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 4, 2022, 2:07 pm
#9181
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
Or you could join a tour group. Lol
But personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if things do open up more fully in August. Hang in there.
Jul 4, 2022, 4:53 pm
#9182
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
Japan is once again delaying the re-start of their discount Go To travel plan for domestic tourists (supposed to begin early July). If the J-gov can't yet tell its own people its OK to go out to travel in Japan, I doubt they will freely welcome in foreign tourists to do so. Sorry.
Jul 4, 2022, 5:41 pm
#9183
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: TYO / WAS / NYC
Programs: American Express got a hit man lookin' for me
Posts: 4,596
LDP candidates have been talking about the economic need to re-open to foreign tourism in their election speeches, so I am expecting a pretty major loosening of policy in the very near future. Probably not August, but perhaps in September or October when summer vacation traffic has died down. Transpac flights seem to already be at capacity for the next couple of months.
Jul 4, 2022, 5:48 pm
#9184
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
August? I would be surprised.
Japan is once again delaying the re-start of their discount Go To travel plan for domestic tourists (supposed to begin early July). If the J-gov can't yet tell its own people its OK to go out to travel in Japan, I doubt they will freely welcome in foreign tourists to do so. Sorry.
Japan is once again delaying the re-start of their discount Go To travel plan for domestic tourists (supposed to begin early July). If the J-gov can't yet tell its own people its OK to go out to travel in Japan, I doubt they will freely welcome in foreign tourists to do so. Sorry.
On another note, referencing the original post in this thread way back on page one, I did notice Ginza last Sunday felt much... less Japanese... again. I think the mainlanders have decided it's worth it now to come over for their shopping trips because:
- No JP quarantine (or they ignore it, it's easy to skip out on it)
- China quarantine reduction upon return from 21 -> 7 days
- JPY is so weak, everything is a goddam deal in Japan these days
Totally worth it for those shopping trips to bring back merchandise and unload it in China for profit. At least it'll (mildly) help the Japanese economy. And the hordes in full volume are decidedly not back quite yet. It's those American tourists I'm really not looking forward to seeing. hahaha! (for those of you who don't know, I'm an American, so I can say that lolol)
Jul 4, 2022, 6:45 pm
#9185
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Japan/Thailand
Programs: AS, UA
Posts: 1,201
August? I would be surprised.
Japan is once again delaying the re-start of their discount Go To travel plan for domestic tourists (supposed to begin early July). If the J-gov can't yet tell its own people its OK to go out to travel in Japan, I doubt they will freely welcome in foreign tourists to do so. Sorry.
Japan is once again delaying the re-start of their discount Go To travel plan for domestic tourists (supposed to begin early July). If the J-gov can't yet tell its own people its OK to go out to travel in Japan, I doubt they will freely welcome in foreign tourists to do so. Sorry.
There are some local Go To-type plans to encourage domestic visitors to come to their city or region rather than another part of Japan, but those have always been around.
Jul 4, 2022, 6:58 pm
#9186
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
On another note, referencing the original post in this thread way back on page one, I did notice Ginza last Sunday felt much... less Japanese... again. I think the mainlanders have decided it's worth it now to come over for their shopping trips
- No JP quarantine (or they ignore it, it's easy to skip out on it)
- China quarantine reduction upon return from 21 -> 7 days
- JPY is so weak, everything is a goddam deal in Japan these days
- No JP quarantine (or they ignore it, it's easy to skip out on it)
- China quarantine reduction upon return from 21 -> 7 days
- JPY is so weak, everything is a goddam deal in Japan these days
If that tour goes to Ginza for a day for shopping, so be it. But as of a few days ago, only about 7000 total foreign tourists from all countries have entered Japan so far since mid-June via these package tours. At best, maybe a couple foreign tour groups with a couple dozen tourists at most would have been at Ginza at any one time in the past few weeks. If it seems "less Japanese" its unlikely these people are actually here as tourists.
Jul 4, 2022, 7:06 pm
#9187
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
I do not understand what you mean if suggesting it is somehow easier for Chinese to enter Japan ("skip out" on quarantine... huh?) than Europeans or Americans. The only way mainland Chinese (or Hong Kongers... or literally any tourist on earth) can enter Japan is via a package tour.
