Just a fun little site I made while waiting and checking the status of corona in Japan. I hope to keep it updated since I am checking the news and looking at the numbers daily anyway! Thanks for checking it out!
Not OP, but my brother has just gotten back from Nepal. He reported back that it was a very pleasant trip and very quiet right now however they are needing tourism.
This is too funny. Over lockdown I made https://isjapanopen.com/ so a group of friends could easily check if our cheap Japan tickets were worth anything yet.
Glad to have another HNer validate the project idea!
I spent a week or two in Japan every month for 12 years. I have not been there for 2 years now and miss it terribly. It is such an amazingly unique place.
With about 80% of the population being fully vaccinated, the issue is more mentally than anything else.
If Japan won't accept the fact that this is as good as it gets, then a logical consequence will be more or less random lockdowns and restrictions for the next many years.
The sane way is to accept the virus, remove any and all restrictions and let people get on with their lives.
flying into Haneda from Honolulu End of April with my family on a round the world trip.
We doubt that we will be let into the country (all fully vaxxed but our 2yr old..)
Just stay in transit and fly on to Singapore. fingers crossed the Omicron wave is over by then and they let us in.
It's possible to enter Japan if you're Japanese or resident. The 3/6/10 days forced hotel quarantine is a PITA but the worst is that using public transportation is forbidden so one has either to pay huge amount of money to move with a private transportation (a friend paid 250 USD for a Osaka-Kyoto ride) or organize with a friend. I'm still in the organizing phase...
If you have a driver's license, doing a one-way rental from one of the offices a the airport and dropping it off near your destination may be your best bet if you don't have anyone to pick you up. The big ones like Hertz have offices for drop-off even in the sticks. Just make sure to reserve it ahead of time so you know they'll be available when you arrive.
Other PITA: the PCR test before boarding the flight to Japan. Which has to be within 48 or 72 hours of departure and a specific form filled by a doctor about what type of test, the result, etc.
Ah yes, the specific form. Frankly given than in France test are valid only 24 hours for the "fuck your freedom pass" the 72 hours validity feels a long time and making an additional paper filled wasn't too much annoying. The highest ranking personal in the laboratory (not a doctor) signed and that was ok. I guess Japanese car more about the seal part.
Normal taxi is forbidden. I've heard of someone's friend having to pay 30 man (yes, more than 3 times the plane ticket) to go from airport to home in a remote prefecture because of that countermeasure.