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]
#9916
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: CRK MNL
Programs: CX Gold
Posts: 1,287
Do tourists really need to book a packaged tour to go to Japan? I have read somewhere that we just need to book for a 'chaperone' from a Japanese local travel agency. But the travel agency in my country (Philippines) is insisting that I need to book their packaged tour.
#9917
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 273
Yes, still need package tour, the leaked change to that rule hasn’t been announced as the announcement due today has been delayed due to the high Covid cases.
#9918
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: HHonors Gold, Marriott Lifetime Gold, IHG Gold, OZ*G, AA Gold, AS MVP
Posts: 1,874
However, it doesn't have to be from a travel agency in your country specifically, as long as they're licensed and qualified to sort out the ERFS paperwork.
#9919
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: CRK MNL
Programs: CX Gold
Posts: 1,287
If we are going for a packaged tour, can we deviate from the itinerary of the tour? Like if wanted to stay longer in some places, and forego other places?
And if we're going to have our lunch or dinner, do we need to let the tour guide/chaperone join us for the meal? What if we wanted to dine in an expensive restaurant?
And if we're going to have our lunch or dinner, do we need to let the tour guide/chaperone join us for the meal? What if we wanted to dine in an expensive restaurant?
#9920
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
#9921
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 327
If we are going for a packaged tour, can we deviate from the itinerary of the tour? Like if wanted to stay longer in some places, and forego other places?
And if we're going to have our lunch or dinner, do we need to let the tour guide/chaperone join us for the meal? What if we wanted to dine in an expensive restaurant?
And if we're going to have our lunch or dinner, do we need to let the tour guide/chaperone join us for the meal? What if we wanted to dine in an expensive restaurant?
This Reddit post is worth reading for someone's recent experience, also worth reading the comments as someone else on a tour replied with their experience too.
https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel...covid_tourist/
The rules are rumoured to be changing at some point next month so this might all become irrelevant.
Announcement on rule changes for tourism was expected today but seems to have been delayed.
#9922
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,968
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-drops-COVID-test-requirement-raises-daily-cap-for-entry
This article even brings up the possibility of removing guides as mentioned above.
Some restrictions could remain in place. For instance, tourists with valid visas will likely be allowed to enter on group tours, but they will not now need to be accompanied by a guide.
#9923
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 273
some of expected announcements were put out (increase entry, ending covid test), but stopped short of discussing tourists
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-drops-COVID-test-requirement-raises-daily-cap-for-entry
This article even brings up the possibility of removing guides as mentioned above.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-drops-COVID-test-requirement-raises-daily-cap-for-entry
This article even brings up the possibility of removing guides as mentioned above.
Anyway, looks to be as I suspected, the exact same as before but without the chaperone, will make no difference at all to covid (compared to independent travel) but continue to put people off.
The Japanese politicians really seem to live on a different planet, it seems that the world is like an alien culture to them that they don't understand.
#9924
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
Wording is strange as you can't get a visa as a tourist unless it's on a group tour.
Anyway, looks to be as I suspected, the exact same as before but without the chaperone, will make no difference at all to covid (compared to independent travel) but continue to put people off.
The Japanese politicians really seem to live on a different planet, it seems that the world is like an alien culture to them that they don't understand.
Anyway, looks to be as I suspected, the exact same as before but without the chaperone, will make no difference at all to covid (compared to independent travel) but continue to put people off.
The Japanese politicians really seem to live on a different planet, it seems that the world is like an alien culture to them that they don't understand.
Hospitals, hotels, and even basic service providers like taxi drivers have stated they want someone to be responsible in case they have a foreign client show up sick with Covid. The tour agency would in this way act as an interpreter via phone/Skype and manage any arrangements for quarantine and transport (since they can't just go home to isolate) and the agency would deal with any further booking cancellations. Agencies also have insurance to cover any unexpected costs involved for any domestic business dealing with them. And the language barrier is actually a pretty big concern for many places (including hospitals), and hotels also want someone to call in case they have an irate gaijin screaming in the lobby about annoying mask rules (thank YouTube for that new stereotype).
But unstated, I'd be pretty certain that there are many reluctant hoteliers which want to completely avoid or at least strictly limit the number of foreign guests (again, thank the flippancy seen on YouTube), so by forcing reservations through a travel agency it allows hotels to opt out without appearing discriminatory.
And further, I also imagine Japan still intends to re-start the Go To Travel discount scheme (or whatever they will call it) since they already allotted hundreds of billion of yen for it, and by having agents do all the hotel reservations it is a way to prevent foreign tourists to capitalize on money earmarked for the domestic population.
#9925
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 273
Actually, there is logic to this, both stated and unstated.
Hospitals, hotels, and even basic service providers like taxi drivers have stated they want someone to be responsible in case they have a foreign client show up sick with Covid. The tour agency would in this way act as an interpreter via phone/Skype and manage any arrangements for quarantine and transport (since they can't just go home to isolate) and the agency would deal with any further booking cancellations. Agencies also have insurance to cover any unexpected costs involved for any domestic business dealing with them. And the language barrier is actually a pretty big concern for many places (including hospitals), and hotels also want someone to call in case they have an irate gaijin screaming in the lobby about annoying mask rules (thank YouTube for that new stereotype).
But unstated, I'd be pretty certain that there are many reluctant hoteliers which want to completely avoid or at least strictly limit the number of foreign guests (again, thank the flippancy seen on YouTube), so by forcing reservations through a travel agency it allows hotels to opt out without appearing discriminatory.
And further, I also imagine Japan still intends to re-start the Go To Travel discount scheme (or whatever they will call it) since they already allotted hundreds of billion of yen for it, and by having agents do all the hotel reservations it is a way to prevent foreign tourists to capitalize on money earmarked for the domestic population.
Hospitals, hotels, and even basic service providers like taxi drivers have stated they want someone to be responsible in case they have a foreign client show up sick with Covid. The tour agency would in this way act as an interpreter via phone/Skype and manage any arrangements for quarantine and transport (since they can't just go home to isolate) and the agency would deal with any further booking cancellations. Agencies also have insurance to cover any unexpected costs involved for any domestic business dealing with them. And the language barrier is actually a pretty big concern for many places (including hospitals), and hotels also want someone to call in case they have an irate gaijin screaming in the lobby about annoying mask rules (thank YouTube for that new stereotype).
But unstated, I'd be pretty certain that there are many reluctant hoteliers which want to completely avoid or at least strictly limit the number of foreign guests (again, thank the flippancy seen on YouTube), so by forcing reservations through a travel agency it allows hotels to opt out without appearing discriminatory.
And further, I also imagine Japan still intends to re-start the Go To Travel discount scheme (or whatever they will call it) since they already allotted hundreds of billion of yen for it, and by having agents do all the hotel reservations it is a way to prevent foreign tourists to capitalize on money earmarked for the domestic population.
What about when there were 30 million tourists a year, they had accidents, got sick etc.
#9926
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Kanto
Posts: 151
I don't know if you've been in Japan recently, but 2.5 years of fear-mongering, superfluous health and policy procedures, and layers of red-tape have separated the concerns of Covid from those of a common cold or a broken toe.
#9927
Join Date: Jan 2022
Programs: ANA Diamond, JAL JGC, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 250
At risk of being off topic, where are some of these YouTube videos?