzler remains mediocre though in my opinion. I do like a salad bar with a lot of options though, but it seems they have pulled back over the years like most places. One would have thought I asked for a pot of gold the other day when requesting a few slices of raw onion for my salad at the French Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt for my “elite breakfast” based on their reaction. Incidentally, their made to order breakfast menu has shrunk considerably from a few months ago. Everything seems to be going downhill pretty consistently these days.
Mar 5, 2022, 7:54 am
#7868
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Boston, Jo'burg, HK
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Lifetime Diamond, CX Gold, Mrs. Pickles travels for free
Posts: 13,163
One would have thought I asked for a pot of gold the other day when requesting a few slices of raw onion for my salad at the French Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt for my “elite breakfast” based on their reaction. Incidentally, their made to order breakfast menu has shrunk considerably from a few months ago. Everything seems to be going downhill pretty consistently these days.
Mar 5, 2022, 9:49 am
#7869
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,970
When you say weekend mileage run, are you talking 3-day weekend?
When DL had red-eye SEA-HND, one used to be able to actually do a weekend trip with 24+ hours in Tokyo from SEA without taking any time off work.
With red-eye gone, trips to Jpn seem no longer possible unless you take at least 1 day off.
When DL had red-eye SEA-HND, one used to be able to actually do a weekend trip with 24+ hours in Tokyo from SEA without taking any time off work.
With red-eye gone, trips to Jpn seem no longer possible unless you take at least 1 day off.
Mar 5, 2022, 2:39 pm
#7870
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Tokyo/Syd/Mel
Programs: NH Dia (MM), QF-Plt, S-La GC Dia, Marriot Plt
Posts: 226
Hi all. I'm reporting back on my experience of the "Fast track" entry at Haneda.
It probably should be called "Faster track" (or not-as-slow track) as it really wasn't so different. It was 1hour and 15 minutes from landing to curbside. I could not have done it any faster honestly.
You still need to do all the "stations" in the chain.. just some are a little easier than previously being able to show the green box on the app.
I was on the first flight of the day and passenger 0001 processed.
Note that I had been under the impression that doing the Fast track entry meant completely paperless so didn't bother to take the sheets of paper they given you on the plane (pledge etc).
Turns out that the one called Health Card is needed so best to take all paper they give you on the plane anyway.
Here are my timings and some notes:
- Landed 4:40 AM
- Deplaned 4:50 AM (Japan entry let off ahead of the transfer passengers - this is not always the case)
- Start processing 4:55 AM (basically show passport, app with QR code, green box etc)
- PCR test 5:05 AM
- SOS App check 5:10 AM (of which I clearly already had installed and yes, you still need to do this and I asked them why they need to be checking for location tracking etc when there is no quarantine.. they claim it is for close contact tracking if someone tests positive on the flight)
- Quarantine check 5:15 AM (where they decide if you are quarantine free etc. They were a bit clueless here and had to refer to a supervisor who confirmed no quarantine for me. I was hopeful they could just look at the green box.. wasn't that simple )
- Waiting for test results 5:20AM
- Got results 5:45 AM (I was super happy that i didn't have to wait for a "batch" of 5 to be reported - mine was reported but no one else).
- Immigration and exit 5:55 AM (Didn't need to do anything special)
It probably should be called "Faster track" (or not-as-slow track) as it really wasn't so different. It was 1hour and 15 minutes from landing to curbside. I could not have done it any faster honestly.
You still need to do all the "stations" in the chain.. just some are a little easier than previously being able to show the green box on the app.
I was on the first flight of the day and passenger 0001 processed.
Note that I had been under the impression that doing the Fast track entry meant completely paperless so didn't bother to take the sheets of paper they given you on the plane (pledge etc).
Turns out that the one called Health Card is needed so best to take all paper they give you on the plane anyway.
Here are my timings and some notes:
- Landed 4:40 AM
- Deplaned 4:50 AM (Japan entry let off ahead of the transfer passengers - this is not always the case)
- Start processing 4:55 AM (basically show passport, app with QR code, green box etc)
- PCR test 5:05 AM
- SOS App check 5:10 AM (of which I clearly already had installed and yes, you still need to do this and I asked them why they need to be checking for location tracking etc when there is no quarantine.. they claim it is for close contact tracking if someone tests positive on the flight)
- Quarantine check 5:15 AM (where they decide if you are quarantine free etc. They were a bit clueless here and had to refer to a supervisor who confirmed no quarantine for me. I was hopeful they could just look at the green box.. wasn't that simple )
- Waiting for test results 5:20AM
- Got results 5:45 AM (I was super happy that i didn't have to wait for a "batch" of 5 to be reported - mine was reported but no one else).
- Immigration and exit 5:55 AM (Didn't need to do anything special)
Last edited by Akihabara; Mar 5, 2022 at 7:27 pm
Mar 5, 2022, 2:44 pm
#7871
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Tokyo/Syd/Mel
Programs: NH Dia (MM), QF-Plt, S-La GC Dia, Marriot Plt
Posts: 226
Btw, for those interested in "How does it work if you are not boosted?" (so need to do some home quarantine), I also enquired on that and was given this.
