Japan Reopens to UK Tourists on Limited Basis

Japan will reopen to UK tourists on a limited basis beginning Friday (10th June).

According to the Japanese Tourism Agency (JTA), tourists from 98 countries, including the United Kingdom, will be permitted to enter Japan on fully escorted group tours with set itineraries operated by licensed Japanese tour operators. It brings an end to a nearly three-year-long ban.

There will be no quarantine or testing in Japan, but all visitors must show proof of a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure and adequate Covid-19 medical insurance.

“This is the first major step towards opening borders to tourism again,” said InsideJapan co-founder and director Simon King.

“InsideJapan is one of the few British tour operators with full JTA membership and registered travel agency status in Japan, which means that we are in a position to restart our small group tours programme again, which is excellent news.”

King added that the operator needed time to restart tours, so a selection would be available “from July onwards.” These will include the HyperJapan J-pop & Go! 10-night festival. tour, as well as the 13-night Japan Unmasked tours already planned for July. It will also continue to operate its high-end fully escorted Exclusive Private Journeys.

Wendy Wu Tours is another brand that has been allowed to reopen. Wendy Wu, the company’s founder, stated: “This is fantastic news for the travel industry and for everyone that has had to delay and defer their Japan travel plans over the last three years.”

She stated that demand for 2023 tours to the spring cherry blossom festival and autumn foliage colors was so high that extra capacity for 2023 and 2024 was added, “which is selling out as soon as it goes on sale.”