Tokyo, Japan

[LEppedio]

We are going on a cruise that ends in Tokyo.  We wanted to stay in Tokyo for three days after disembarkation to sightsee on our own.  I read somewhere that you can not stay in the country, even with the correct visa, unless you are on a scheduled tour with a guide.  Is this true?  If so what tour did you take?  Any advice you can give me will be appreciated.

[BruceMuzz]

Current rules and regulations for foreigners to enter Japan are changing very rapidly right now. As of today, foreign flag cruise ships are not even allowed to enter Japan.

But all that may be changing very soon.

Japanese Immigration is expected to make announcements in the next week or so.

[floridatravelersforlife]

8 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

Current rules and regulations for foreigners to enter Japan are changing very rapidly right now. As of today, foreign flag cruise ships are not even allowed to enter Japan.

But all that may be changing very soon.

Japanese Immigration is expected to make announcements in the next week or so.

I'm crossing my fingers. Please keep us informed

[DCGuy64]

On 9/16/2022 at 7:38 AM, floridatravelersforlife said:

I'm crossing my fingers. Please keep us informed

https://www.traveloffpath.com/japan-reopening-for-normal-tourism-october-11/

[no fuss travel]

If you are in Tokyo late March, early April the blossoms are beautiful.  They light them up at night.  Watch where the locals go to eat.  More reasonable than the hotels.  the ramen is delicious.  The 100 Yen store is worth a visit.  Like our dollar stores but better.  Buy a pass for the subway   Easy way to get around.  Lots of fascinating sites.  The Imperial Palace is worth a visit

[WESTEAST]

On 10/21/2022 at 9:05 PM, no fuss travel said:

If you are in Tokyo late March, early April the blossoms are beautiful.  They light them up at night.  Watch where the locals go to eat.  More reasonable than the hotels.  the ramen is delicious.  The 100 Yen store is worth a visit.  Like our dollar stores but better.  Buy a pass for the subway   Easy way to get around.  Lots of fascinating sites.  The Imperial Palace is worth a visit

We will be in Tokyo in early April and look forward to viewing the blossoms.  We are interested in a one to two day tour in Tokyo prior to boarding the cruise. Do you have any recommendations?

[no fuss travel]

7 hours ago, WESTEAST said:

We will be in Tokyo in early April and look forward to viewing the blossoms.  We are interested in a one to two day tour in Tokyo prior to boarding the cruise. Do you have any recommendations?

We wandered around on our own.  In Tokyo you will find most of the locals quite helpful and there are excellent maps to follow.  We stayed in a hotel near the Imperial Palace and there was a tremendous amount of blossoms in that area.  I have found the guru walking tours to be excellent.  I have used them in many cities and have enjoyed them all.  You tip at the end what you think the tour was worth to you.  Each guide has to pay $10 USD/couple  to the booking agent and the remainder of your tip stays with them.

[mamaclark]

On 10/23/2022 at 4:08 PM, WESTEAST said:

We will be in Tokyo in early April and look forward to viewing the blossoms.  We are interested in a one to two day tour in Tokyo prior to boarding the cruise. Do you have any recommendations?

As I understand where things stand today, cruise ships are still not allowed to dock in Japan. Can someone help me out?

[BruceMuzz]

43 minutes ago, mamaclark said:

As I understand where things stand today, cruise ships are still not allowed to dock in Japan. Can someone help me out?

FOREIGN FLAG cruise ships are still not approved to visit Japan.

Domestic Japanese cruise ships are operating in Japan as normal.

Japanese Ferries - some of which are nicer than foreign cruise ships - are also operating normally

[WESTEAST]

2 hours ago, mamaclark said:

As I understand where things stand today, cruise ships are still not allowed to dock in Japan. Can someone help me out?

Our cruise is in 2024 so there is plenty of time. It is our third try and hope we are lucky this time.

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by WESTEAST

[WESTEAST]

20 hours ago, no fuss travel said:

We wandered around on our own.  In Tokyo you will find most of the locals quite helpful and there are excellent maps to follow.  We stayed in a hotel near the Imperial Palace and there was a tremendous amount of blossoms in that area.  I have found the guru walking tours to be excellent.  I have used them in many cities and have enjoyed them all.  You tip at the end what you think the tour was worth to you.  Each guide has to pay $10 USD/couple  to the booking agent and the remainder of your tip stays with them.

Thank you for the Guru Walk tours recommendation. Will look into what they offer for Tokyo. 

[Bobbiegentry]

On 10/24/2022 at 3:06 PM, BruceMuzz said:

FOREIGN FLAG cruise ships are still not approved to visit Japan.

Domestic Japanese cruise ships are operating in Japan as normal.

Japanese Ferries - some of which are nicer than foreign cruise ships - are also operating normally

The Diamond Princess (UK flagged) will arrive in Yokohama on March 10, 2023. 

[USN59-79]

1 hour ago, Bobbiegentry said:

The Diamond Princess (UK flagged) will arrive in Yokohama on March 10, 2023. 

It is good to have positive thoughts.  However, has that arrival been approved by the Japanese government?

[Bobbiegentry]

5 hours ago, USN59-79 said:

It is good to have positive thoughts.  However, has that arrival been approved by the Japanese government?

What a great question for Princess Cruise lines!!

Along with a ship full of others, we’ve already made final payment. 

[USN59-79]

I have booked the Westerdam for 42 days starting in Yokohama on 27 March 2023.  However, final payment is not due til 24 December.  If the Japanese government has not changed its prohibition on foreign flag cruise ships as noted by @BruceMuzz in #9 of this thread, I will cancel my cruise a day or two before 24 December.

