TOKYO (AP) — Eager to appreciate colorful foliage, eat sushi and shop, throngs of foreign tourists began pouring into Japan Tuesday, ending pandemic border restrictions that had been in place for more than two years.
“We learned that we can still come. We are happy,” said Nadine Lackmann, a German who was part of the crowd of tourists arriving at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
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Travelers like Lackmann are expected to supply a much-needed five trillion yen ($35 billion) condiment to the world’s third-largest economy. And the number of visitors is expected to continue to grow.
The daily limit of 50,000 arrivals is gone. Airlines have added flights in reaction to the complete reopening of borders. The visa waiver for short-term business visits and tourism from more than 60 countries returns.
David Beall, a Los Angeles-based photographer who has been to Japan 12 times, has already booked a flight, making plans to move on to Fukui, Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. The last time he was in Japan was in October 2019. But those are things Americans anticipate, like dining on tonkatsu, a dish of red meat chops popular in Japan.
“As cliché as it sounds, being back in Japan after all this time is what I look forward to the most. This, of course, includes meeting new people, eating the food I missed like a smart tonkatsu, being in nature right now. of the year, taking the trains,” he said.
As a recommendation for others planning trips, he recommends getting a Japan Rail Pass and a Suica or other prepaid card that allows cashless bills for a simple trip.
About 32 million tourists visited Japan in 2019, before COVID-19. His return is welcome for good reason. Many will have more purchasing power because the Japanese yen has lost its share price in recent months against the U. S. dollar, euro and other currencies.
The only protocols left for access are that you will need to be fully vaccinated with a booster or have a negative PCR control within 72 hours prior to departure. Virtually all visitors from the United States, the rest of Asia, Europe and South America who encounter such situations will not have to quarantine.
In August, Japan’s newest coronavirus outbreak, daily new infections nationwide surpassed 200,000. Currently, the number of cases and deaths has decreased. Last week, daily deaths averaged another 8 people nationally. elderly and medically vulnerable to vaccination.
Visitors may need to adapt to the face mask, which most Japanese wear outside their homes. Many department stores and restaurants require consumers to wear masks and sanitize their hands. Some institutions are still ending prematurely or have closed completely.
But bookings with Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways Co. , or ANA, have already quintupled since last week, while bookings for flights from Japan have doubled.
Air Canada said Canadian bookings to Japan rose 51 cents this month compared to September, while passenger numbers from Japan to Canada rose 16 cents over the same constant period.
The Japanese economy can take advantage of the influx of tourist spending.
Fitch Ratings forecasts Japan’s economy to grow at an annual rate of 1. 7% this year and 1. 3% in 2023, supported by simple credit, a recovery in service industries and a slow resolution of supply chain problems, which will boost production and exports.
Japan had necessarily closed its borders to hikers, but began allowing tour packages in June. Many other people have chosen to wait for a person of indefinite duration before booking their tickets.
With nervousness waning over the threat of infections, Japanese are also on the rise, encouraged through discounts introduced through airlines, bullet trains, onsen spas and hotels to revive the suffering industry.
Although Japan offers attractions, from the ski slopes of northern Hokkaido to the semi-tropical beaches of the Okinawa Islands in the south, experts say those months are the most productive to enjoy what Japan has to offer.
The mountains are colorful with bright autumn foliage; the climate is temperate, icy, suffocating or humid; Seafood, grapes, chestnuts and other culinary delights are new and plentiful.
“Now we are all in a position to welcome other people from abroad,” said Shuso Imada, general manager of Japan’s Sake and Shochu Information Center.
Its task is to promote sake, rice wine and shochu liqueur made from barley, potatoes or vegetables, both at home and abroad.
“Autumn is the season to enjoy Japanese cuisine with sake and shochu,” he said.
That’s why Javier Pérez Toledo waited more than a year for his honeymoon.
“We are passionate about the country,” he said when he arrived from Spain. “We’re so glad we were able to come. “
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Associated Press video reporter Haruka Nuga contributed to the report.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter in https://twitter. com/yurikageyama
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