Self-guided tours in Japan? - Sept 7th - Manage your expectations!

Prime Minister Kishida made a big announcement on August 24, 2022 that Japan will no longer require inbound tourists to join a group package tour. The Japanese government's original June 10th group package tour strategy failed as only 8,000 foreign tourists total came in the two months of June and July. The Prime Minister has also changed the number of daily entries into Japan from 20,000 to 50,000 per day which at this point does not really matter since there are so few tourists coming into Japan. Nothing is clear yet, but it sounds like foreign tourists will be able to come on "self-guided" tours that are planned with Japanese tour agencies. Foreign tourists will still have to apply for a tourist visa at their Japanese consulate or embassy. How much different is this new September 7th Self-guided package "light" tour strategy compared to the June 10th group package tour plan? In this video, Mike shares his take on what he thinks about the new tourist entry plan.

Sources: NHK evening news, Japan Times, Japan Today, Nikkei Asia, Mainichi Shimbun.

Other videos of interest:
"Breaking News from Japan! - September 7th, BUT...

"I know why Japan is still closed!"

100,000 Foreign Visitors to Japan in July??? (WTF!)

Where are the group package tours in Japan?

What happened to the Foreign Group Tourists' entry into Japan? (started June 10, 2022)

[fufu]

By the time Japan fully open, a lot of people already used their Japan travel money to travel to other less restricted countries.

[ubud]

Thank you for being the ONLY YouTube about Japan who was direct. Others gave info that is not correct & lets people new to visiting Japan thinking they can make reservations & enter. The visa still needed, Smartphone with SOS app, medical insurance & most of all the travel agent being your sponsor and MUST contact every day as to where you are, temperature etc. I truly appreciate your honesty! Thank you.

[oliviawong]

Will not considered until they drop this travel agency thing.

[ChristopherCricketWallace]

don't travel until the rules are the same for their people and yours. If they can come to your country you should be able to go to theirs under the same terms. fair is fair.

[accesser]

I'll keep looking back fondly at my 2019 photos, I had a great time exploring
When/if they truly open I'll go again

[davidjohnston]

I won't be back until I can get on a plane and plan my own travel. The last time we visited, we planned everything ourselves and managed to have a good time getting outside the big cities and seeing the more rural side of Japan. It was a lot of fun.

[kuna]

I'll return when all restrictions are lifted.

[sisterblissuk]

Japanese citizens can travel too and from Japan at ease, but the rest of the world still has to jump hoops to visit Japan.Great isn't it !☹️ I am glad things are moving and changing weekly, but is it enough?! Thank you for keeping us updated 😊

[mejulesyap]

Thanks for the update and explanation! I'm putting my hopes for a Japan visit in 2023 instead.

[travel]

Thank you for this very detailed and informative video.

[JasonB]

Still need to get travel package from Travel Agency. This means that you have to chose a package that the travel agency offers. Let’s say you want to do a tour of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe. You have to purchase a package that has those locations included, which may also include other locations that you are forced to go to wether you want to or not. Usually there is a theme for the package like Autumn sight seeing. The package will have flights, hotels, and sightseeing itinerary set up. A guide is optional. I believe this was always the case but that was lost in the Japanese Official communications to travel agencies and media outlets. I think they believed that foreigners would rather have tour guides as these mainly super old dudes would rather use a guid themselves if they traveled abroad. They totally overlook the fact that before pandemic and before border lock downs. Foreign travelers even from western countries were traveling alone with no guide and no plan. I think the real thing that changed was no PCR test for triple vaccinated travelers. Everything else is exactly the same. The real reason why Japan forces the use of tour packages is because Japanese tour companies have suffered major losses the past couple of years so the old fogey politicians thought that they could force tourists to travel by tour package and that would help the tour companies. This decision is made because Japan us run by people who look like the Crypt Keeper (a famous living dead character in US from the 90’s). They don’t understand that this is the internet age and more and more people book travel via online sources.

The plan will fall flat on its face again. South Korea is open. People wanting to travel to Japan will go to South Korea instead.

[cwfqayin]

Sakoku mindset is what makes me worry about future of Japan especially the youth. You know what I mean, right?

[himawari]

I also think that only people who have got an emotional connection like friends... etc. in Japan or having lived there in the past are ready to go under these circumstances at all. However exactly those people do NOT WANT to go via a travel agency.

[peterdegennaro]

You nailed it in your previous video and this one too. It all comes down to the healthcare system which seems it MAY be headed in the right direction. Fingers crossed as this border situation is ridiculous and unnecessary.

[arcane]

Realistically, I think the “enforcement” policy will have to be “don’t ask, don’t tell” because there’s no way that the travel agencies have enough personnel to follow and manage everyone closely if this really takes off. More likely this is Kishida trying to both open up and say “see, we still have control!” to all of those in the country who are skeptical about opening.

[eltan]

very interesting on the history sharing! Loved it!

[HaiTomVlog]

I don’t think the “self-guided” tours will be any more popular than the guided tours were/are. But I really hope the bed count that Kishida said will become a reality asap.

[naturalflow]

My dear soul and friend, this is truly astonishing. What an incredible journey you allowed us to take on, and we truly appreciate it. I find myself struggling lately with anxiety and stress due to being overworked, or mainly I am doing it to myself. No boundaries and hard time to say no. That's all that brings this negativity, but I have been working really hard to gain back control, and not be a slave to these feelings and mindset any more. Your videos have been a true help and peaceful place to regain energy and feel empowered. Thank you so much and wishing you all the best :)

[CAsaidit]

Though I’d love to go and see my relatives again I just can’t be bothered with all of these rules and steps.

[alfoncesmithe]

Brilliant Mike as always, so informative & Helpful. I want to be independent on my travels & have been to Japan twice before covid & I spent two years studying japan so I new how to get around when I arrived all my research payed off. I need to be free to go where I want & when. I don't need a tour guide I know how to get around Japan it's not rocket science there must be thousands of people like me wanting to come to japan. It looks to me like the government keeps "moving the goal post", if you know what I mean. I'm all set to travel to Japan just need a GREEN LIGHT Arigatozaimashita.