(Ignore the numbers i scribbled on there)
(Ignore the numbers i scribbled on there)
Mar 5, 2022, 7:13 pm
#7872
formerly wunderpit
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ONT-SNA-LAX
Programs: UA1K-HHDiamond
Posts: 1,342
Hi all. I'm reporting back on my experience of the "Fast track" entry.
It probably should be called "Faster track" (or not-as-slow track) as it really wasn't so different. It was 1hour and 15 minutes from landing to curbside. I could not have done it any faster honestly.
You still need to do all the "stations" in the chain.. just some are a little easier than previously being able to show the green box on the app.
I was on the first flight of the day and passenger 0001 processed.
Note that I had been under the impression that doing the Fast track entry meant completely paperless so didn't bother to take the sheets of paper they given you on the plane (pledge etc).
Turns out that the one called Health Card is needed so best to take all paper they give you on the plane anyway.
Here are my timings and some notes:
- Landed 4:40 AM
- Deplaned 4:50 AM (Japan entry let off ahead of the transfer passengers - this is not always the case)
- Start processing 4:55 AM (basically show passport, app with QR code, green box etc)
- PCR test 5:05 AM
- SOS App check 5:10 AM (of which I clearly already had installed and yes, you still need to do this and I asked them why they need to be checking for location tracking etc when there is no quarantine.. they claim it is for close contact tracking if someone tests positive on the flight)
- Quarantine check 5:15 AM (where they decide if you are quarantine free etc. They were a bit clueless here and had to refer to a supervisor who confirmed no quarantine for me. I was hopeful they could just look at the green box.. wasn't that simple )
- Waiting for test results 5:20AM
- Got results 5:45 AM (I was super happy that i didn't have to wait for a "batch" of 5 to be reported - mine was reported but no one else).
- Immigration and exit 5:55 AM (Didn't need to do anything special)
It probably should be called "Faster track" (or not-as-slow track) as it really wasn't so different. It was 1hour and 15 minutes from landing to curbside. I could not have done it any faster honestly.
You still need to do all the "stations" in the chain.. just some are a little easier than previously being able to show the green box on the app.
I was on the first flight of the day and passenger 0001 processed.
Note that I had been under the impression that doing the Fast track entry meant completely paperless so didn't bother to take the sheets of paper they given you on the plane (pledge etc).
Turns out that the one called Health Card is needed so best to take all paper they give you on the plane anyway.
Here are my timings and some notes:
- Landed 4:40 AM
- Deplaned 4:50 AM (Japan entry let off ahead of the transfer passengers - this is not always the case)
- Start processing 4:55 AM (basically show passport, app with QR code, green box etc)
- PCR test 5:05 AM
- SOS App check 5:10 AM (of which I clearly already had installed and yes, you still need to do this and I asked them why they need to be checking for location tracking etc when there is no quarantine.. they claim it is for close contact tracking if someone tests positive on the flight)
- Quarantine check 5:15 AM (where they decide if you are quarantine free etc. They were a bit clueless here and had to refer to a supervisor who confirmed no quarantine for me. I was hopeful they could just look at the green box.. wasn't that simple )
- Waiting for test results 5:20AM
- Got results 5:45 AM (I was super happy that i didn't have to wait for a "batch" of 5 to be reported - mine was reported but no one else).
- Immigration and exit 5:55 AM (Didn't need to do anything special)
Mar 5, 2022, 7:28 pm
#7873
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Tokyo/Syd/Mel
Programs: NH Dia (MM), QF-Plt, S-La GC Dia, Marriot Plt
Posts: 226
Mar 6, 2022, 12:00 am
#7874
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,378
Depends on where I'm going, last one I did was to Hong Kong. The goal was 16 hours to HKG, then after a 1-hour layover, a 4-hour flight to NRT, where I would have about 6 hours until my flight from NRT back to LAX, and those 6 hours, I was going to try to make it in to Narita city, but after taking off from HKG to NRT, we had to make an emergency landing when a piece of the plane fell off on takeoff. I ended up spending my time in Hong Kong then flying back to LAX from there. 3-day weekends are better, but I can usually find a flight on Friday afternoon that would get me a good 12 hours in Japan before having to be back at the airport. As much as I hate the fact that my new job doesn't include a lot of travel (I'll be flying to India a lot once they let us travel again), one big benefit is it's 100% remote, so as long as I have my laptop with me, I can work from anywhere.
The only one that'd let me do that is the ANA flight leaving SFO at 1.45a Sat and returning 4.45p Sun. That flight gives me 18.5hrs from arrival till departure. I'd love to do something like that on a whim, but it's priced at $2500 Y this July and not even available with UA miles.
I haven't checked airfares to Jpn in a while till now, but it's looking very high already for this summer. Once Jpn opens to tourism, the floodgate will open and maybe that will drive up airfares even more.
Mar 6, 2022, 11:48 pm
#7875
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,178
Does anyone have experience with getting a predeparture test that satisfies the Japanese criteria in Paris?
Will go in to googling mode, but if someone knows a reliable provider, much appreciated.
Will go in to googling mode, but if someone knows a reliable provider, much appreciated.