Is Japan Open to Tourists?
Is Japan open for international individual travelers? Are borders open as normal in 2024? What are testing, face mask, and vaccine requirements for visitors? These are questions among those planning trips to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and this covers the answers.
The good news is that we now have an answer to questions we’ve been asking for nearly two years! First, after reopening to guided tour groups, Japan reopened to individual tourists on October 11, 2022. In the year-plus since, additional changes have occurred to the extent that it’s basically business as usual for visiting Japan in 2024.
We’ve already returned to Japan, spending about a month in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and elsewhere. In various updates here, we’ve been sharing our experiences and what it’s like as a foreign visitor, what has changed, crowd conditions, expenses of visiting Japan with the weaker yen, and much more. The big one for most of you is likely going to be Japan Face Mask Rules v. Reality in 2024.
Those two posts cover essentially everything you need to know about visiting Japan as of 2024. The short version is that it is possible to enter, regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated, albeit with a testing requirement for the latter. There are no quarantine requirements, and travel is visa-free for the vast majority of people reading this.
Please subscribe to our FREE email newsletter and stay tuned if you are curious about how things are on-the-ground for tourists in Japan post-reopening.
In terms of the latest news, the current vaccine and testing policies ended on May 8, 2023. This is because Japan has formally decided to downgrade the legal status of the novel coronavirus on May 8, 2023 to the same category as common infectious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, thereby easing COVID-19 prevention rules.
This is a major policy shift and will relax–if not eliminate entirely–Japan’s intensive COVID-19 countermeasures, including limiting the movements of infected people and their close contacts. Japan’s reclassification of COVID-19 to Class 5 came after a panel of experts under the health ministry agreed on the plan earlier in the day.
The downgrade would pave the way for a normalization of social and economic activities in Japan, and should mean that non-residents are able to enter the country without PCR tests or additional paperwork. Essentially, there will be no (legal) basis for the current border protocol effective May 8, 2023. Of course, things could change between now and then, but it’s likely the border will revert to late 2019 status as of that date.
We typically spend a couple of months in Japan each year, and are ecstatic to be returning after nearly 3 years away. We are eager to revisit our favorite places, see friends in Japan for the first time in over two years, and continue creating this site’s wealth of free planning resources. We’re excited about this great (but overdue) news, but also go in knowing that things will be different, in ways both good and bad.
For these two-plus years, we’ve been closely monitoring the situation in Japan, watching several hours of NHK each day and reading multiple Japanese news sources. All of this in the hope for some clarity as to when the country will fully reopen and Japan will begin allowing international tourists to enter once again.
What follows is based on that research and fixation with the on-the-ground situation in Japan. We’re preserving this for posterity, but everything that follows is now (thankfully!) obsolete information.
Japan is now allowing foreign nationals to enter Japan for purposes other than tourism so long as they have a sponsor in the country. This includes business travelers on short stays, students in study abroad programs, participants in technical internships, both guided & unguided tour groups, spouses or children (and other relatives) of a Japanese national/permanent resident, others with special exceptional circumstances, and those who would provide a “public benefit” to Japan.
With that in mind, let’s cover how we got here, why Japan maintains the strictest among the Group of Seven developed nations, and what could cause that to change…
Again and again, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that Japan “will continue to consider how the measures should be by taking into account the infection situations at home and abroad, border control measures taken by other nations, and progress in the rollout of vaccine boosters.”
Kishida has also acknowledged that Japan’s border control measures are the strictest among Group of Seven nations, and expressed a desire/need to bring Japan in line with its counterparts. “This is the first step in our gradual easing of the [border] restrictions,” Kishida has said.
As for why Japan’s border is still closed over a year after most democracies reopened, that can largely be explained by the country’s apprehensiveness of outsiders.
For better or worse, Japan is an insular and culturally conservative country–a characteristic that is often valued by visitors. Not so much in the last couple of years, as this has been reflected in policy-making. Japan has vilified and scapegoated foreigners and had an overly aggressive approach to its borders.
Due to this and other policies, Japan has lagged behind economically, seeing slower recovery than the United States and other counterparts that have more aggressively reopened. Economic benefits of international tourists is one big reason why Japan is expected to reopen its border.
Boosting tourism was core to the late former Prime Minister Abe’s economic revitalization, and both subsequent prime ministers have indicated their intentions to maintain continuity with those plans. However, the number of foreign visitors to Japan dropped to 245,900 last year, the lowest since 1964, as the country enforced tighter border controls. Compared with the pre-pandemic level in 2019, it dropped 99.2 percent. That’s the sharpest fall on record according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
Economists fear a “double dip” recession in Japan due to the prolonged closures and restrictions. Decreased tourism plus falling exports, an increased consumption tax, reduced consumer spending, weak yen, and growing national debt. Japan’s economy has serious issues and inbound tourism was previously a bright spot.
In other words, reopening to international visitors will be important to the health of Japan’s consumption-driven economy at some point in the not too distant future. This becomes increasingly true as the yen weakens due to the Bank of Japan continuing to pursue its loose monetary policy while the United States Federal Reserve, European, and other central banks raise interest rates. Quite simply, Japan is inflicting pain on itself by remaining closed.
There are also signs that stringent travel measures, including the border closure, are having a greater impact on Japan’s economy than previously believed. This is despite Japan’s “Go to Travel” campaign that subsidized domestic travel, which was offered at various times during the last two years.
According to data from the Japan Tourism Agency, stays at hotels and other accommodation facilities hit another record low in Japan last year–breaking the previous record set in 2020. The total of guests at hotels and inns was 315.75 million, down 4.8% from 2020 and 47% from 2019. (This number includes hotels used as government quarantine facilities, not just leisure stays.)
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party recognizes these problems and realizes it needs to rebuild Japan’s economy. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that his top priority was formulating new economic measures and implementing these goals. The government will also take measures to stimulate and jump-start the economy.
Despite the aforementioned numbers, Japan is maintaining its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors by 2030. Additionally, the Japan National Tourism Organization has set 2024 as its goal for recovering to 2019 international travel levels. Both of these statements are reassuring given the current border closures, and indicate that Japan will unwind its travel ban in months, not years.
