Japan has been facing another resurgence of COVID-19 infections recently which puts the country’s medical system under great pressure. On January 11th, there were more than 4800 daily infections reported in Japan, and a new variant of coronavirus had been found in four travelers from Brazil’s Amazonas state.

According to a recent survey conducted by Kyodo News, nearly 80 percent of people in Japan believe the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics (originally planned for summer of 2020 but was postponed to this summer) should be canceled or rescheduled. As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Japan, many believe the sporting event should not be conducted this year. In the poll, 35.3 percent of people called for the cancellation of the Tokyo Games and 44.8 percent of people said the games should be further postponed. This survey was conducted randomly on 715 selected households and through 1274 telephone numbers.

Aside from the Tokyo Olympics, the spread of COVID-19 is causing disruptions all over Japan. This month in January alone, Japan declared a month-long state of emergency over the pandemic, including Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama. On January 12th, the government expanded the state of emergency to Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto. Gifu and Aichi prefectures might be added in the list at the same time. Under the emergency declaration, eateries in the area have been asked to shorten opening hours while people have been urged to stay at home as much as possible by local authorities. The Japanese government has also discussed revising the special measures law which includes a punishment for businesses that refuse to comply with requests for temporary closures.

With more closures and lockdowns in place in Japan, the postponement or cancelation of the Tokyo Olympics this year seems to be imminent.

Since the beginning of October, Japan has re-opened its border to business travelers and non-citizens that reside in Japan for work or for school. Those who are allowed to enter must go into a 14-day quarantine on arrival. However, this policy should change towards the end of this month (October).

Business travelers do not have to undergo a 14-day isolation or quarantine on arrival if they submit a detailed plan to the airport quaratine office about their movements for the next two weeks, as well as information on their accomodation and workplace. Japan has already applied this policy for Singaporeans entering Japan, and plans to do the same for South Koreans from the end of October. There are a number of other countries that this new policy will soon apply to. With this new policy, Japan is expecting to boost their international business activity in the recent months to come.

Another good news for prospective tourists from around the world is that Japan is hoping to welcome all international travellers again by April 2021. Government officials revealed that they are setting up new safety measurements for oversea visitors by January of next year (2021). The COVID-19 countermeasures include a health management app and a dedicated “Fever Health Consultation Support Center”. For those who wish to visit Japan, downloading the health management app is obligatory and visitors must obtain a coronavirus-negative test certificate before their departure to Japan. Visitors whose test result is negative upon arrival will not be required to quarantine. They would just need to report their health status through the app for 14 days. In contrast, people that do test positive will be required to obtain private medical insurance and may have their health monitored.

These new measurements will likely be in place within the next few months, and Japan hopes to start the trial and lift the entry ban for foreign guests by April 2021. However, the government stated that there are currently many unresolved issues with these new measures such as assurance on correct app usage, the number of people allowed in during Olympics (in the summer of 2021) or whether limits should be applied on tourist activities in Japan. Nonetheless, these new measures are exciting news for foreigners who are looking to visit Japan again.

Japan is loosening its restrictions for inbound travelers. So who is allowed to enter Japan now?

Due to the dramatic surge of COVID-19 infection numbers, Japan has closed its border to 159 countries and regions around the world. This entry ban has proven to significantly lower the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan within the last few months.

With the surge of COVID-19 cases under control, Japan began allowing business travelers from some Asian countries (including Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore) in the last few months to visit Japan if they meet certain conditions, such as providing negative COVID-19 test results prior to entry.

Most recently, there have been reports that the Japanese government will begin to reopen its borders by loosening entry restrictions with all countries around the world starting in October. This will allow foreigners with long-term and permanent resident status who traveled outside Japan from the start of the pandemic until now to finally return to the country. Others allowed to return to Japan include foreign students who are not on government grants, those participating in medical faculty and cultural activities, along with athletes.

