You won’t need to spend half of your trip in a hotel room anymore

Countries around the world are finally opening up again, but for those who have deeply missed Japan, good news: the Land of the Rising Sun is welcoming some international travelers soon. 

Japan plans to shorten the period of quarantine for all arrivals from seven days down to three starting in March. According to Japan’s Public Media Organization NHK, the government is even considering dropping quarantine altogether for some arrivals. New non-tourist arrivals may be able to skip quarantine if they meet three requirements: proof of a third vaccine dose, proof of a negative test result, and arrival from a country that has contained the spread of Covid-19.

The government is also planning to ease entry restrictions from overseas, raising it from 3,500 to 5,000 daily, which was the same number before the Omicron variant spread. As part of Japan’s efforts to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, Japan shut its borders to all foreigners except those visiting the country on humanitarian grounds since late November 2021. However, Japan’s stringent entry restrictions have been criticized as too severe by prominent foreign business groups and student representatives stuck abroad who have warned that keeping the door closed is damaging the economy.

The decision to slowly start welcoming travelers would be a notable shift for Japan, but when compared to other countries where borders are starting to open, Japan is still somewhat cautious.

Australia will also be giving up quarantine requirements for foreign travelers next week. Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines are also opening up gradually.

That said, if you’ve been wanting to go on that Japan trip that’s been postponed for two years, now’s your chance.