Reports: Japan could announce full tourism reopening this week

Japan’s much anticipated reopening has come in fits and starts, with the latest concession of allowing tourists on “non-escorted package tours” seeing little uptake.

However, the endgame could be close at hand. Per a report in the Japan Times (citing FNN), Japan may announce a full reopening to tourists as early as this week, scrapping arrival caps, mandatory visas, and allowing for independent travel.

Japan tourism reopening imminent?

While tourists have been able to visit Japan ever since June this year, would-be visitors have had to navigate three main roadblocks:

• A daily cap on arrivals
• Mandatory visa requirement (all visa waiver agreements have been temporarily suspended)
• The need to purchase a package from an approved tour agency

Even though Japan no longer requires tourists to be constantly escorted by a chaperone, the revised system of “unguided package tours” remains a major deterrent. Let’s face it- travel agencies have their uses, but not everyone wants to use them. Moreover, the complex rules have become a breeding ground for profiteering, with some agencies charging exorbitant fees for the all-important ERFS (which is needed for visa application).

Unsurprisingly, take-up rate has been low. Japan may command a special place in the hearts of many, but there’s just too many hoops to jump through.

That said, things are looking up. The Japan Times reports that the government is planning to make a decision on lifting tourism restrictions as early as this week, with a possible implementation date from October 2022.

This would involve abolishing the daily arrival cap altogether, restoring visa waiver arrangements, and allowing tourists to book their own flights, hotels and activities. In other words, it’s basically be pre-COVID travel once again.

Will any COVID-19 testing be needed?

Japan has scrapped the requirement for a pre-departure COVID-19 test for all vaccinated travellers. As a reminder, Japan defines “fully vaccinated” as individuals who have received at least three jabs of the following vaccines:

• AstraZeneca
• Bharat Biotech
• Janssen
• Moderna
• Novavax
• Pfizer-BioNTech

On-arrival measures depend on an individual’s travel history. Singapore is currently classified as a Blue List country, which does not require on-arrival testing or quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.

Visitors from Yellow or Red List countries may be required to take on-arrival tests or quarantine, depending on their vaccination status.

Blue List

Yellow List

Red List

If your 14-day travel history cuts across various categories, the restrictions of the strictest one will apply. You can view the categorisation of countries here.

Flights between Singapore and Japan

Flight capacity between Singapore and Japan is a shadow of its former self, though presumably airlines are waiting for the “real” reopening before adding more services.

Here’s what the schedule looks like for September to Tokyo Narita and Haneda.

SIN to TYO

TYO to SIN

Singapore Airlines is also operating flights to Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

Scoot plans to resume daily services to Sapporo from November 2022, as previously announced. 

Award costs

If Japan allows for independent travel, frequent flyers will be able to use their miles to book their own flights once again. 

Here’s how much it costs to redeem an award between Singapore and Japan through KrisFlyer.

Redemption Cost between Singapore and Japan (Flights on Singapore Air)
	Saver (One-Way)	Advantage (One-Way)
Economy	27,000	45,000
Premium Economy	37,500	–
Business	52,000	70,000
First	77,000	120,000

While Economy Class award space on Singapore Airlines flights to Japan is plentiful, Business Class award space has mostly vanished for the next few months. It is possible to find the odd option on ANA however, if you’re lucky.

For an easy (and free!) way to search for Star Alliance award space, I highly recommend using Awards PNR.

Alternatively, if you have Alaska Mileage Plan miles, then a round-trip Business Class flight on Japan Airlines to Tokyo would cost 50,000 miles. Unfortunately, Japan Airlines does not seem to be releasing award space until April 2023 at the earliest, and even then it’s sporadic. June 2023 might be a better bet. 

Conclusion

Japan could be lifting its remaining restrictions on foreign tourists soon, with October mulled as a possible implementation date. That would certainly be welcome news for people planning year end travel, though I fully expect the price of flights and hotels to spike given all the pent up demand.

Is it really happening this time?