Against that economic backdrop, let’s take a look at the latest changes to Japan’s reopening plans…
We have more good news! Multiple media outlets, including NHK, Kyodo, Nikkei, and Fuji TV are all reporting that Japan’s government is planning to further relax restrictions and border measures with an eye to implementing the revisions by the start of October.
The specifics are not consistent among outlets, so let’s start with where they’re in agreeance.
First, there is consensus that the daily arrival cap, which is currently set at 50,000, will be eliminated entirely.
This is a necessary prerequisite for further reopening and the resumption of more inbound international flights, but this alone was not an obstacle dissuading most international visitors. While the daily number of arrivals was higher pre-closure, we assumed that 50,000 is the level at which this cap becomes immaterial with China still sidelined. Regardless, it’s good to have this removed as it eliminates an element of uncertainty and could have been an issue during peak travel times for the Japanese.
Another possibility is that Japan will allow individual foreign tourists to enter the country and exempt them from visas if they have been vaccinated three times or submit a pre-arrival test result.
This is where there is disagreement among the major outlets. Kyodo, Nikkei, and NHK are reporting that this is to be determined, with government officials still deciding whether to proceed with this plan or start with lifting the daily arrival cap. By contrast, Fuji TV is treating this as a done deal, using less ambiguous language.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly plans to make a decision as early as the end of this week, according to the news outlets’ sources.
These “leaks” came after Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara spoke on Fuji TV over the weekend and stated that Japan will consider easing all three restrictions–the daily arrival cap, ban on individual tourists, and visa requirements. “We will review all three restrictions together. We have to carry it out in the not-so-distant future,” he said.
“Japan has seasonal attractions in fall and winter. We know there are a lot of people overseas who want to come to Japan,” Kihara added. “Amid the weakening yen, inbound travelers will have greatest economic effect…There are many foreign visitors who want to come visit Japan.” Kihara added that eliminating the arrival cap alone was not enough.
Kihara isn’t the only one who has been vocal about fully reopening to tourists recently. During the Bloomberg New Voices panel, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would open the country’s doors “tomorrow” if it were her decision. “Tourism is a big industry in Tokyo, as well as in all Japan, so this is the time to greet more foreign tourists by using this advantage of the depreciation of the yen,” she said.
Koike said that Japan’s borders would fully reopen soon. “The national border is under the management of central government,” Koike said. “As governor of Tokyo, that would be tomorrow.”
The yen has fallen to a 24-year low of ¥144 to the dollar, likely contributing to the sense of urgency in the aforementioned interviews.
Japan eased its border restrictions last week, raising the daily arrival cap from 20,000 to 50,000 and dropping the requirement for pre-arrival PCR testing for vaccinated travelers.
Japan also began allowing unguided tours, meaning ones not accompanied by tour conductors. This is specifically for “unguided tour groups” or “non-escorted visitors on package tours” and not individual tourists.
In Unguided Tours in Japan – Reopening Phase Rules, we cover what this entails and the recently-released guidelines and FAQ for these tours. Prior to those guidelines being released, we speculated on how this would work given basic logic and past precedent with prior groups who had been allowed to enter Japan. We were wrong–the unguided tours offered two steps forward but one step backwards.
We mention this in part to own past mistakes, but also as a cautionary tale. While it certainly sounds like the end is near for the Japan travel ban, it’s premature to have a high degree of confidence.
Kishida’s government has been trying to take advantage of the weak yen and accelerate growth by attracting more foreign visitors. It thus stands to reason that opening to individual tourists necessarily needs to occur–that raising the entry cap will do nothing in furtherance of their stated goal. However, as we have seen time and time again, the patently obvious conclusion often is not the outcome reached by Japan.
Moreover, how this played out with Japan’s last announcement is also instructive.
On August 23, specifics of the September relaxation measures were leaked to the same media outlets. At that time, it was unclear whether unguided tourists would be allowed to enter. On August 31, Kishida made an official announcement encompassing all of the rumored changes, including unguided tourists. (It took a few more days for the guidelines to be released, and the clarifying FAQ is still being updated.)
While presenting the above as a cautionary tale against optimism or over reliance on logic when assessing Japan’s decisions, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. (I’m sorry, I can’t help myself. Like a moth to a flame.)
First, there’s already the realization that unguided tours–like guided tours before them–will not move the needle on inbound tourism in any meaningful way. It’s another symbolic measure, and coming at a time when an increasing number of international visitors have already moved on to other destinations and pent-up demand has begun fizzling out. The number of people anxiously awaiting Japan’s reopening is shrinking, not growing.
Second, there’s awareness within the Kishida administration that the window of opportunity to reopen the border is closing. This is something we’ve pointed out in our best and worst case scenarios in prior updates, but there’s only a limited amount of time between waves.
Over two years into this, the seasonality of COVID transmission is well-established. Cases are currently in freefall and will continue decreasing next month before bottoming out sometime between late October and early November. There will be a winter resurgence. It could start as soon as late November, but is more likely in December.
Reopening to individual tourists in October presents minimal (political) risk and maximum (economic) upside. Public opinion polls show that most voters have already moved on from COVID to assorted scandals; the minority who still care will see no immediate increase in cases correlating with the border reopening.
Frankly, the miscalculation here by the Kishida administration is thinking that this will have an immediate impact on inbound travel. Those reading regular updates on Japan’s reopening are not representative of international travelers at large. Most people need months of time between booking and traveling; very few plan and take last-minute trips–especially international ones.
Obviously, the easing has to occur at some point and this lag will always play out, but the notion that this moves the needle for fall is misguided. Autumn is already a lost cause. At best, this helps with winter. More likely, the impact won’t be fully felt until next year’s cherry blossom season.
One wildcard is the downgrade of COVID’s legal status. Several recent updates have centered around Japan’s internal debate over whether to strip COVID-19 of its special status and downgrade it to the same level as the flu in Japan’s infectious disease categories.
It’s been our perspective that this was a necessary prerequisite to welcoming individual tourists as there would no longer be a need for a responsible receiving party to monitor travelers and act as a liaison for infected individuals. Given that none of the recent reports have even mentioned COVID’s status in regard to reopening, it’s possible our perspective was wrong. Or, that this barrier does still exist and Japan will have to create a “solution” for it (travel insurance?) for individual tourists. Either way, that’s something to continue keeping in mind.