While there has been reports of the loosening of travel restrictions, the current situation of COVID-19 would need to be re-evaluated by the Japanese government before a final decision will be made. If the government does open its borders to all countries in October as anticipated, there will be a limit of 1000 people permitted to enter each day. Those who are permitted to travel and stay in Japan must also quarantine for two weeks before being out in the general public. Unfortunately, this new eased ban does not apply to tourists who plan to go sightseeing and will stay in Japan for less than 90 days.

Stay tuned as Japan continues to reopen its borders to travelers. Traveling to Japan is just on the horizon!

Due to the COVID pandemic, there has been a dramatic drop-off in travel this year. Hotels are among the worst hit in the tourism industry with very few international tourists and business travelers staying overnight.

Hotel New Shohei is one of the many hotels in Japan that has been vacant for the past half a year. The hotel is just a three-minute walk from Tokyo Yotsuya Station and has direct access to the city center, Shinjuku District, as well as many other popular attractions in Tokyo. Rather than let every room sit empty, the management of this hotel has made a bold decision to open up the hotel for free night stays to guests.

What’s the catch, you ask? In exchange for a free night’s stay, all guests have to do is write about their experience on social media. It does not have to be a long and glowing review as there are no requirements regarding the content or length. There are no caveats attached (other than the guest must be a solo traveler), and these guests will have the same access and privileges as paying guests. Guests can enjoy free coffee, juice and even alcoholic beverages at the lobby, or a complimentary plate of mackerel sashimi upon your request.

This free stay campaign has been a brilliant marketing and branding move for Hotel New Shohei. There has already been multiple publications promoting their free stays, including this article we’re writing now. Contact the hotel and take advantage of this offer before it’s all booked up!

Gundam (ガンダム) is iconic in Japan and regardless of whether you watch anime or not, you have likely heard the name.

If you’ve visited Odaiba in Tokyo, you may have seen the very first full-size Gundam statue (a classic RX-78-2) on Odaiba’s waterfront. The installation was made in 2009 (it was replaced by an RX-0 Unicorn Gundam statue in 2017) and has since became a popular landmark for Japanese and foreign visitors alike.

The popular Mobile Suit Gundam anime series has been around for many decades and to celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Gundam Global Challenge Project (established in 2014) decided to build another giant Gundam robot. This time, they have built a giant statue based on the series’ first generation RX-78 model.

The massive Gundam statue is currently 18 meters in height and weighs 25 tons. It is a remote-controlled animatronic with 24 degrees of freedom for movement, allowing the statue to appear more realistic. In January, Gundam Factory Yokohama announced that the first opening of this construction would be in October of this year; however, it has been postponed until further notice due to COVID-19. Although fans of the Gundam series may be disappointed about the delayed opening, project officials have promised that the site will be opened to the public this year. Aside from the moving Gundam, the Yokohama attraction will also come with shops, exhibitions and a Gundam cafe with themed food and drinks—everything related to Gundam.

If you’ve seen the giant Gundam statue in Odaiba and love seeing anime come to life, make a trip out to Yokohama next year to check this new Giant Gundam robot out!

Usually during this time of year, the Sakura Tulip Festa would be taking place at the Sakura Furusato Square in Sakura City of Chiba Prefecture (about 1.5 hours from Tokyo city center). This festival showcases nearly 800,000 colorful tulips, all circling a giant Dutch-style windmill – built to mark 400 years of friendship between Japan and the Netherlands.

Due to the entire nation being placed in a state of emergency with people urged to avoid gatherings and non-essential outings to stop the Covid-19 coronavirus from spreading, the Sakura Tulip Festa 2020 was canceled, but it didn’t stop over 400 people from visiting the ground on the afternoon of April 11th (even though the festival was called off and the parking lot was closed). With the tulips expected to reach full bloom this weekend, the city made the difficult decision to cut all 800,000 tulips in the field to stop people from visiting. While many have expressed sadness for the flowers’ sacrifice, they also praised the city’s efforts to thwart the spread of the virus should crowds gather to see the tulips in full bloom.