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

An article just came out on the Japan Today website (8/18/22) that said "Over 100,000 foreign visitors came to Japan in July for the 4th month in a row." I am sorry, but their title is actually misleading and in this video, I explain the facts of exactly how many foreign visitors/tourists/travelers actually came to Japan on a group package tour for sightseeing on a tourist visa in June and July 2022. I also share a thought about the popularity of group package tours among Japanese wherever they travel to. In the second part of the video, there are edited news clips from August 10, 2022, which was the two-month anniversary of the reopening of Japan to group package tours that will update you on the tourism situation happening now in Japan. Lastly, I show a cell phone video from NHK Ohaiyo Japan which gives a quick breakdown of the reasons that foreign visitors and tourists are not coming to Japan.

Sources: NHK evening news, Ohaiyo Japan morning show, NHK World

Other videos of interest:

Breaking News in Japan! September 7th? (Opening up Japan?)

Where are the group package tours in Japan?

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

[chriswilson]

its a crazy situation where japanese tourists can travel anywhere in the world i live in york england we get many japanese come to visit and i welcome this but it seems so unfair that we can not come to japan with the same freedom

[xander]

Every time I hear about the Japan travel situation it makes me so frustrated. I honestly don’t see myself returning to Japan for at least another year, which is a true shame.

[DaSktaNeo]

Thank you for your update, Mike! Beeing an unwanted tourist is surely frustrating, but it is incredibly sad to see how the japanese people working in the tourist industry suffer and not be given any information or perspective by their government! 😒

[alanmats]

Thanks Mike I feel like your the only one doing the research while other YouTubers aren’t doing it; very informative!

[mejulesyap]

Hello from Malaysia and thank you for all the updates! I'm pretty frustrated at the very slow progress in this matter. I was supposed to go hiking in Japan in September with my Japanese friends, and it looks like it will only happen next year. We thought Japan would be open to individual tourist by now. I'm still hopeful that I can make it for the Sapporo Snow Festival next year.

[dangeorge]

Those guidelines at 8:32 read more like parole conditions.

[mariscaldelismo]

I am from Spain, and this summer I have seen many Japanese tourists in the streets enjoying their time. Japan agreed to be part of the Visa Waiver Program. If they are not going to honor their agreement, that's fine, it's their country. But as long as they have their visa policy in place, the Japanese should be absolutely prohibited from entering the EU without first applying for and obtaining a visa. Nothing else to say.

[luckyguy]

I'm Japanese American and I HATE group tours. Not because of the price or even the schedule - it is because I I can't stand being with a bunch of other Americans who just complain about everything and are usually always inappropriate. I don't want to be viewed as part of that kind of group.

[sblong]

I’m so happy to have come across your Chanel. I was one the millions of tourists who visited this amazing country in 2019.
My experience was so pleasant that I decided to go back for an extended period of time the next year but that was when COVID hit unfortunately. However, I prefer to exercise patience and wait for things to be normal again. See you soon Japan !

[warren]

Thanks for the update. Unfortunately the travel requirements are to difficult and strict to be enticing for most travelers. Hopefully the restrictions will be lifted soon.

[salva_]

I've been to Japan eight times and do NOT need to be guided around especially since I know where I want to go and how to get there. The one benefit for me is that this has encouraged me to book tours to other countries in South and North East Asia. I won't be waiting for Japan to open up.

[purberri]

I really like your videos you provide a different perspective and explanation that most other YouTubers don’t discuss.

[randolph]

Arigato Mike for the update. I am hopeful for open tourism to open up soon, I honestly didn’t think it would take so long for japan to open up. Looking forward to your next update. 🙏

[mandrow]

Thank you for the uldates Mike. I appreciate it. Take care.

[mothrajp]

This is really frustrating. I'm a Japanese who naturalized in Germany. Since Germany and Japan don't permit double citizenship, I lost my Japanese status therefore I have same difficulty to enter to Japan as other foreign nations. I probably could apply for visa to visit my family but my same sex partner might be rejected since Japan do not recognize same sex marriage. What angers me the most is that Japanese can freely travel abroad but not vise versa. It is really a shame.

[sophiaatkins]

Thank you for the update! I’m from TX, USA and I’ve been planning on going back to Japan since 2020 but i’ve been putting it on hold. I’ll probably go back when it’s open to independent tourists. It’s such a shame that people opted to go to the neighboring Asian countries that are open.

[horu]

Mike san! Thank you for your real info.
I read a lot of news about japan but not much about the restriccions and the real details.

[vietus]

100, 000 Foreign Visitors to Japan in July??? Interesting and engaging video. I support your video. Watched the video Watched the video on Aug 21, 2022 very like. Thank you so much

[Cynim]

Let me tell one one thing: I'm from Switzerland and I've been to Japan 7 times, including a student exchange semester for my Master's project for about 7 months at Kyoto University. I have an okay level of Japanese and have a couple of Japanese friends who live near Osaka.
There is absolutely no way that I will go back to Japan through a package tour...!
The weak yen (that's even weaker against the Swiss Franc, by the way!) makes it even more frustrating...!

[chrisb]

Good info thanks. I haven’t been to Japan, but will come soon… as soon as it gets rid of the package tour requirements. I think you are right on with the cultural difference with tour vs self directed touring. Since I was young we’ve always scoffed at package tours anywhere from Asia to Europe. Wanting to explore on our own terms is important.