Also as previously mentioned, recent poll data also shows the public is now far less concerned with COVID than the economy, Unification Church scandal, Abe’s state funeral, and other issues. It’s entirely possible that Kishida sees this polling and his sagging approval numbers and realizes that it’s time to move forward. That there’s more upside than downside risk in reopening and encouraging more economic activity.
As we’ve stressed repeatedly, Japan’s populace has been among the most cautious in the world with regard to COVID-19. Human behavior and sentiment don’t change overnight, even if it’s economically advantageous and objectively safer to do so. Statements by politicians and medical advisors, gradual border relaxation measures, and other changes could be interpreted as Japan laying the groundwork for a resumption of normalcy and the country’s eventual reopening. It now appears that the time is here–or coming very soon.
With all of this said, I’ll present my revised best, worst, and base-case scenarios for Japan’s reopening to individual tourists…
Let’s start with the best-case scenario. This assumes that Japan downgrades COVID-19 from its special status to Category 5 literally any day now or that this is not a necessary prerequisite to an individual tourist reopening. (With the possible workaround of travel insurance or some other awkward “fix.”)
Critically, this would eliminate the legal requirement of a responsible receiving party for visitors to Japan. In such a scenario, the borders could almost immediately return to their normal pre-closure status in early October. With this, the visa exemption would be reinstated, making that a non-issue. The arrivals cap would also be eliminated in this scenario.
Then there’s the middle ground or base case. This is now the same as the best-case scenario. In short, the early October reopening is not just our most optimistic view–it’s now what we expect to happen.
To differentiate the two, I’ll also allow for a middle ground possibility of a bifurcated decision with the individual tourist reopening a few weeks after the entry cap elimination. Let’s say that happens in early November.
This is would allow a bit of wiggle room for Japan’s slow and belabored decision-making process that involves a lot of “careful consideration” and “evaluating the situation.” If anything has been well-established during the last two-plus years, it’s that inaction is Japan’s baseline, and anything that does happen occurs gradually and in stages.
Finally, the worst-case scenario is that Japan instead opts to revive its “Go to Travel” campaign just in time for fall colors season, and uses that to buoy the tourism sector through December. It’s possible the country views this as sufficient for tourism businesses to stave off bankruptcy or other financial hardship for another few months.
If/when there’s another winter resurgence in cases, the reopening can would effectively be kicked down the road for a few more months. That would mean individual tourists would not be welcomed back to Japan until sometime in the first half of 2023. I’m inclined to say Spring 2023, but it’s easy to envision a worst-case that isn’t until summer.
Our view is that the worst-case scenario is now highly unlikely. Japan relaxed its border measures earlier in September while still being #1 in the world for new cases. This indicates that Japan is finally ready to move forward and sets the precedent for future changes during waves. Who knows–it still may take until early 2023 to fully downgrade the legal status of COVID. But whatever winter wave occurs (and one will happen), that’s unlikely to be an obstacle to reopening progress, as was the case last year.
With all of that in mind, we remain cautiously optimistic that individual tourists will be allowed to enter Japan sooner rather than later. The political and economic appetite for fully relaxation now clearly exists, and there’s a vocal chorus of politicians in Japan–including those who were previously in favor of closed borders–championing reopening. It’s now the popular position being advanced publicly by politicians, not just being advocated by Keidanren or Japan’s business lobby.
Japan fully reopening in full is all but inevitable at this point. It will happen soon. The end is near.
It’s thus our view that Japan reopening in some capacity to individual tourists in October is a very realistic scenario. As improbable as it might’ve seemed even a week ago, Japan welcoming back international visitors who are not part of tours (guided or unguided) sometime before November is likely. It’s pretty clear the government is focused on moving forward. As frustrating as this whole process has been, Japan is not still (completely) stuck in March 2020.
As always, Japan is cautious and conservative, with a slow and belabored decision-making process that often embodies “analysis paralysis” and usually defies logic. That’s a wild card that could further extend any timeline. However, Japan is now joining the rest of the world as people are ready to move on with life.
We’ll keep watching the news and keep you posted if/when there are further developments about Japan reopening and allowing entry to travelers from the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond. Again, if you’d like to be notified as soon as more details are released or rumored, subscribe to our free email newsletter for ongoing updates and alerts:
If you’re planning a visit to Japan, our recommendation at this point is to target sometime in November at the earliest. In our view, koyo (autumn leaves) season is a good bet, and that takes place from mid-November through December. That’s simply a good time to visit Japan and, hopefully, the country will be open to individual tourists by then.
Speaking of which, check out our Japan Fall Colors Forecast & Autumn Foliage Viewing Guide to get started on planning your trip to visit Japan’s popular fall foliage cities, including Kyoto, Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Nara. That also offers tips for avoiding crowds and strategy for visiting the best temples, shrines, and evening illuminations.
If you’re planning a trip to the Japan, check out our other posts about Japan for ideas on other things to do! We also recommend consulting our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto and Ultimate Guide to Tokyo to plan.
Your Thoughts
Would you consider visiting Japan later this year, or is international travel out of the question for you anytime soon? How do you view the news about guided tours? Think those will stick around for several months, or are simply theater to shift public opinion? Think the need to adapt and live with the endemic virus will outweigh fear when it comes to Japan’s reopening plans? Any thoughts or tips of your own to add? If you’re planning your trip to Japan, what do you think about these itineraries? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
I returned to Japan where I own a house in early May after being unable to return for over two years. Entered on a business visa. Took me a little over an hour to get thru all procedures at Haneda. Entry was a very efficient process. It’s really good to be back. I missed my haven in the Hokkaido countryside. There’s no place on earth like it for me. Needless to say there was a lot of maintenance required to get my house and property back in order after being away so long but the local tradesmen from the nearby village have been great at helping me get repairs and maintenance done.
Absolutely in no rush to visit Japan. Let them get their house in order, sort out airport entry mess and mask issues and let locals get used to seeing tourists again. I’m not super keen on being tourist guinea pig. Waited this long I’ll wait some more to travel normally and hassle free.
I have been trying to get to Japan since February of 2020. My boyfriend is in the Navy Stationed there. Do you know of any talks of allowing ” family”/ significant others to visit servicemen and women?
Hi Michele.
I am in same situation, having a Japanese girlfriend living in Japan.
