Free and easy: Japan drops guided package tour requirement for tourists

File photo of Japan.
File photo of Japan.

Japan is finally easing travel restrictions to allow non-escorted visitors on package tours into the country and raising the daily arrival cap to 50,000 starting Sept. 7.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the announcement today following last week’s news that they would scrap the pre-arrival PCR test if passengers have received three shots of an approved vaccine.

However, Japan’s border is currently open only to people with Japanese nationality, long-term visas or pre-issued tourism visas. Tourists are currently only allowed to enter the country on guided tour packages. 

There have been no updates on relaxing restrictions on Japan’s entry visas yet.

The guided package tours have been unpopular with tourists and only brought in 7,900 travellers into the country in July according to NHK.

Japan remains to be one of the countries with the strictest Covid-19 border controls since other countries started opening up. 

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