The rickshaw men in Tokyo are adding English-speaking staff, a sure sign Japan is bracing for a return of tourists from abroad.
"I'm thinking that maybe, just as before COVID, my shop, the city of Asakusa and everyone's hearts can flourish again. I can't wait." Visitors have to abide by guidelines requiring travellers to have a special co-ordinator, stay on specific routes and abide by rules like wearing masks and regularly using disinfectant.
Visas are required for nearly everyone, even those from countries that normally would have visa-free entry. And they're available only to travellers from 98 so-called "blue" countries, including the U.S., who are deemed to pose a minimal health risk and can enter without a quarantine if they show proof they tested negative for COVID within 72 hours of their departures.
Japan, a crowded island nation, is wary about outside risks and infectious diseases. After about two years of seeing very few tourists, Japanese have some adjusting to do, Otomo and others said."I would love to have tourists from abroad come, as long as everyone, including myself, abides by the rules, like wearing masks and keeping sanitary standards," said Minaho Iwase, who was visiting Tokyo from Aichi, central Japan, recently.
Japan is a favourite destination, despite its not "opening up 100%," said Nuttavut Mitsumoto, the guide for the group, Thai travel agency Compax World's first to Japan since it relaxed its entry rules.
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