Last saw each other Jan 20. I thought about applying for a special visa but am waiting a little longer till things open as it would take as long to go through all the hastle to apply,
I think.!
Any thoughts anyone please.
Thank you once again for the helpful update and analysis!
Off the subject of the article – really nice photography throught.
Guys read the comments section for priceless comedy: https://japantoday.com/category/national/masks-outside-not-always-needed-when-not-chatting-japan-gov't-panel
According to NHK, Japan may implement a new system where countries will be divided into three groups, depending on their Corona rates:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220518_32/
The lowest risk group would be excepted from testing and quarantine, even if they’re NOT vaccinated.
The middle one would be excepted as well, but only if they’re vaccinated with two doses and booster.
And the highest risk one will have to face the same measures that are now in place.
Looks like this would solve the problem with tests supplies in most cases!
No vaccine or tests needed? Thats one extreme to the other.
I’m quite surprised actually. Has any G7 (or any country on earth) removed its vaccine requirement for foreign tourists?
I might be wrong, but I believe the UK removed vaccine requirement.
Also, my country (Argentina) removed vaccine requirement as well quite some time ago (end of 2021, I think?), so Japan wouldn’t be the first country to scrap that one off.
We do require COVID-19 health insurance though.
There’s some, but I’m very surprised Japan is going to be doing this before the US.
To give an idea on the messaging within Japan, NHK (the government sponsored news) reported yesterday about how 139,500 “foreign tourists visited Japan” in April, and that this was double the number from March. They attributed the rise of visitors to the increase of the daily entry cap in April to 10,000/day.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220518/k10013632311000.html
Now, the term they use in Japanese for “foreign tourists visited Japan” (日本を訪れた外国人旅行者) is not ambiguous in its meaning, but for anyone (like those here) who understands the actual immigration situation, it is clear that this either bad reporting or intentionally misleading, and what they mean would be “foreign people arriving in Japan” who represent all the visa-holding new students, workers, and invited business people (essentially anyone but tourists). I don’t know if it accounts for returning foreign residents and/or those who have a Permanent Resident visa, but it might.
But the point is, they were specific with stating “foreign tourists visiting” and this article cited the data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and has a photo of tourists at a temple, so this instills in the mind of the average Japanese layman who reads the beloved NHK news that Japan is in fact open to foreign tourism, but just in a limited capacity. (they do mention in the final line of the article, if people read that far, that the group tours for 4 countries will start soon)
Also, when divided out, it means about 4,650 foreigners entered Japan per day, which is nearly 50% of the quota. So the remaining 5,350 (max) is Japanese (and maybe PR holders) most of whom are probably business people, or citizens coming home/visiting from living abroad (so don’t believe that tons of Japanese are jet-setting on vacations around the world).
This could either be read as the government grooming the public ready for tourists, or seeing students, foreign visa holders/residents & business people as tourists, which sort of leans into the xenophobic argument…
I read it as conditioning (the word ‘grooming’ has taken on an unfortunate connotation in the US) the public, but I’m curious whether that’s Andy’s interpretation. FWIW, Kyodo and NHK’s English broadcast were nearly identical to that article.
I’d also file this under ‘conditioning the general public to move on and resume economic activity’ – https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/05/28ad9ed64e50-masks-outside-not-always-needed-when-not-chatting-japan-govt-panel.html
Identical? I’m not sure you saw the same articles.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220518_33/
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/05/330023997fbb-japan-visitors-down-95-in-april-from-2019-small-tours-to-open-soon.html
The Kyodo (English) report is worded very differently, and NHK World (English) is also different. Both use the term “visitor” in English (nor “tourist”), and Kyodo mentions how due to the rise in the daily cap there has been an increase in “businesspeople, students, and technical interns”. The NHK (Japanese) makes no mention of these people. Furthermore, both explain several details about the upcoming tours (NHK JP only said it vaguely) and both stated specifically that foreign tourists are banned. (NHK JP makes zero mention of the tourist ban).
Interestingly, I also checked the JNTO press release page in Japanese where the NHK JP article cited its data, and JNTO uses different wording too! JNTO uses terms like “訪日外客数 (foreign visitors to Japan)” but NHK changed this to “日本を訪れた外国人旅行者 (foreign tourists visited Japan)”, and JNTO specifically says the number is not for tourists and explains that “visitors” includes students, businesspeople, etc (but not established residents such as myself).
https://www.jnto.go.jp/jpn/news/press_releases/20220518_monthly.pdf
So why did NHK do this? Yeah, it could certainly be a way of conditioning the public to feel tourists are already here, so no worry when more are let in. Or it could be Japanese domestic propaganda through trumpeting itself to the population as being perpetually awesome (We aren’t banning tourists. We welcome anyone. Tourists come because they love Japan. We love Japan. You love Japan. You don’t question the thing you love….).
I think its a bit of 一石二鳥 Isseki-nicho (one stone, two birds)
The trick is NHK doesn’t actually say “tourists” (観光者/観光客) it says “travelers” (旅行者) so technically speaking it’s not incorrect.
The fact they mention JNTO (日本政府観光局) as source of the statistics can be misleading though, since it does have the word “tourism” in there 😅
The term 旅行者 can technically mean “traveler”, but it essentially means “tourist” to a Japanese speaker, despite what any dictionary may also suggest.
NHK was not mincing words.
That’s why I said “technically speaking” and that there’s the trick.
The whole tour situation is ridiculous, but for me, that reinforces the notion that they’re entirely performative and to assuage the Japanese public.
Nothing about them makes sense, and when you combine the low number of participants with the fact that these are slated to start in ~2 weeks, the inescapable conclusion is that this is entirely theatrical. (I truly wonder if this is for actual “tourists” at all, or select journalists and reps from AAA and other major agencies, etc.)
The research has neen done by twitters best detectives (lol), not one travel agent in either 4 countries is advertising these specific group tours for May, or June for that matter. Totally going to be theatrical. I just hope the theater doesn’t end up lasting too long.
https://t.co/15bQ9wYrZM
Looking like some are starting to offer packages from July
Hmm. I am definitely not loving the fact that these tour offerings go all the way to November.
I wouldn’t read too much into it, they were doing it before the pandemic and will continuing doing it after.
