Japan allows individual British tourists for first time in two years

Individual British travellers can now visit Japan again, after the country’s government lifted its strict policy of only allowing tourists on private and self-guided tours.

The rule, which has been in place for all international tourists since June, ended at midnight on Tuesday (11 October), with independent tourists able to arrive without having to be tied into a tour booking.

It is the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic that British tourists may arrive freely without being subject to visa or tour restrictions; however, only the triple-vaccinated (with an approved booster) may arrive without taking a pre-travel test.

Those who do not meet the specific booster requirements must take a PCR test within 72 hours before travel; those who are triple-vaccinated must show their booster shot was either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The Japanese government had also kept a daily arrivals cap in place of 50,000 people a day, which was also scrapped on Tuesday.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida said last week that he hopes the new influx of tourists brought in by the more relaxed travel rules will bring in around 5 trillion yen (£31bn).

The country has seen just over half a million tourists so far in 2022 – an enormous slump compared to the 31.8 million total who visited during 2019.

According to data from Trip.com, UK to Japan bookings shot up 183 per cent in September, month-on-month compared to August, following the announcement of the easing of Covid rules.

The country’s flag carrier, Japan Airlines, has seen inbound bookings triple since the reopening announcement, its president Yuji Akasaka said last week.

One tourist visiting from Los Angeles the day of the rule change, David Beall, told Associated Press: “As cliche [sic] as it sounds, just being back in Japan after all this time is what I am most looking forward to.

“That of course includes hopefully meeting new people, eating the food that I’ve missed like good tonkatsu, being in nature that time of the year, riding the trains,” he added.

One owner of a Tokyo ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn), Arata Sawa, told Reuters: “I’m hoping and anticipating that a lot of foreigners will come to Japan, just like before Covid.”

Japanese authorities still encourage the use of mask wearing indoors following the worst of the pandemic, though this is not legally enforced.

The government recently approved legislation that would mean hotels can refuse guests who do not comply with health rules during a spike in Covid cases.

“From the start of the pandemic until now, we’ve had just a few foreign guests,” Mr Sawa told Reuters. “Pretty much all of them wore masks, but I’m really not sure whether the people who visit from here on will do the same.”

“My plan is to kindly ask them to wear a mask while inside the building,” he added.