Coronavirus Outbreak
The outbreak of the coronavirus is having a big impact on tourism in Japan. While restrictions on domestic tourism have been lifted, Japan’s borders remain closed to international tourists, and there are no signs that the borders will be opened to considerable numbers of tourists in the near future.
Domestic Situation
Although the virus has not spread in Japan at an explosive rate as seen in Europe and North America, the central government declared a state of emergency from April 7 to May 25, requesting people to stay home and certain businesses to close. Even after the end of the state of emergency, people in the entire country are requested to exercise social distancing and refrain from visiting crowded and badly ventilated places. Restrictions on businesses have been lifted.
All restrictions on inter-prefectural travel were lifted on June 19, and in late July, the Go To Travel campaign was started to encourage tourism, offering residents of Japan a 50% cost reduction on domestic travel until early 2021.
Inside the cities, public transportation has never been greatly affected; however, airlines and long-distance bus companies have considerably cut their services, and seasonal and tourist trains have been suspended, although services have been increased again. Intercity trains have mostly resumed operating according to their regular timetables after a reduction of services in May and early June.
International Travel Restrictions
Japan is currently refusing entry to non-Japanese people who have been to any of over 150 designated countries across the world within the past 14 days, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, China and most European countries (including the UK), except to foreign residents of Japan or under special circumstances.
Japan is also temporarily suspending visa exemptions with many countries, making it necessary for visitors to apply for a visa before traveling to Japan.
Arriving travelers who have recently visited a country affected by the coronavirus or who show coronavirus symptoms will have to take a coronavirus test at the airport and wait for the test results to arrive, which usually takes 2-3 hours. Furthermore, all arriving travelers, including those who did not get tested, will have to undergo a self-quarantine at a designated location (usually at a hotel or at home) and may not use public transportation for 14 days upon arrival.
Likewise, there are many countries that refuse entry to people arriving from Japan or require travelers arriving from Japan to undergo a quarantine.
A gradual reopening of Japan’s borders towards short-time visitors is being prepared. In a first step, a “Business Track” system was introduced, allowing business travelers from certain countries (currently: Singapore and South Korea) to skip the quarantine if they test negative once before departure and once after arrival. However, they still have to go through a time-consuming application procedure, submit a schedule of activities, install a coronavirus contact tracing app and not use public transportation for two weeks after arrival. A similar system for short business stays of under 72 hours is expected to be introduced to travelers from certain countries in the near future.
It is currently undecided when tourists will again be able to enter the country, but it has been reported that the government is considering a gradual reopening starting from around spring 2021.
Closures and cancellations
Most tourist attractions in Japan were closed in April and May; however since late May, a large number of them have reopened. Only a few remain closed now. Most events and festivals nationwide have been cancelled or postponed.
