Only 1,500 Foreign Tourists Visit Japan

Above, Godzilla in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan's method of reopening to foreign tourists turned out to be a dud. Only 1,500 foreign tourists showed up in the month since reopening.

The time-consuming process of getting a visa and joining an organized group tour along with having negative PCR test results are cited as the reasons.

According to NHK World:

Japan's Immigration Services Agency says only about 1,500 foreign tourists entered Japan in the month since the country re-opened to sightseers on June 10.

Japan was effectively closed to foreign tourism for over two years due to the pandemic. Last month, visitors from 98 countries and territories were allowed back in.

The agency says during the month up to July 10, around 484,000 people entered the country in total. The figure translates to 12,000 per day, or about 60 percent of the upper limit of 20,000 that had been set by the government.

Sixty percent of them were Japanese citizens, and most of the foreign nationals who entered the country were business travelers or students. Only about 1,500 of the foreign entrants came for sightseeing.

To read more, go here.