Japan Travel Advisory

Japan has been in a State of Emergency due to Covid-19 since April 16th. On Monday May 25th, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, lifted all State of Emergency calls across all 47 prefectures, with plans to reopen social and economic activities in phases.

A total of 233,399 people have been tested as of midnight, May 25, 2020 with 16,651 cases confirmed (14%).

[Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

■ Public Transportation ■
A call to refrain travelling between the prefectures will take place until the end of this month, after which it is planned to be lifted in phases. Ways of getting around the nation are expected to gradually return to normal from next month, as domestic flights and inter-prefecture trains are slowly returning back to frequency.

■ Accommodation ■
With few exceptions where they remain closed until the end of next month, most accommodations remain open or will resume operation soon with enhanced hygiene and protective measures.

■ Restaurants ■
All eateries are now entitled to open for dining-in, with still having restriction in opening hours in some of the prefectures, with appropriate protective measures taken such as having stronger ventilation and reducing the number of seats to avoid a crowded and a shut environment.

■ Sightseeing Venues ■
With few exceptions where they currently allow guests only from the same prefecture, some venues are already opened with shortened opening hours. More venues are preparing to resume their businesses from next month, however the re-opening of large theme parks such as the Tokyo Disney Resort and the Universal Studios Japan might take slightly longer.

■ Shopping ■
Shopping centers and shops are resuming their businesses with shortened opening hours. Department stores are resuming their businesses as well during the week-days, and keeping closed during the week-ends. Shops selling daily necessities remained opened.

■ Mount Fuji ■
Japan’s beloved mountain will be closed during this year’s summer climbing season to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Shizuoka prefecture, home to the country’s tallest mountain, announced on 18th May that they were closing three of the four major routes to the mountain’s peak, and the decision comes after nearby Yamanashi prefecture said it will close the Yoshida trail, the most popular hiking path among the four. The mountain huts along the four routes will remain closed as well.

Border enforcement measures (*) are in place until the last day of June at the moment, however once these measures are lifted, the Japanese government is considering giving the green light to JPY 1.35 trillion (approximately USD12.5 billion) fund to lure back foreign visitors;

https://secretnyc.co/japan-pay-half-travel-expenses-to-visit/
(*) https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html