Tourists are welcome to visit Japan

Stories about travel problems, too many people at popular destinations and airports, and dangerous heat waves in Europe have dominated the news this summer.

But tourists have been slow to return to Asia, where many countries are slowly getting back to normal. There have been fewer flight cancellations and horror stories about lost luggage.

This is especially clear in Japan, which reopened to a lot of fanfare in June 2022, right before the busiest travel time of the year. Japan’s Immigration Services Agency says that the country had about 1,500 leisure tourists between June 10 and July 10. That’s 95% less than the same time last year, before the pandemic.

So, what’s the reason for the difference?
And why are tourists so slow to go back to a place that has always been popular?

No safety in a group

Japan is once again open to tourists, but at the moment, they can only come in organised groups and not on their own. For many people from the West, who like to be flexible and don’t want to stick to a strict plan, this was a deal-breaker.

Melissa Musiker, who works in public relations in New York and used to go to Japan often, says, “We don’t need to be babysat.”

“About six times,” she and her husband have been to Tokyo. When they heard that borders were reopening in 2022, the two planned to go back, but the rules made it hard for them to do so, so they gave up.

Instead, they are going to South Korea for their vacation, which is a new place for them.

“We don’t want to close off the area. That was a big reason,” says Musiker. “All we do is hang out, go shopping, and eat expensive sushi.”

She liked city trips more than beach trips, and her addiction to K-dramas, which started with a virus, tipped the scales in favour of Seoul.

Semi-open isn’t open

Japan’s policy of not being fully open isn’t just about visas. Many places in the country still require people to wear masks, group tours can be expensive, and Japan requires quarantine when people arrive, which makes it harder to sell.

Katie Tam is the co-founder of Arry, a subscription service that helps visitors to Japan get reservations at some of Tokyo’s most popular restaurants, like Sukiyabashi Jiro, which was praised by President Obama, and Den, which recently topped Asia’s Best Restaurants list.