Today, hilariously, there was an article in a Singapore media outlet stating that a whole 20 people got in contact about these group tours after yesterday’s announcement.
For anyone that previously thought reciprocity regarding visa-free travel wasn’t an issue, see this from the EU. I believe the current pause is due to expire in August.
Today, the Commission provides an analysis of the measures taken by the Republic of Korea and Japan which led to visa implications and gives an overview of the engagements and efforts undertaken to restore visa-waiver reciprocity. Ensuring that countries on the EU visa-free list waive visa requirements for citizens of all EU Member States is a fundamental principle of EU visa policy. Following the diplomatic engagement, the Commission welcomes the re-establishment of visa-free travel between the EU and the Republic of Korea and it will continue monitoring the situation in order to ensure that the restoration of visa-waiver reciprocity is maintained. Diplomatic efforts have not yet led to a full change of policy in Japan, where restrictions on travel to Japan from the EU are still in place. Although the entry ban for non-tourist purposes for travellers coming from 24 EU Member States has been lifted, for tourist purposes it is still not permitted. The Commission considers that progress can be better achieved through continued engagement and diplomatic contacts and that at this stage it would not be appropriate to adopt suspension measures for any categories of nationals of Japan. In particular, it will step up its diplomatic engagement with Japanese authorities, at technical and political level, in order to restore full visa-waiver reciprocity ahead of travel normalisation as well as the lifting of the entry ban for non-tourist purposes for travellers coming from all EU Member States. Furthermore, during the 28 EU-Japan Summit on 12 May, both sides have also reiterated their will to work to restore visa-waiver reciprocity. The Commission will continue to actively monitor the situation and will take appropriate action depending on the results of the consultations now taking place and on other developments
Good catch!
It’s nice to see this is a ‘known issue’ that diplomats from the EU are actively seeking to address. I assumed that would be the case, but actual confirmation is a lot better than an assumption.
Had we in the West at least suspended visa waiver for Japanese soon as they imposed the ban they would have budged long ago. Sadly the Japanese know how to play us for fools and are far too familiar with ebb and flow of our political system
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-commission-reports-on-visa-free-travel-with-south-korea-japan/
It was always going to be an issue if Japan didn’t reciprocate, eventually. These group tours, once offered to the EU, won’t cut it, either. The le Figaro article claims that individual agreements will try to be agreed for group tourism, but that is so unrealistic it borders on the ridiculous to even claim, and is another reason I don’t fully believe anything in that article.
The Figaro article also lays out a timeline months in advance despite Japan being very obviously in a ‘trial & error’ mode with incremental steps being made based on what works/doesn’t and the public reaction that prompts.
If Japan is going to adopt some reopening blueprint like other countries, I’d either expect to see that this month for June/July, or not until after the election for November/December. What the Figaro article presents is the worst of both worlds and doesn’t really pass the smell test on that basis, among others.
Assuming, arguendo, that there is a reopening plan right now for November/December, I’d put zero faith it in as things will change for the better or worse by then, anyway.
Haha, so predictable. Japan has buddied up with authoritarian China in effectively banning foreigners. Nice company to be in! Embracing pseudoscience even when WHO says that zero Covid policy no longer works in 2022, due to projected trajectory of the virus. But as I said before, there is no cure for “stupid” when it comes to Japan.
Yep the rumors were true. The Japanese really are like that. Read the comments sections for comedy
https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-to-trial-group-tours-in-move-to-ease-covid-border-rules#comments
Ha, even more ridiculous info on the tours found here (in English). It says about 50 tourists total are to be let in (and this is spread out n 10 – 15 tours).
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/coronavirus/20220517-29129/
Its easy to foresee even more egg on the face of the government being the only impact with these planned tours. Another sign of utter disconnected ineptitude.
Let’s hope this “test” and subsequent group tourism “phase” doesn’t last too long.
I’m still holding out hope for some form of regular tourism for the autumn, but I appreciate that’s no use for those who can only travel this summer.
This is absolutely comically ridiculous. What do they think this ‘test’ will achieve? What is the difference between letting 50 foreign tourists in and letting 50 Japanese nationals in from overseas? What is there to study? They really are treating foreigners like different animals.
Some news from today with new details on the tour group trial this month https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-17/japan-to-allow-small-groups-of-tourists-to-visit-this-month
‘Japan will allow small groups of tourists on package tours in to the country this month on an experimental basis, welcoming foreign travelers who have been shut out of the country during most of the coronavirus pandemic. Travelers from the US, Australia, Thailand and Singapore who have received three vaccination shots and have medical insurance will be allowed in as small groups, the Japan Tourism Agency said in a statement on Tuesday. Groups will need pre-set itineraries and must be accompanied by travel agency staff, the statement said, as reported by the Yomiuri earlier.’
“The government has been planning to reopen the country to tourists this summer, with local media reporting it’s making preparations to accept more tourists in June. The reports said it plans to double the daily arrival limit to 20,000 and exempt some people from testing upon arrival provided they test at point of departure.”
Here’s the official announcement by the government (in Japanese):
https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/news03_000223.html
Aside from what Shinn detailed above (needs for booster, insurance, etc), it mentions that as part of the stipulations, the tour company needs to have contingency plans if any participant gets Covid. (hmmm, wonder who here has been saying all those things…)
The French media reports (though its certainly not official) that only 15 Prefectures (out of 47) have signed up to be included in these trial tours, and those 15 do not include Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa or Hokkaido. They also claim other “insider” things such as the tours will continue through the summer, and that general unrestricted tourism may not start till December. Take what you will from this rather opinionated source (but it’s sure to make happy all those calling Japan xenophiobic), but here’s the link:
https://www.lefigaro.fr/voyages/tourisme-comment-le-japon-compte-ne-pas-encore-rouvrir-ses-frontieres-20220516
If the French media is to be believed then it would be terrible. Will there really be a lot of people accepting these kind of conditions for a monitored group tour, and they are not allowed to visit major attraction like Tokyo and Osaka and Hokkaido after all that?
Though it seems it is saying it will open “fully” by December, which means individual tourists will be allowed after Sept at a capacity? I dont speak French so what I read was Google Translated.
Do we know the credibility of this media outlet? Then again why would they make up such details.
