Re-entering Japan with the New Regulations
Since the appearance of the new covid-19, Japan has had a very strict border policy, remaining closed to the world. As surely many of you already know during the first months, foreigners residing in Japan who had left or were leaving, weren’t allowed to re-enter. This changed some months ago and now foreigners with residence permits are allowed to enter Japan. However, both foreigners and nationals entering Japan must follow a fairly strict process and rules, especially from late March-early April.
Many of you may have already heard about this process. But knowing vaguely what to do (PCR test, staying in a hotel, etc) and experiencing it are two different things. So here I would like to explain how I experienced that process myself, in case it can help other foreigners who are going to go through the same process shortly. I know perfectly well the nervousness that one feels while not knowing very well how things will go. So I think that reading the experience of a person who has already experienced it can help calm those nerves.
Two questions are often repeated every time I explain the process I have gone through to return to Japan, so I think it’s better to clarify it before starting.
The first question is regarding the vaccination passport. As of today, Japan doesn’t accept the vaccination passport of any country (there are a few exceptions, about 7-8 countries but not yet). Being vaccinated will not free you from doing the whole process that I will explain below. I had the two jabs of the vaccine and it was two weeks since the second jab, but that didn’t matter.
The second is, who bears the costs of the hotel and the food and everything derived from it? Well, the good part about Japan is that although the process can be long and tedious, you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket. Everything is covered.
After clarifying these two questions, let’s begin with the explanation of my first-hand experience re-entering Japan.
See Article on Japan Web Magazine
Changes in Quarantine Requirements in Japan: How to reduced your quarantine period
Proof of negative test for reduced quarantine period
During the Olympics and Paralympic games, COVID-19 cases in Japan spiked for a while. However, now that cases are decreasing and things seem to be stabilizing, the Japanese government has decided to loosen the strict border measures.
The Japanese government has made two announcements in this past week regarding border measures for people entering the country.
In short, the new required quarantine time in the facility designated by the Japanese authorities is now of 3 days for people traveling from countries that are on the “risk list”. Also, if you have proof that you have been fully vaccinated, your self-quarantine time can be shortened.