Hello everyone, I am back! How have you all been? Sorry for the long break, I was off for two weeks and life has been quite busy with birthday parties and private activities. Yes, I have been to Japan from October 7^th to October 23^rd, which came quite spontaneous, because originally we wanted to do beach holidays in Thailand… Sadly, my bf missed the chance and his representative rejected his vacation request so I decided to go to Japan on my own again. Yes again lol. As you guys know, I have been to Japan in April/May this year and I did not expect to go to Japan so soon again. Moreover, the flight was super expensive (almost 2’000 CHF, which was around double the price compared to last time), so I had not actually intended to go to Japan… but on the other hand, I did not wanted to “waste” 2 weeks of my holidays so I ended up buying a ticket to Tottori/Tokyo. I did not regret my decision at all, to be honest, it was one of the most peaceful holidays in Japan. The last trip there has been super stressful, but this time I took plenty of time to visit my family in Tottori and enjoyed some additional fun days in Tokyo, before I went back home to Switzerland.

In this post, I wanted to give you a quick glimpse into my journey and most importantly, I would like to give you some information about Japan’s entry requirements. Let’s start with the first question: is Japan open to tourists? YES, October 11^th 2022 will probably mark a very special day for us, Japan has finally opened its borders after three years. As most of you know, there was a travel ban for foreign tourists and as of October 7^th you could only enter Japan, if you could prove that you have booked a group tour or package tour. Individual tourists (so basically me) were still not allowed to enter, but luckily I have a Japanese passport, which was my golden ticket to Tokyo. Thanks to the booster shot (third dose of vaccination), I did not have to do a PCR test before departure (thank goodness, cause the last time was a nightmare). Last but not least, I had to download and complete the MySOS app, which was similar to my last trip. Speaking about apps, I highly recommend you to download the Customs Declaration App, so you do not have to fill in the yellow form, which you will receive from the cabin crew. This saves you a lot of time at the airport, trust me! Everything went well this time and super fast compared to my last journey, where we had to wait for our test result at the airport for about one additional hour. In the meanwhile, the entry requirements have changed again and further eased, so please check the latest regulations (link below) before you book your flight. Japan is slowly lifting their COVID measured, but you still have to wear a mask indoors.

Entry Requirements Japan: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/bordercontrol.html

Alright, now comes the most interesting part – what did I do in Japan? As I have already mentioned, I have spent a wonderful time with my relatives. I went to Conan Town and did a shopping trip to Okayama and Kurashiki with my cousine. I did a day trip to Wakasa – stay tuned for some retro and non-touristy thing that you can do in Tottori! After the family visit, of course I couldn’t leave Japan before spending some exciting days in Tokyo! Tottori is a little ‘boring’ compared to busy Tokyo, but I always enjoy the balance after a hectic time or vice versa. So as you can imagine, my program was full of themed cafés, museums and must-visit destinations. I will give you a little sneak peek below, so I stop here for now – more to come soon!