Le Figaro (the French publication) is about as old as print publications can get (I think it’s almost 200 years old). It’s always been pretty conservative as far as I can recall (hence the inflammatory stance), but its also pretty reliable on substance issues and rather well connected.
But then again, in recent times it’s all about the clicks, so who knows what is the truth.
Regarding “accept-acne” of such group tours. I can tell you that my wife works at a hotel, which pre-Covid used to take tours from a major US tour company multiple times a year (you would have certainly heard of this travel-related company, though you may not have known they did tours. Let’s just say its a geographic company… all across the nation).
Anyway, people payed about US$ 1000 per day for these 20+ member group tours, and they were apparently quite popular. I imagine they are starting to book them right now.
The obvious difference being that on group tours previously, you weren’t required to be monitored the entire time…
The le figaro article doesn’t really make any sense.
Tourists from September, with no cap on numbers and no testing on arrival, then a “full” opening in December. What restrictions would even be left by December? Do we really expect testing before arrival and 3 doses of vaccine to be dropped in December?
I expect this article has been put together with bits of information from hearsay from local government members.
Tourists on the other hand don’t help with anything. ….
It isn’t only pressure from the G-7. On a very practical level they will provide economic assistance to cities like Kyoto that are currently swarming in debt. How Japan has managed (or not) the steep increase in tourism over the last decade is an issue for another time. I would be really interested in anyone has a more nuanced demographic breakdown of exactly where this opposition to reopening is coming.
They can take their packaged tourism and shove it up their arse. All the way in.
People here wish to paint me as a pro-government shill or something “differential” towards the Japanese government.
Please re-read any of my earlier comments. I have been highly critical of the government’s mis-management of this virus, particularly since I have had to live through it. This includes the government’s messaging to the populace towards Covid (yes, they see it as an “outside invader”) and the ramifications of this.
One mismanagement issue that affects me directly as well as anyone hoping for a full border re-opening within the next few weeks is the fact that I am still waiting to get my booster shot (I have been finally scheduled to get it in early June). I am not unique with my inability to get boosted here, it is simply the result of bureaucratic mis-managements and logistical failings. Actually, from the outset of the booster program in January the government stated that getting the populace boosted will not be complete until mid/late July (I can fully attest to this since I know that my town has people scheduled for their boosters in July).
But in March, Japan went down the road to require a booster to enter the country without quarantine. This includes citizens. Therefore, Japan will not start allowing unrestricted entry to foreign tourists until the booster program is complete if only to allow their own citizens an equal ability to comply with their own rules. Say what you want about government ineptitude here (I’ll probably agree), but it is (at least on paper) lawfully fair.
This booster reality has nothing to do with xenophobia, it is a logistical issue. I have repeatedly mentioned this for over the past two months, but instead people vehemently disagreed or ignored it or took the childishly simple path of blaming the re-opening delay to some kind of overt racism.
And that is only one issue on hand. From questions of requiring medical insurance for tourists, to the ongoing requirement to test to enter the country, to simply having testing availability within the country (FYI, yesterday for its 14 million residents, Tokyo performed a whopping 3,000 tests. It’s no surprise that 80% were positive. They’ve tested fewer and fewer daily last week, resulting in fewer cases of course, so the gov puts out the message that the number is decreasing because of “success”).
But the real elephant in the room is this “success” with such few cases/deaths over 2 years. If gov stats are to be believed, only 6.5% of the country has had Covid so far. Even if you triple that number to get the “real” case count, it means 80% have no natural immunity (many of whom are elderly), and the vaccine benefits quickly wane. This mean someday, whether it is with foreign tourists here or not, a tsunami of Covid will hit Japan. (Just look to South Korea’s numbers in the past 2 months to get an idea of such a wave).
So the questions the government and medical institutions are almost certainly considering are: when this inevitable wave hits, is it a good idea to have a bunch of foreign tourists here? And if they are here, what do we do with them when everyone, from hotels staff to taxi drivers to airport workers, are sick with Covid?
Considering that Japan internally has always continued to live in the same way (literally without any mandatory restrictions except just the total closure to foreigners for years “sakoku” style) and that the Japanese themselves can freely travel abroad, in addition to the extreme difficulty in being tested and hospitalized because of the covid, as well as the lack of an investigative press and public opinion interested to question official data, I personally find the official number of 6.5 % reported highly implausible. The population has the same risk of contracting the virus as other countries so the borders closure and the planned contingent groups of tourists (North Korea style, which, at this point, is more interesting to visit given the same travel conditions…) are totally meaningless and only consolidate my idea that, at the basis of that country’s culture, there is a very deep and ignorant prejudice against foreigners totally lacking any logical and scientific consistency. I am glad to live in a free Country (unlike Japan) where everyone is welcome. Well, better not to add any further comments…what a shame.
Beg to differ on vaccine efficacy. True that two shot series offers little lasting protection, particularly to current variants (which impart very limited infection induced immunity). However, completion of the three shot series offers quite durable protection (from severe disease and death) to immunocompetent individuals.
I get that this is an emotional and frustrating topic, and many are following every little development with anxiety due to the personal and professional impacts. I’ve felt both very much, too.
I’m also cognizant of the perception that many expats residing in Japan the last couple of years have been overly “deferential” (to put it mildly) to the Japanese government.
With that said, it’s still not acceptable to attack people or their character. While I’ve vehemently disagreed with AndyO’s points on many occasions, I don’t doubt his motivations, sincerity, or knowledge. Moreover, he’s already been right on a number of occasions and provided valuable context.
Argue ideas, not people. The latter will be moderated more diligently going forward.
“Xenophobia (from Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos) ‘strange, foreign, alien’, and φόβος (phóbos) ‘fear’) is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange”. What you say is true but that is not all. In fact, besides the “deep sense of responsibility” that you mention, many Japanese do indeed feel diffidence and sometimes fear of foreigners (history teaches us after all) mixed with genuine interest and curiosity. We could also say that they often do not feel that foreigners’ behavior is “up to” their standards or at least cannot understand it. This is also evidenced by the fact that during the pandemic the only real and mandatory measure put in place by the government was closing the borders to foreigners for years (the vast majority of the citizens do support this decision of the government). Inside the country literally everything remained voluntary and more or less the same.
