Travel to Japan changes again on September 7th – Unguided Individual Package Tours.
A list of guidelines and regulations from Japan’s MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html#title42
1) All nationalities NEED A VISA to Visit Japan (in September 2022) and ALL NATIONALITIES seem eligible.
2) To get the visa, you need the equivalent of a “sponsor” which can be a travel agent.
** If you have family in Japan, you can use that as your sponsor which is why family members of residents have been able to have family visit for several months.
3) The “Sponsor” – travel agent – will keep tabs on you, book all your accommodations, travel to/from Japan and may meet you at the airport.
… Meals?
4) “Strictly adhere to the travel guidelines”” – see MOFA update and updates from JNTO
https://www.japan.travel/en/practical-coronavirus-information/government-measures/
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50 Comments
im strangely happy and screwed. I found a japenese tour company to go through, they are happy to sign on me. I can get that tomorrow but it is only valid for three months, and I travel in four, BUT even if I wait and hope that doesnt change by mid October, I still cant get an appointment to get my visa until end of November. Weeks before I leave on my big trip. So IN THEORY it is fine but I wont know until days before if it is fine.
Excuse me sir Can I Visit Japan With Sinopharm Vaccine????
Until I can go without all the rules about travelling to Japan , then I won’t be going.
I’m so disappointed as I love Japan and want to go back.
Im vaccinated 3 times and on that rule I’m fine but you have some countries that say it doesn’t matter and some say 2 shots. The world is crazy, it’s not the plague.
H.I.S. Is not replying to my inquiries. Probably waiting for clearer implementation guidelines. 🤷🏻♀️ In any case, I’m already considering other countries that are easier to plan for. With all the control measures, it doesn’t feel like a vacation anymore. 😒
Every step forward towards Japan reopening to foreigners even though they're small is still a step in the right direction. So thankful to you John for keeping us updated on the changes. Thank you so much my friend!
Does it really require 3 vaccine doses? I've been through the Japan immigration website and says for 'blue' countries it does not require proof of vaccine certificate… Am I missing something?
I guess they know what they’re doing. Oh wait they recommend alcohol to the youth now aswell. And their currency is being obliterated. Not to mention the enormous debt.
I will stay away from Japan until 2023 (at least) as it's still subject to change and too controlled as a tourist.
Looks like 2024 for me 😅
Would you want to sponsor people!
99% will follow the rules there is always the 1% that won’t 😂
Very appreciative of the update John 👍. As you say, rules keep changing constantly. Hopefully things will improve over time 🙏
Thanks for these updates John, all the work and research you put in is much appreciated 🙏 in February 2020 I was considering cancelling my trip to Japan to see my wife’s family as the virus was starting to spread, this is when I found your channel and honestly it was you who convinced us to still travel and I’m glad we did, we havn’t been back since then but hopefully we will soon.
Pregnant women in UK now being told NOT to take vaccine .
It’s the kinda thing you would expect from a place like Japan or Asian countries. The shock is when Australia, New Zealand, or Canada get like this it’s a concern.
Vaccination for travel to Japan is still a challenge for people from certain countries. For example, Thailand begin its vaccination program with Sinovac, Sinopharm, which are not on Japan approved vaccine list. So ppl who got 3 dose in Thailand would mostly got 2 dose Sinovac/Sino0harm + 1 mRNA vaccine (which are on approved list). Would this be comply with Japan 3 dose requirement?
I like to see the UK slap a visa requirement for the Japanese because that has nothing to do with COVID testing. It’s a bilateral deal and if British people need a visa to go to Japan, then being a non commonwealth country they should jump the hoop of paying for a tourist visa to visit the UK too
It's the huge lack of pre-planning that's driving me up the wall. In the UK, (our goverment are garbage BTW) they created a step by step guide on how we will ease the restrictions/rules, which were irreversible once we moved into the next stage. Each step could be delayed if needed, to maintain some sort of control. I just can't grasp why Japan can't set out some sort of guide, similar to the UK's. Not only does this allow people to plan ahead of time, but also, most importantly readies the Japanese population for the changes, giving them reassurance and time for them to get their heads around the changes.
I fear Japan have missed the boat, even when the rules are massively relaxed, reassembling some sort of normality, they will struggle to reach the tourist numbers, they want to, within the time frame they want.
Will Canada USA UK Australia and New Zealand withdraw their visa free status from Japan irrespective of their vaccine status since they are breaching the visa free waiver. They can pay for a tourist visa just as they require in reciprocity until they drop the visa.
With all due respect, so long as there are hurdles to overcome, i dont think anyone would travel to Japan. Hopefully 2023 will be a better outlook. Thanks John for taking some time to give us insights and updates.
i have rebooked again for 26 nov paid 1400 pound for 10 days hotel and flight if i book through japanese agent nearly 5000 pound
LETS SURF!!
