From September 2022, travelers no longer need an accompanying guide when traveling in Japan. However, to visit Japan, flights and accommodation must be booked through a travel agency. The exact date is still unknown when the restriction of 50,000 arrivals per day will be lifted and the visa-free regime will be returned.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government is considering ways to ease the current restrictions “while maintaining a balance between preventing the spread of infection and encouraging social and economic activities.”
Japan's New Entry Rules
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Since June, tourists have only been allowed to enter Japan on organized group tours, during which they must be accompanied by a local guide throughout the trip. This rule was lifted on September 7, and self-guided trips are now allowed.
However, the tour package must be purchased through a registered travel agency in order for the government to have contact with tourists. So while rest in Japan — this is exclusively a package holiday, with a guide or independent.
Tourists must wear masks in public and follow other COVID-19 measures. Anyone who does not have three shots must provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival and install the mySOS app where they can record their test results.
Before the pandemic, Japan offered visa-free entry visitors from 68 countries, but now, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “everyone needs a visa“, no matter where they come from.
Japan divides all countries into < strong>blue, yelloworred depending on their risk of contracting coronavirus. Travelers from the Blues countries have the opportunity to present a document confirming the presence of vaccination, or to take a test before travel. Russia is included in the blue group, thus they are exempt from additional testing on arrival and quarantine.
Travelers from yellow and red countries have additional entry requirements, such as PCR – a test upon arrival in Japan and a three to five day home quarantine.