Japan Reopens To Tourists

Above, the Saikai Bridge near Sasebo City on Kyushu. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan is finally fully open to foreign travelers.

It is hoped by the Japanese government that the influx of foreign tourists will help revive the economy and the Japanese yen. The current rate of exchange between the dollar and yen is ¥145.63.

According to CNA:

TOKYO: Japan reopened its doors to tourists on Tuesday (Oct 11) after two-and-a-half years of tough COVID-19 restrictions, with officials hoping an influx of travellers enticed by a weak yen will boost the economy.

By mid-morning, tourists from Israel, France and Britain were already pouring in.

"It's a long, long dream come true," said 69-year-old Adi Bromshtine, a retiree arriving at Tokyo's Haneda airport from Israel.

"We were planning before COVID-19 and waiting and waiting," she told AFP.

Itay Galili, a 22-year-old student also arriving from Israel, said he had been closely monitoring the news for word of the border reopening.

"As soon as I heard it's going to reopen on the 11th, I started planning. Tickets were expensive ... but no price (is) too heavy," he told AFP.

Japan slammed its borders shut early in the pandemic, at one point even barring foreign residents from returning, and has only recently begun cautiously reopening.

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