Yes, it’s do disappointed that why Japan open up too slowly, Korea, Singapore, Thailand that open for travelers for few months ago
I contacted a travel agency here in Germany and they told me that the only thing you have to plan in advance are accommodation. If you stay in Tokyo and want to visit Yokohama for a daytrip, you are free to do so without telling the agency. You don't need to contact the travel agency for every step you take.
While this is far from perfect, one is given a bit more freedom than i first expected! Still i hope that this is not the end of the "opening" process!
It's just a government protection racket to prop up the Japanese travel agents, clumsy government attempts. And when will they stop discriminating against unvaccinated people? No problem entering Thailand without vaccination, just a negative certificate.
I there I am your fan channel for 3 years. I am now work as tour guide in Thailand if you are interesting I can show you around freely especially Bangkok now a day there are so many hustler. So hit me up if you are interesting
Thank you for updating. ✌️
Hard to say how I feel about the rules without clarification. At worst it sounds like you need to pre-book all meals at selected places and check in with someone every once in a while, which would be a no for me. But at best it could just mean installing those Apps John mentioned, booking flight and accommodation through a travel agency, and having the contact details of someone at the agency that you can get in contact with if something happens, but you don't have to, which I would be ok with.
I hope everyone is aware the surcharge on flights out of Japan has skyrocketed from the end of August with the result the surcharge now costs almost as much as an economy class ticket. We booked an economy class ticket from Haneda to Sydney and the ticket cost was 67,000 yen and the tax surcharge was 54,420 yen !! There is nothing tourist friendly about Japan at this time even with the rule changes on 7th Sept.
I've long booked my ticket for Nov 2 – 14. I'm sooo excited to go back to Japan esp since it's gonna be my first time in Tokyo. Not willing to purchase tours from agencies because they are just too damn expensive. Looking at already booking my hotel thru Agoda, because I see the buy now pay later + free cancellation offers, in case Japan fully opens in time for my flight. If Japan decides too close to my flight, there might not be enough hotels that fit my budget. A bit frustrating to be honest.
I frickin love the livestreams and walking around neighbourhoods
A small step in the right direction is appreciated; however, it still does not encourage me to visit Japan. The inability to choose my own lodging greatly increases the cost of the trip. Requiring a sponsor to get a visa is incredible. This is a major hinderance to independent travel.
Don’t do tours, so I’ll wait. Respectfully.
None of it would work on my iphone 8.
Why is it the worst with all these rules
My daughter lives in Japan, I live in the USA. She wants to come visit me. What are the procedures for going back into Japan?
Japan may as well find something else to do other than tourism.
Crazy rules , not solving the problem. To many hoops to jump thru. Buying health insurance, more expensive. Japan's tourism, is flat.
Booking anything through a tourist agency is paying the extra fee (commission). Sorry – I want all my money to go to the providers (airlines, hotels, tourist sites, etc.) than some go-between agency. That’s just me.
Of course, if you know nothing about the country and want “worry-free” travel, a TA is the way to go.
The Japanese hospital situation seems strange. Shouldn't the government offer incentives to open private clinics, ambulatory care centers and education for potential new health care workers?
John: Welcome to very quick update!..
Livestream: lasts for more than an hour
:)))
They should open it up.
Thank you John🤗! FOR your explanations 👍!
I’m thinking of you : John and Michael 🤗 !
Anne Paris Sunday 4th September 2022
1.5K – 2.0K p.p. more by agencies than I arrange stuff myself. Money I cannot spent in Japan. It is a step in the right direction, but at this point pointless. Also the fact that you called it garbage says enough, you are disappointed as well. But what if you bring a kid below the age of 12? Does it also require tripple vax? It is not even legal in their own country to booster their own children < 12, same as where I live.
Hi John. Yeah we went through the same similar “steps” in Hawaii
Perhaps I am just not buying their covid justification as every country has that issue. The only reason why japan appears to have the highest rate is because most countries are not really tracking it that meticulously and neither are people reporting it when they are self treating themselves with meds. The whole travel agency is to shift the risk and responsibilities to the agent. I am liasing with JTB to see what they can come up with as a proposal, just to see how this would work.
This isn't good news. They are trying to force people to have 3 vaccines done to enter Japan now. Kishida should be locked up.
would you be my brother john?
Japan won’t open up until after Abe’s funeral.
my experience with MySOS. get a covid test 72 hours before your arrival and fill out the loooong questionaire once you get results. at the end, i had a blue screen and got through haneda just fine.
I have a question which I would like to break down into a few topics
My family is befriended with another japanese family and their 2 boys are quite close friends of mine. I was planning on visiting them in Tokyo. I will also be staying at their place for the 2 weeks I planned for my trip.
Are we allowed to just roam freely around the country? For example daytrips to other cities.
Do I have to really report every step I make there? And if I choose not to report anything, how can they know what I am doing? And what if I just tell them I will be in Toyko the whole time how will anyone know if I go to other places? The whole thing just does not seem very transparent to me. I am quite confused to be honest