1,300 apply to come to Japan on guided tours since reentry rules eased

Only 1,300 tourist applications over two months when the cap is 20,000/day!

Why?

Requirements:

Japan: travel visa, medical insurance, outdoor/indoor masking

Thailand: no travel visa, no medical insurance, no outdoor masking

Travel to Japan seems rather troublesome.

I’m off to Thailand next month to try some new found freedoms!

Meanwhile, the Japanese want to keep wearing their masks for years to come-no words for it…

Requirements:

Japan: travel visa, medical insurance, outdoor/indoor masking

Thailand: no travel visa, no medical insurance, no outdoor masking

Japanese people always try to avoid mendokusai but they keep giving tons of mendokusai to foreigners.

Surprising that more than 1000 people have applied even with all the difficulties the government has put in order to visit the country.

No thanks.

I'll pay someone's ticket to come visit ME first.

Well, that is not going to rescue the currency.

1,300 apply to come to Japan on guided tours since reentry rules eased

would love to see reciprocity... each western country with a 1300 limit on Japanese nationals AND only on GUIDED TOURS.

Bet anyone money the restrictions would be lifted FAST if that happened

Tour participants to Japan are requested to observe infection prevention measures, including wearing masks, and are asked to take out medical insurance in the event they contract the coronavirus. Operators of package tours are required to explain to customers that they may not be able to travel if they do not follow the guidelines.

On the other hand, these restrictions are not as severe as those imposed on Japan nationals and residents a few months ago. Testing before flying, QR code, oath, download apps, another wait at the airport after another test and more documentation, and after about 4 hours waiting, a one hour mystery bus ride to a hotel or college dormitory for a 3 day or so stay eating cruddy bento.

kurisupisuToday  06:58 am JST

I’m off to Thailand next month to try some new found freedoms!

You got it right. And more interesting sights to see, cheaper food and transportation, swimming pool at your hotel . . . .

Go to travel campiagn will be launched again in July for their very own Japanese citizens. They treated their local as "tourist". Can a local citizen consider as tourist . How long can their tourism business survive just on the local spending. Other countries welcome all Japanese to come for vacation, yet we are not welcome back, I think is not fair at all !!!!

1300 tourists in the span of two months? Hilarious. Yeah, that's really going to bolster the economy...not. I'm surprised there are even willing victims...err, tourists who want to go through the convoluted mess just to get their Japanese tourist visas let alone abide by the clearly xenophobic covid rules. Ah well, there are gullible people everywhere I suppose.

Wow what a success

Off to Thailand for a break as soon as I can find a dogsitter. Want to go to Hokkaido, but far to expensive

The very first group comprising a small number of people arrived in Japan on Wednesday, he said, without revealing their nationalities.

Wada said he expects entries to Japan to "rise slowly," with most of the arrivals coming mainly from Southeast Asian countries, as well as South Korea and the United States.

without revealing nationalities, but you name the countries……..

a contradiction on top of information that no one cares about.

Just get tourists back into the mix fool!

Gee that’s a surprise! It’s like a sick joke! No wonder only 1300 want to come to the new Nth Korea!

39,998,700 more tourists to meet their goal.

Good luck!

More than 1300 people have applied

What's a matter ? You don't know how many "sheeple" have applied ?

Reentry

Reentry ?

Is this a joke ?

Have they been here before?

Ridiculous !

@ Rodney

Yeah Thailand is rapidly becoming a popular destination of my interest also

A ridiculously low number, reflecting the stupidity of the idea.

Just for context, the numbers for June and July 2019 were 2.88 and 2.99 million. That's double the number of Japanese who travelled in those months, so even if Japanese demand got back to normal, which will take years, there would still be a big hole in revenue for the airlines, airports, and all other related businesses, to say nothing of accomodation and the like serving inbound tourists.

https://www.jnto.go.jp/jpn/news/press_releases/pdf/200117_monthly.pdf

1300 liberal NPCs?

It's a joke as everyone else is saying.

Probably mostly elderly Nikkeis who need to be chaperoned.

Yawn... maybe NEXT year ..but I doubt it

Its quite simple.

Give Japanese tourists the same hurdles when they travel to foreign destinations.

Then we see some progress.

This is quite obviously not about Covid anymore. Hopefully next months elections will change things.

Immigration must be overwhelmed by the influx.

Entirely political. Reciprocity is unlikely. Foreign governments gain nothing by it. No change likely for some time, maybe not until the next PM. Just go somewhere else for the next few years. There are other exotic Asian nations to explore and embrace. Spread your wings. It's great news for the rest of Asia. $40bn annual tourist revenue now available. And unlike 'foreign aid', no strings attached.

An extra 'benefit' of this policy for Kishida is that it says to foreigners working in Japan, 'if you want to see your relatives any time soon, leave'. Getting the foreign resident numbers down as well as the tourists. That will make Kishida even more popular than just getting rid of tourists..

Legally, it may break the law about 'interfering with business', but governments operate above the law, so I expect they will be fine.

Haha yeah that will get things right back on track, each city can get one each.

I'm guessing it's a mix of other Asian countries tourists that are more used to and like the guided tour way of traveling, and in the other bracket we can probably find weebs that wants to brag to other weebs that they got in early.

People respond with negative feedback when someone mentions another Asian country to visit. Well, sorry but all everyone is talking about Thailand and South Korea - Japan has been written off. Live in a shell all you want but Japan played themselves with this xenophobic nonsense.

Japan has been written off.

I'm not sure where you get this silly idea. Here in Canada when I tell people I live in Japan, nearly everyone I talk to either talks about how they would love to visit, or about a wonderful visit they had.

WOOHOO!! Such great newsu!! NIHON IS OPENINGUU!! I will patiently wait to return to my home!!

@Strangerland

Japan has been written off in 2022 as those wanting to travel are going to Thailand and South Korea instead. These are facts. Just because your "Charisma Men comic strip" friends in Canada want to go to Japan does not mean they can go to Japan in 2022 as they want.

Change only two words and it gives a opposite prospective of the item. "More than 1300" sound like in this article a positive but instead of the using more try placing the word Less than 1300. Do the same with he word relaxation to restriction and it changes the means of the article from a positive outcome to a negative outcome.