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Forum - View topicNEWS: Japan Allows Non-Guided Tour Entries, Raises Max Daily Entries to 50,000
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omiya
 Posts: 1855 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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As always, it's the details that matter.
The requirements for a pre-approved travel plan in order to get an ERFS certificate and visa seem to be remaining. [EDIT] PS, I did do a trip to Japan on a tourist visa (4 days) over last Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun leaving Monday morning as an individual with a tour guide to attend the https://anisama.tv concerts and do some second-hand CD shopping. It all went well apart from the stress of registering on PIA to pick up e-tickets, and of course it was far more expensive and less spontaneous than what I had done during 2011-2019 on trips to Japan. Last edited by omiya on Wed Aug 31, 2022 12:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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kuma991
Posts: 106 |
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"Sponsors"? Can my Onlyfans sponsors send me to Japan then? And are individual travelers allowed again, even if it must be through an agency, or not? How do they always use either needlessly specific, or uselessly vague wording about it...
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Blazaking
 Subscriber Posts: 252 |
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Getting closer and closer to regular tourism. I really want to go to Japan next year...
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2317 Location: Online Terminal |
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You can book individual travel via an agency. I know with the rise of the internet they've become out of fashion (and AAA has told me in the past they don't really do Japan, so that doesn't help) but they are certainly still around and Japan-based agencies usually have flash sales on airfare, too. While I imagine there's a side benefit that would help the agencies who have probably been floundering over the past 2 years, I assume the primary reason for the restriction is still have some assurance and control over who is coming in and out of the country. You still can't spontaneously travel to Japan, but with 170,000 new cases daily I'm not sure I would want to. |
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HueyLion
 Posts: 914 |
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I think they are just slowly preparing for everyone to flood into the country, since Japan is generally one of the top 10 places to visit in tourism.
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kuma991
Posts: 106 |
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Can I though? https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/101_kishida/statement/2022/0831kaiken2.html 「９月７日より入国者数の上限を５万人に引き上げるとともに、全ての国を対象に、添乗員を伴わないパッケージツアーによる入国を可能とするなど、更なる緩和を行うことといたします」 "We will allow all countries to enter on package tours without a tour guide," is all Kishida said about it. No date, no details, just a general intention. Which has been the case since the Olympics. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4669 |
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I'm not sure what "sponsors" means in this context. Maybe a situation where somebody comes for a business purpose, but stays longer to add in some sight-seeing? Or is it something where an agency makes an itinerary, sells it, and then the person is otherwise on their own? Having a travel agency contact sounds more like a self-made itinerary that is then given over to a travel agency.
The allowance for non-guided tourism that also has to somehow tracked by a travel agency sure sounds like a good deal for those companies. They either get paid as part of the cost of entry without having to do a whole lot else, or people come to them and pay for a package because they decide it's too much hassle to figure out, especially if there is a chance that not doing things exactly right means you can't go or get stuck at an airport until it's fixed. |
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AJ (LordNikon)
 Posts: 518 Location: Kyoto |
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I leave Thursday to return to Japan after two years of staying in America with with my kids/grandkids. When I go to Embassy in DC, there were few tourists applying and had to be represented by JTA agents. A young man in twenties had to have JALPAK agent with him to sign his permission that he is part of registered tour group. Still, 50k day, that is 350'000 per week or 1.4m per month!!! Doesn't matter. Tour guide requirement is lifted as of 7.SEPT. (Daily Yomiuri) https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20220831-OYT1T50000/ https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-travel-covid-19/index.html EDIT: Included link to CNN (in English) Last edited by AJ (LordNikon) on Wed Aug 31, 2022 3:35 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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omoikane
Posts: 494 |
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Because travel agencies have the details, or suppose to. I actually talked to some and they're still figuring out what the difference is between the "Unguided" versus "guided" tours. On one hand the travel agency sponsors still have to make sure the tourists are doing fine, but how do you do that without hiring said tour guide at least in some capacity is the question. At least for a normal guided tour the tour guide is available to help the tourists when anything comes up. But this was already something long since delegated to tourism agencies, Kishida is not going to spell that out because it's left to them to carry out the details. |
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