[BruceMuzz]

It is always a good idea to have positive thoughts.

Japan has been open to foreigners for just 2 weeks.

Many of them refuse to wear masks.

Quite a few have been diagnosed with COVID and sent home.

Time will tell if the Japanese Government is willing to put up with this in order to get those Tourist Dollars.

Foreign Cruise ships are another animal entirely. They generate very little tourist income, compared to the  air and land arrivals. The Government has little incentive to quickly let them back into Japan.

Japanese Domestic Cruise Lines are pushing to keep them out as long as possible.

[Bobbiegentry]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:42 AM, BruceMuzz said:

It is always a good idea to have positive thoughts.

Japan has been open to foreigners for just 2 weeks.

Many of them refuse to wear masks.

Quite a few have been diagnosed with COVID and sent home.

Time will tell if the Japanese Government is willing to put up with this in order to get those Tourist Dollars.

Foreign Cruise ships are another animal entirely. They generate very little tourist income, compared to the  air and land arrivals. The Government has little incentive to quickly let them back into Japan.

Japanese Domestic Cruise Lines are pushing to keep them out as long as possible.

Interesting point of view. 

Especially interesting is the observation that we cruise pax generate little to contribute the local economy. 

In our case, we are planning on spending 14 days in country after our cruise arrives in Yokohama before flying back to DFW. The first 7 days will be at the Hilton Tokyo with the remainder split between Hiroshima and Kyoto. There will also be a lot of Shinkansen travel. 

 

Also, is anyone surprised that the domestic cruise industry is eager to keep competition at bay for as long as possible?

Economics 101. 

[BruceMuzz]

In the nearly 30 days since Japan opened up to foreign visitors, the COVID infection numbers have sky-rocketed. The Japanese Government wants the tourist dollars, but the Japanese public does not want the high infection rates.

Since all Japanese wear masks always, it is very apparent when the American tourists (who speak very loudly always) are not wearing masks.

This is causing a lot of drama in Japan. The public is pushing to close the borders again.

[mamaclark]

7 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

In the nearly 30 days since Japan opened up to foreign visitors, the COVID infection numbers have sky-rocketed. The Japanese Government wants the tourist dollars, but the Japanese public does not want the high infection rates.

Since all Japanese wear masks always, it is very apparent when the American tourists (who speak very loudly always) are not wearing masks.

This is causing a lot of drama in Japan. The public is pushing to close the borders again.

Thank you, BruceMuzz. I have been emailing my Oceania travel expert for 3 weeks with  no response. Done.

Edited November 7, 2022 by mamaclark

[DCGuy64]

Japan is open to cruisers now.

[floridatravelersforlife]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Japan is open to cruisers now.

According to what Japanese govt document please?  I'm looking to put 5 figures on a trip and I would like to have assurance this is not wishful thinking.  I'm also concerned the Government will reverse its direction if Covid from China and the Western Hemisphere countries start infecting Japan.  I know the Japanese citizens are still sensitive to the Princess Cruise debacle in March 2020

[DCGuy64]

57 minutes ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

According to what Japanese govt document please?  I'm looking to put 5 figures on a trip and I would like to have assurance this is not wishful thinking.  I'm also concerned the Government will reverse its direction if Covid from China and the Western Hemisphere countries start infecting Japan.  I know the Japanese citizens are still sensitive to the Princess Cruise debacle in March 2020

I could be a smarty pants and ask you to Google it, but there's a thread in this forum already that I'll find and post here. It is very much true. And my wife and I just paid for our 5-figure cruise for April 2023 to Japan, so I *do* have skin in the game. 😉 

 

[DCGuy64]

Here's the thread: 

 

 

[BruceMuzz]

9 hours ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

According to what Japanese govt document please?  I'm looking to put 5 figures on a trip and I would like to have assurance this is not wishful thinking.  I'm also concerned the Government will reverse its direction if Covid from China and the Western Hemisphere countries start infecting Japan.  I know the Japanese citizens are still sensitive to the Princess Cruise debacle in March 2020

Rest assured that the Japanese Government has announced that foreign cruise ships have already been approved to visit Japan as early as this month. We do not expect to see many of those ships in Japan until the cruising season starts in March.

You are also correct in that the huge influx of Western tourists these past 2 months has resulted in much higher COVID numbers in Japan. Although the Japanese wear masks religiously, and take extreme precautions, the foreign visitors are not so careful. Many refuse to wear masks, sanitize hands, and have their temperature taken.
Your biggest concern might be the precautions that some cruise lines will be taking for sailing in Japan. The Japanese government has already announced that any foreign cruise ship experiencing 10%+ infection rate on any cruise will be forced to leave Japan.

Many mass market cruises in other parts of the world are currently experiencing infection rates much higher than 10%.

Some of the cruise line companies planning to visit Japan in the Spring will require negative PCR tests before boarding, masks worn onboard and ashore, and mid-cruise COVID testing onboard, in an attempt to avoid exceeding 10% and being kicked out of Japan.

Having to move a Japan cruise to Taiwan or Korea would be a logistical, financial, and PR nightmare for the cruise companies.

[floridatravelersforlife]

22 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I could be a smarty pants and ask you to Google it, but there's a thread in this forum already that I'll find and post here. It is very much true. And my wife and I just paid for our 5-figure cruise for April 2023 to Japan, so I *do* have skin in the game. 😉 

 

I just don't want to get rerouted at the last minute, on an alternate route that goes to other Asian countries, in which I have no interest.  Right now we are booked on an October 23 sailing,  which we feel has enough lead time to have things sort out.