I have many friends who are Japanese citizens and have lived in the US longer than I have. They have been traveling back and forth to Japan with their kids despite being unvaccinated for the past 2 years just because they have Japanese passports. This makes no medical sense. It’s a virus. Countries like New Zealand, Australia and China had a travel ban on EVERYONE not just foreigners.
WHO has stated that blanket travel bans do not work. This is why Japan still had several covid spikes despite the travel ban. The Japanese media improperly blamed the US military for these spikes further stoking xenophobia. It is the only democratic country in the world that is still not allowing tourists. The government has negatively affected a lot of students and families for political reasons. Other Asian countries treated everyone the same regarding entry. Japan discriminated against foreigners only.
Hi !!!, Sorry if this sounds impolite, however either you are willfully ignorant or obtuse regarding Japan and the Japanese. The reality is Japan and the Japanese crave things that are foriegn, their plethora of language schools teaching English in Japan, in fact learning English (a foreign language to them) is mandated in their national education syllabus. Beyond education you will see, (one may say an obsession), their fascination with overseas luxury items, food and wine, travel and much, much more more. The reality is that Japan and the Japanese embrace outsiders, they do not fear or hate them. Rather what Japan and the Japanese do really well is improve, refine and perfect, and I guess the time it’s taking Japan to do this, regarding their border reopening, is what’s really getting up your nose!
Remember, Japan and the Japanese are a proud nation, steeped in history, service, betterment and the highest of expectations of society and one as an individual. Obsession to detail, one may conclude, is the true essence of Japan.
I look forward to again visiting Japan when they are ready to open their borders, even if our borders are already open, and respect their right to decide.
Japan is a “a proud nation, steeped in history, service, betterment and the highest of expectations of society and one as an individual” not more then others. We are here to freely discuss about this topic so please let us free to express our opinion based on actual fact and decisions of the government of that country that we are still free to support (like yourself) or criticize even without your consent or accusations. Again, please respect also “our right” to express our opinion even if different then yours without being impolite.
Japanese appreciation of other countries and cultures is one sided and, well, the pandemic measures are revealing that.
They crave things that are foreign but don’t want foreigners craving theirs.
As for English being widely taught, that is approved as a positive thing for them so they have more job opportunities abroad (again, one sided) and can enjoy those cultures they love more easily. That is why they approved visa for students and workers, which both help their society.
Tourists on the other hand don’t help with anything. Japan is on their way to approve horrendous guided tours as the first slow step of a reopening while the japanese can freely travel. How can that be seen as anything other than “fear” of foreigners?
They recognize the importance of *some* exchange with the external world but when it comes to us enjoying their world, they… don’t really care. They are reopening mostly out of economic pressure in this globalized world, where they are a G7 member.
So it’s not ignorant or obtuse to think what they are doing is xenophobic… because it is. We are virus carriers and, for now, in this exact fear, they want the less amount of foreigners possible in their country.
Yes, Japan stayed the same (xenophobic) that’s true. For the rest…please…again what you claim is simply not true. You can (now…) leave and re-enter (with tests and papers) because you have a residence visa. In the vast majority of the free world (except maybe Australia and New Zealand, which have already reopened anyway…) the borders closed only to foreigners lasted only for a very few months (not years) and then was replaced by the simple green pass. Now the test is no longer required either. Japan, on the other hand, is still closed and it is not yet known for how long and especially for what reason to foreigners. Finally I hope you have not forgotten that for a long time even foreigners residing in Japan with a family and a job could not re-enter the country unlike citizens…why? Or maybe it is not the case because AndyO “is” Japanese…? PS the other countries did not “flipped from one ridiculous extreme to the other” but have successfully and intelligently adapted (which unfortunately seems to lack to the country we are talking about ) to the natural variability of the virus.
Your accusation that I may be secretly Japanese (though I’m not) insinuates that being Japanese is somehow a negative and something that I would want to hide or be ashamed of. I suggest you take a good look in the mirror before denouncing the Japanese people as xenophobic.
But as you always railed against, I guess that Japan is different in that any over-reaction it had to Covid in the past (but no longer does) can never be forgotten, but the over-reactions done by other countries can be simply brushed away as merely no-longer-relevant trifling inconveniences of yesteryear.
Ah yes, a truly xenophobic country would not have gone through great lengths and expense to host the Olympics when it could have understandably been allowed to cancel. And entrenched xenophobia would have meant tens of millions of foreign tourists would not have been openly welcomed annually pre-Covid, and these xenophobes certainly wouldn’t have been spending vast sums to promote the country to foreign tourists in hopes of attracting even more.
Furthermore, xenophobia would be blocking the tens of thousands of new foreign residents arriving arriving for the past couple months to Japan to begin new careers or to study (or to be a YouTuber, like PewDiePie). And surely a xenophobic country wouldn’t be giving many of those students taxpayer scholarships, and the government wouldn’t be paying their salaries to install them as teachers to the country’s youth in every middle school and high school across the nation.
And above all, a xenophobic country would never again allow foreign tourists to enter. Therefore, it is pointless for you to continue commenting on the topic of “When will Japan reopen” because in your mind, it obviously never will.
Ah the Olympics and hundreds of thousands of spectators who attended! Im glad you brought up the Olympics. There is a lot of pride with the Japanese and bidding for Olympics was the ultimate pride and showing off for JGov and Abe-san and they didnt cancel because IOC insisted on it going ahead otherwise they would have had to pay huge fines.
You mention millions of tourists pre-Covid. True they flung the doors but again those were the good times and as the old saying goes real friends reveal themselves when the going gets tough. The Japanese were happy to take tourist $$ and will gladly welcome and their our $ again soon but that does not excuse the fact that they left us high and dry when the going got tough and that includes foreign residents and family members.
Yes this dark Covid chapter will eventually be forgotten and Japan will be back to 90,000+/day foreign arrivals dont whitewash history. I am not going to bother reminding you of why to its core Japanese culture is xenophobic (thats not a derogatory term btw) but just refresh yourself on recent WW2 history and read about “Unit 731” or how they treated the POWs or even fellow Asians under their occupation. More recently look at the media reports on overt profiling of foreigners by JPolice (https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-embassy-tokyo-warns-foreigners-suspected-racial-profiling/story?id=81720091) or their joke “justice system” or how they are actually taking pride in accepting “97”(!!) refugees for the entire year. I could go on and on but why bother
AndyO. finally after tons of very vague posts about your views it is finally clear that you support the approach taken by the Japanese government toward the pandemic. All things clear. We legitimately think differently in everything (even in your absolute and frankly embarrassing misinterpretation of what I think and write, but never mind).
