Can I Go to Japan Yet? | Hacker News Reader

Can I Go to Japan Yet?

canigotojapan.com

64 pointsthgil32 comments

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!

I'm not going to Japan anytime soon but I was pleasantly surprised by how the site delivered 100% on what it promised. No more no less. Beautiful.

Cheers!

Really happy to hear that! Thanks a lot :)

I read this comment, expecting the site to simply be a large "NO"

I was very disappointed to see that there are articles, covid stats, and whatnot linked

This is great man. I’m traveling right now and looking for destinations. Do you have any in mind that are accepting tourists?

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.

I would go to Nepal for sure

Any part of the world in mind?

It is not near Japan but... Portugal is a really nice place (you do need a negative test before you go though).

Anywhere in the world

I'm in Thailand right now, they just suspended the Test&Go scheme, but they still have some "sandbox" destinations. Still accepting tourists.

Bali and Fiji IIRC tho Fiji just had cyclone

I stumbled on this kayak "where can I travel?" map a few months back and it's been handy as a starting point: https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

I personally always double-check another source before booking anything to be safe (e.g. government site), but it's nice to have it all in one place.

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!

The regulations might depend on your country/situation: https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html

(But 'no' is pretty good summary right now.)

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.

ha! this is awesome, I've also been checking daily. I really wanted to go around April this year, but it's looking unlikely so far. Thanks!

PewDiePie recently brought this issue to mainstream in a video of his, since he's been waiting 2 years to go there.

I always wanted to visit Japan…:(

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.

> If you have a driver's license

Nop. But that would have been a solution I guess.

Depending on when and where, if you arrive after ~mid-feb I might be able to have you picked up. Contact in bio.

Thanks for the kind offer! I got it sorted out yesterday but it's really nice to give a hand to a stranger.

Weird, I took a taxi from Osaka KIX to Kyoto all the time and the cost was like 30-40 USD. Maybe the price has gone up.

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.

30-40 USD sounds incredibly cheap. I would expect a trip from one end of Kyoto to another to cost that much or close already.

I've made the trip about a dozen times. MK SkyGate Shuttle (formerly Yasaka)

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.

Last I checked (November), in some countries, including the US, the doctors signature is not required.

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.

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