Japan Reopens to Tourists Under Trial Program

Japan is reopening tourism to foreign visitors for the first time in two-plus years since the Covid-19 pandemic. The few allowed to travel into the country under a trial program were subject to strict hygiene measures and monitored closely, giving others a glimpse into what visiting will be like after next month’s limited border reopening.

“We’re just happy to be back,” Christopher Li said after arriving in Tokyo from Hawaii.

Like the rest of his small tour group, Li works in the travel industry and are also here to see how Japan will manage its reopening. “The prevention measures in Japan are very detailed.”

After landing at Narita International Airport, Li and three other traveling companions were given a package of masks, alcohol wipes and a disinfectant spray bottle. They went through testing, monitoring app installations and other red tape for about two hours before leaving the airport.

They toured Ibaraki prefecture on Thursday, stopping by a shrine and fish market before visiting a suspension bridge and waterfall in the afternoon.

Members of a tour group take a selfie at the Ryujin Suspension Bridge in Ibaraki prefecture.

Before the pandemic, Japan was at the peak of a tourism boom, with inbound visitors reaching a record in 2019. Now, the island nation is one of the last remaining rich economies with strict border controls. That’s set to change on June 10, when package tours from overseas will bring back tourists and the daily entry quota doubles to 20,000.

Even so, only about half of the population is in favor of plans to ease borders, according a poll by the Yomiuri newspaper earlier this month.

While those choosing to join the early wave of visitors will be subject to strict measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, Japan has mostly relaxed entry protocols for returning citizens, residents and visa holders. There’s minimal quarantine, although time-consuming airport procedures remain in place.

For those early tourists, itineraries will probably be fully booked with limited free time, and with a chaperon hovering nearby. All told, about 50 travelers from the US, Australia, Thailand and Singapore came to Japan this week as part of the trial program.

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