Exactly. Why does he even post here since he is a resident and doesnt and is already able to travel freely according to himself. I suspect he is Japanese and works for JGov
Andy, I think it’s legitimate to point out that a large portion of the population is xenophobic when it comes to seeing foreign as vectors for the virus.
Couple of comments: Japan is allowing foreign students and foreigners offered jobs to enter because they NEED them. Many stories of low birth rate over the past 10 years+ that suggests long term financial issues as over 65 elder nuimbers exceeds 30% of the population.
I think they held the Olympics because cancelling would have cost them a LOT of money as well as prestige with Japanese people. Olympic Village was built by company that would get them to sell after the Olympics, and it, no doubt, cost Japan to keep them unoccupied for an additional year. IOC would not have reimbursed them anywhere near the cost of building event locations, etc if they cancelled.
My wife is first generation Japanese who renounced her citizenship. She got a long term resident visa approved in late 2019 and last departed Japan on 18 Jan 2020 with the reentry form to return within one year. She was not allowed to reenter within 1 year. Japanese embassy says her visa is expired, and she must reapply. They will not even extend her reentry form, and she is child of a Japanese national.
I lived in Japan for 4.5 years and have some experience with Japanese culture. One thing in particular seems to me to well define how Japanese see foreigners. To them I am a gaijin but a black foreigner is a kokujin. While you may disagree, i think this illustrates how they see the rest of the world. While the wife and I had visited her relatives 3-4 times a year prior to 2020, I do not harbor any thoughts that they love having me around.
As AndyO seems to me monitoring the site 24/7 lets remind him that for over 6 months in 2020 not even foreign residents like himself were allowed to enter. That ban included permanent residents so he can defend the Japanese all he wants but they are xenophobic and extremely narrow minded. Granted they manage to hide their true feelings really well most of the time and that a cornerstone of Japanese society but the their true colors show every once in a while. Lets call BS for what it is.
One thing I think is pretty clear: Japan will only start accepting regular tourists again when they reduce Covid level to 5 and treat it as endemic/under control.
Kishida said they would review Covid measures in June. Also apparently Family Mart tweeted that they will no longer require customers to wear masks inside.
Things are slowly moving. But Japan’s movement is much slower and more bureaucratic than any other country.
But it does seem more and more likely that, by when the folliage turns red and yellow, Tom will be doing his happiest report and we’ll be able to be there again.
Well, at least those who still want to be there after the country destroyed its reputation lol
I am half Japanese and speak Japanese. I have decided not to cancel my flight to Japan for the 4th time and instead connect and go to Malaysia/SIngapore. It is frustrating that my Japanese friends are allowed to travel all over the world and to Japan, but we are banned because we are not Japanese citizens. As a physician it makes no medical or logical sense. I feel it’s blatant racism and political. It has tainted my impression of Japan and my desire to visit there.
I am a non-Japanese person who lives in Japan.
There are millions of others like me who also live here but are not citizens.
Do you feel it is racist that we can travel in and out of Japan to go “all over the world”?
You are “banned” because Japan has a slightly outdated entry policy due to Covid. I say “slightly” because until just a few months or even weeks ago, many counties also “banned” non-residents, just like Japan. Actually, the majority of countries on earth, if you remember, had policies in place at one point and/or during most of the past 2+ years which “banned” non-residents.
Japan is currently only unique with updating its entry policy, but was not unique for having implemented it.
If a year goes by and the entry restrictions are still in place while every other country on earth has fully re-opened (yet do realize some countries still have restrictions like Japan, or worse), then yes, its there is probably more to it, but as a half-Japanese you for one should know that things change slowly in Japan.
Yes I feel it is xenophobic. And you as a resident alien should know this. Also it is not correct to say that the country has a “slight” delay since the most of countries has totally closed its borders only for a few months certainly not for years as Japan is still doing (and who knows how much longer it will do moreover). Finally from a purely logical point of view how would one explain the fact that Japanese citizens can travel abroad while foreigners cannot enter (does the virus check nationality first?). But please just a little common sense is enough to realize that the country has (just study the history or live there) a deep-rooted diffidence (mixed with genuine curiosity) toward foreigners.
“how would one explain the fact that Japanese citizens can travel abroad while foreigners cannot enter”
I shall repeat: I am a foreigner who lives in Japan. I can leave, and I can enter Japan whenever I want. Lots and lots of foreigners living in Japan just like me can do so everyday.
Go ahead and feel its xenophobic if you want to be petty, but lest you forget, just 3 or 4 months ago, in Feb and Jan of this year, many countries were still freaking out about Omicron. Heck, Australia was still forcibly locking their own citizens into Covid camps at that time. And there were long stretches of time in the past 2 years where citizens of many European countries were not allowed to leave home, and then required to show Covid passports to go anywhere. Even “free” places like the US and Canada had bans on internal travel for their own citizens (I heard of several US citizens being arrested for simply traveling to Hawaii).
Japan never did anything of the sort internally.
So yeah, its may feel annoying that Japan isn’t rushing to quickly re-open to tourists like elsewhere, but don’t gaslight your own self on how over-reactive everywhere else actually was during the pandemic, including the place where you probably live. If anything, most places on earth only very recently flipped from one ridiculous extreme to the other, while Japan just stayed mundanely the same.
Japan and the Japanese are not xenophobic. The philosophical difference between Japan and most if not all other counrtries is that the Japanese and Japan as a nation hold a deep sense of responsibility towards others, whist explecting the highest standards of themsleves. For example if a forigner was to contract covid in Japan, they would feel 100% responsible. If a junior employee or student was to do wrong, then the senior employee or teacher, often intercedes on their behalf and also accepts punsihment. I could go on i.e., bathing, wearing of masks, phones on trains, shoes off in homes etc.. This might sound strange to the rest of us, however please remember this mindset when you can one again return to Japan, very soon. If we can all instill this same mindset it will also go a long way to also improving Japan’s opinon of gaijin as well a more enriched life of our own.