Japan may soon reopen to independent tourists – with one condition

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

In this (post) pandemic world, Japan is the only G7 nation that has yet to reopen fully for tourism.

The country started accepting foreign tourists in June, provided that they enter the country as part of a guided group tour.

Unfortunately, this has proven to be unpopular, as NHK reports that less than 8,000 overseas tourists visited Japan in July.

But this is about to change!


According to the same NHK report, the government is considering allowing independent tourists from overseas to enter the country for tourism purposes.

Travellers do not have sign up for a group tour, but there’s still one condition. They have to arrange your visit through a travel agency which will manage your itinerary in Japan. If approved, this new measure could start as early as September.

While this may not be the reopening news most people have hoped for, it is still an easing of Japan’s strict border restrictions.

This week, it’s also speculated that Japan may scrap the requirement for pre-arrival PCR tests for travellers who have been fully vaccinated (booster dose included).

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