Joe and I have been fans of Japan for years. My first visit was in 1995; Joe’s in 2005. And ever since, we’ve tried to go back every 5 to 10 years.
We were planning a visit in late 2020 but, of course, Covid put the kibosh on that. Same for 2021. Seeing the writing on the wall, we didn’t even try to make plans for 2022. Instead, we’ve put Japan on the middle burner (as opposed to the back one), in favor of some other choice travels.
A couple of days ago, Japan finally ended what was viewed as some of the world’s strictest border controls to slow the spread of the virus, and reopened to the world. You have to show proof of full vaccinations and at least 1 booster (not an issue for us), or proof of a negative test taken within 72 hours of departure, but you also no longer have to be part of a tour group, quarantine upon entry, etc. The country even removed the visa requirements they’ve had since the pandemic.
But even with all that, to be honest, we’re glad we’re not going just yet. It really appears that, as isolate as Japan made itself during the recovery from the virus, they’re having just as many problems as the rest of the world in terms of tourism.
As it turns out, tourism jobs in Japan don’t offer high-paying salaries, and, just like in the U.S., many hospitality workers found better working conditions and wages in other fields over the past two years:
- Reuters reports that roughly half of the 260 shops and restaurants inside Narita Airport remain closed
- The news agency also says that, as of August, nearly 73% of hotels and inns across Japan report they’re short of workers (only 27% said as much a year ago)
- Multiple towns and companies that rely on tourism are also having a hard time getting enough workers. This has resulted in places closing early, or closing up shop entirely
To be honest, we wouldn’t mind the fact that we’d have to go back to wearing masks virtually everywhere. I mean, those are currently still the rules in Japan right now, so you follow them. But with only being able to visit the country every few years, we’re not in love with the thought of having to settle for longer queues and extended waits because there are fewer workers/places in the industry, on top of places being less available because they’re closing earlier. We’d rather wait another year (or two or three) until things settle down – places reopen (or new places open) and have more normal hours, lodging places are more fully staffed, etc.
If Japan was a place we visited annually, we’d be happy to put up with whatever shortcomings we might encounter. “It’s because of the aftermath of Covid; things’ll be better next time.” But “next time” for us might not be until 2030 or beyond. So we’d rather wait until things are more “right.”
And if, in a year or two, we see this is actually Japan’s “new normal” and not just post-Covid growing pains, we’ll take what we can get and visit, regardless. 🙂
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