Travel to Japan for Winter 22-23 looking very good!

Hoping to see some of these in your future?

Photo credit Harm Jakob Tolsma

The wait is over!

Japan Travel Update - Start October 11th. 2022

The news we have all been waiting for is finally here. Fully independent travel to Japan will begin on October 11th, 2022.

Details are as follow:

• You may book flights or accommodation without the need for a travel agent in either Japan or your own country
• There is no need to have Vacation Niseko sponsor your visa via an ERFS form from the 11th of October
• The cap of 50,000 people has be lifted to no cap whatsoever

Details you need to be aware of before travelling.

• Certain countries may require a visa for entry into Japan just as the pre-Covid era dictated
• Please check this official entry page for the latest official information: Click HERE
• All entrants will be required to show either a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test result conducted within 72 hours prior to departure from the original country/region.
• Vaccinated travelers must show proof of having had 3 doses administered of a vaccine prescribed on the 'Emergency Use List of the World Health Organization' (WHO)

We will update this page as needed.

The below is no longer valid!

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Japan Travel Update September 7-14

Indeed it seems that the wait is over. Unsupervised travel to Japan was started on September 7th. However the following guidelines were announced:

• Accommodation must be booked with an agent in Japan
• Flights must be booked by an agent in your own country
• Self-booked accommodation done online is not eligible for the program
• Self-booked flights done online are not eligible for the program
• The Japan agent (Vacation Niseko) must sponsor and process an ERFS form for each guest.
• The guest then takes this to the consulate/embassy in their country
• A travel visa is then issued by the consulate/embassy
• A limit of 50,000 entries to Japan is allowed per day. Up from 20,000
• The need for a negative PCR test for travellers with a certificate of triple vaccination of approved vaccines

Important Update as of September 13th

• Prime Minister Kishida, as reported in the local media, is to decide upon the further easing of the border terms announced as early as this week
• Said to be under consideration
  • Removal of daily entry limits
  • Allowance of self-booked accommodation and flights
  • Elimination of visa requirements

To be sure the removal of the above points would be welcome here in Niseko!

Keep your eyes on this page or better yet, sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of the details. Signup can be found at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us @vacationniseko on instagram

Japan Travel Update June 2022

Positive news from the government of Japan. It seems that Japan’s border restrictions are slowly easing. All signals point to a full-on return to international tourism in the near future!

That is great news for the local tourism industry here in Niseko as well as across Japan. With the winter season a scant 6 months away, savvy travelers anticipated this eventuality and have already secured their preferred dates and accommodation in Niseko for the coming winter. Peak season is selling out quickly, with 3 bedroom apartments close to the lifts being a particularly hot commodity.

So, if you want to come and ride or ski the legendary Niseko powder, it's time to get off the couch and book your accommodation before it is too late! (Hitting the gym and refreshing your chopstick skills may also be a good idea!)

With that in mind, see below for the current information and an overview of entry requirements for travellers to Japan.

Entry policy as of June 2022

Japan has resumed accepting inbound tourists from 98 countries including the US, UK, France, Spain, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia from 10 June 2022. Initially testing small group tours to identify any issues before a full-scale re-opening to individuals.

The plan is to increase the number of daily arrivals from 10,000 to 20,000 per day from the 10th of June. Entries are expected to increase to 30,000 per day from sometime in July.

Covid testing & quarantine measures

Entry rules vary by category depending on whether you are traveling from low, medium, and high-risk countries or regions. Quarantine measures have been scrapped for low-risk countries. Everyone must however still possess a negative PCR test taken at least 72 hours prior to departure.

Risk Classification and required measures for entry to Japan

The below chart is a 3 color classification chart determining the need for Covid testing and or quarantine measures. The countries listed on the chart are examples only. The list is too extensive for this page. Please refer to THIS link for an extensive listing and full details of the government's entry restrictions.

Grouping of countries/regions announced by MOFA as of June 1 2022:

Credit: 

Measures for Resuming Cross-Border Travel | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (mofa.go.jp)