If that tour goes to Ginza for a day for shopping, so be it. But as of a few days ago, only about 7000 total foreign tourists from all countries have entered Japan so far since mid-June via these package tours. At best, maybe a couple foreign tour groups with a couple dozen tourists at most would have been at Ginza at any one time in the past few weeks. If it seems "less Japanese" its unlikely these people are actually here as tourists.
If that tour goes to Ginza for a day for shopping, so be it. But as of a few days ago, only about 7000 total foreign tourists from all countries have entered Japan so far since mid-June via these package tours. At best, maybe a couple foreign tour groups with a couple dozen tourists at most would have been at Ginza at any one time in the past few weeks. If it seems "less Japanese" its unlikely these people are actually here as tourists.
Jul 4, 2022, 7:13 pm
#9188
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
I'd be surprised if they ever restart the Go To campaign at all, at least nationwide. The government doesn't need to tell domestic tourists to go out and travel now; if they are the sort of people who want to go out and travel, they are doing so already and it should be self-evident from the number of other tourists that they see.
There are some local Go To-type plans to encourage domestic visitors to come to their city or region rather than another part of Japan, but those have always been around.
There are some local Go To-type plans to encourage domestic visitors to come to their city or region rather than another part of Japan, but those have always been around.
A month ago they announced the discount campaign would expand nationwide in the beginning of July. See here:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...restart-plans/
But a few days ago Kishida said this would probably be delayed for now due to increased covid cases, and as of today there has been no new word on this program which was supposed to have already started.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...rus-wave-grow/
Last edited by alan11; Jul 4, 2022 at 7:19 pm
Jul 4, 2022, 7:17 pm
#9189
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
Definitely not easier for anyone from any place. From what I've heard, they are paying Japanese companies to sponsor their "business trips" for shopping. I'm just saying it makes economical sense now, so we are seeing the shopping traffic return. Not on tourist visas. Never said that.
Jul 4, 2022, 7:36 pm
#9190
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,631
Jul 4, 2022, 7:41 pm
#9192
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
Ah, that also makes a lot of sense. Good idea.
Jul 4, 2022, 8:02 pm
#9193
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA GS 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,300
Could very well be right. What JoeJones said above makes sense to me as well. Too bad for US and European would be tourists, that means things may finally loosen up just after the summer holiday ends.
On another note, referencing the original post in this thread way back on page one, I did notice Ginza last Sunday felt much... less Japanese... again. I think the mainlanders have decided it's worth it now to come over for their shopping trips because:
- No JP quarantine (or they ignore it, it's easy to skip out on it)
- China quarantine reduction upon return from 21 -> 7 days
- JPY is so weak, everything is a goddam deal in Japan these days
Totally worth it for those shopping trips to bring back merchandise and unload it in China for profit. At least it'll (mildly) help the Japanese economy. And the hordes in full volume are decidedly not back quite yet. It's those American tourists I'm really not looking forward to seeing. hahaha! (for those of you who don't know, I'm an American, so I can say that lolol)
On another note, referencing the original post in this thread way back on page one, I did notice Ginza last Sunday felt much... less Japanese... again. I think the mainlanders have decided it's worth it now to come over for their shopping trips because:
- No JP quarantine (or they ignore it, it's easy to skip out on it)
- China quarantine reduction upon return from 21 -> 7 days
- JPY is so weak, everything is a goddam deal in Japan these days
Totally worth it for those shopping trips to bring back merchandise and unload it in China for profit. At least it'll (mildly) help the Japanese economy. And the hordes in full volume are decidedly not back quite yet. It's those American tourists I'm really not looking forward to seeing. hahaha! (for those of you who don't know, I'm an American, so I can say that lolol)
Jul 4, 2022, 9:10 pm
#9194
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
I was in Ginza as well on Sunday and agree -- it does seem much more like pre-COVID -- and there are many Chinese shoppers, although I do not know how they got here but they are definitely here! I did not notice any tour buses at all though... And yes -- with the yen so weak right now everything is like 30% off!
Jul 4, 2022, 10:57 pm
#9195
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Thanks for the Memories !!!
Posts: 10,657
I mentioned about Chinese tourists being dropped off by their "ghost" taxi vans weeks ago.