Even those countries that once had the strictest travel rules are finally opening up again. Following in the footsteps of Australia, Thailand and Bali, Japan has started to welcome back at least someinternational travellers, too.
From tomorrow (April 8), overseas residents, business travellers and foreign students from 106 countries are now allowed to enter Japan. That includes the USA, the UK, Canada and France (you can find a full list of permitted nationalities on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website here). But if you’re hoping for a holiday, be warned: the borders are still closed to tourists.
Things are moving in the right direction, however, as the cap on people entering the country each month will rise from 7,000 to 10,000 in April. The previous, stricter rules which banned almost all travel had been implemented in November in response to rising Omicron cases and expired at the end of February.
Schools and companies will have to sponsor individuals hoping to enter, and visitors must self-isolate on arrival. Currently, you need to have proof of a positive COVID test taken 72 hours before departure, a signed copy of the this form (promising to comply with local COVID rules), and a completed online questionnaire. Once at the airport in Japan, you need to take another PCR test and download a health monitoring app.
The quarantine rules are slightly complicated, too. Everyone has to take a PCR test before leaving for Japan, and it must come back negative. If you’ve had three jabs, you’ll have to isolate at your accommodation for the first three days in the country, then take another test. If it’s negative, you’re all good; otherwise, you’ll have to stay there for another seven days. If you’re unvaccinated or have had fewer than three jabs, the rules are the same except you have to quarantine specifically in a hotel. And if you’re travelling from Egypt, Pakistan, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey or Vietnam, you’ll have to quarantine for seven days to start with, rather than three.
While you might not be able to visit Japan as a tourist just yet, the rules are changing regularly. Keep an eye out for updates and start planning that trip of a lifetime.
