Is Japan open to travelers? It’s where Singaporeans want to travel

Some 49% of Singaporeans say they are contemplating Japan for their up coming holiday overseas, according to the market place analysis agency YouGov.

Fascination may be even greater amongst young citizens. Some 68% of Singaporeans aged 16 to 24 decades previous indicated they are thinking of Japan for their “up coming holiday vacation,” in contrast to 37% of all those aged 55 and older, according to investigation published in May perhaps.

Japan was the top selection among survey respondents by a excellent margin, with the next choice, Taiwan, garnering fascination from 39% of those surveyed. Some 26% indicated curiosity in vacationing in Malaysia, according to the benefits, but this may have been impacted by the survey problem, which specially requested about travel strategies “by air.”

Even now, Wanping Aw, CEO of the Tokyo-dependent journey company Tokudaw claimed her organization saw a substantial uptick in small business soon after Japan reopened its borders in June — with 50% of enquires and bookings coming from Singapore, she mentioned.

Japan has always been a common spot with Singaporeans, said Aw, especially amid those people who want a adjust of seasons.

Spring and wintertime are the two “peak seasons” for travelers from Singapore, she said: “They like cherry blossoms and snow a lot.”

Singaporean trader Alex Ng stated he is arranging a vacation to Japan this autumn.

A self-described “Japanophile,” Ng claimed the nation strikes the “sweet location” amongst the common and the unfamiliar.

He claimed Japan’s protection, cleanliness and professionalism are like that of Singapore, as is the culture’s adherence to social procedures for the collective good.

“The trains are not going on strike whilst you are rushing again from a day trip,” he said.  “We sense at ease functioning in that structure. It is common to how we stay in this article, likely why most Singaporeans like Switzerland much too.”

The meals is also familiar — rice-primarily based with components like fish, pork and tofu — but it “branches off from there in a myriad of fascinating directions.”

He reported he also appreciates the religious differences in between the two countries.

“We’re fortuitous to have a vary of religions in this article in Singapore,” he said. But “Shintoism, which informs substantially of Japanese daily life and lifestyle — primarily their architecture, aesthetics, cultivation and maintenance of pure spaces — is relatively various from what we grew up all-around.”

And the cherry blossoms? “Hundreds of many years ended up used cultivating tens of hundreds of cherry blossom trees … for a several months of lively festivities just about every year.”

“I have but to tire of the spectacle,” he mentioned.

Singapore is just one of far more than 100 international locations and territories marked “blue” in Japan’s color-coded entrance classification process.

Vacationers from those people areas are not demanded to just take a Covid-19 take a look at or quarantine on arrival, or be vaccinated to enter. Visas and pre-flight Covid-19 PCR tests are needed even though, in accordance to the site for the Embassy of Japan in Singapore.

But the needs over and above this have left numerous travelers bewildered, explained Aw.

This is primarily true of the rule enabling visitors to enter “only when a journey company between other individuals organizing the excursion serves as the obtaining firm of the entrants,” as stated by Japan’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs.

Internet sites like these use “language that talks in loops,” claimed Aw.

“And this misunderstanding is escalated with the simple fact that the Japanese embassies are working with the term — package tour,” she stated. This conjures up images of “30 to 40 strangers in a large bus, likely on a fastened route with a pre-mounted itinerary.”

But this is not correct, she reported.

A person person can reserve a “package deal tour,” she said, introducing that she’s arranged 3 solo travel bookings — which include 1 from Singapore — considering the fact that Japan’s borders opened in June.

The expression “pre-mounted itinerary” is also befuddling possible vacationers.

“Absolutely everyone looks to have the perception that they have to repair their itinerary down to the hour or moment … that it is difficult to appear up with,” she mentioned. “But it is not as difficult as it seems.”

A different issue — “every person is puzzled and pressured about the visa application procedure,” she mentioned.

To use for a tourist visa, vacationers need to have to system an itinerary and e book their flights and lodging in advance of she can course of action their “ERFS certificates,” she reported, referencing an approval doc that readers need before they can use for their visas.

Only Japanese companies can implement for the certificate, even so vacationers can perform through tour companies in their residence nations, who in change function with their neighborhood partners in Japan, she stated.

The moment an ERFS certification is received, vacationers can apply for their visas, said Aw.

In addition to performing with an company, worldwide tourists ought to also journey with a chaperone “at all instances,” claimed Aw.

Company must pay back for the chaperone, who is an staff of the travel company, claimed Aw. But on the upside, chaperones can assist with matters like cafe reservations and train schedules to make visits operate smoother, she said.

A chaperoned trip just isn’t a deal-breaker for Ng, nor are the rest of Japan’s vacation procedures, he explained. Nevertheless he stated he would probably travel to Japan extra often if the procedures were being significantly less cumbersome.

For now, Ng mentioned he is optimistic.

“You can find a great chance that Japan relaxes restrictions even more before long, supplied that elections are now over,” he claimed.