Japan Travel in Covid Times: Hotels and Sightseeing

Last updated 29 January 2021, 09:00 GMT

While international tourism is not currently possible, we can start to get a clearer picture of what future travel will look like in Japan by looking at the country's rebounding domestic tourism. We're also in close contact with our suppliers, colleagues, and friends who are keeping us updated from around the country, from the northern reaches of Hokkaido to Kyushu in the south.

What we're seeing across Japan is the determination and commitment of all our suppliers to be ready to provide visitors with a safe and above all memorable experience when they come to the country. It is clear that some things will feel slightly different, however we're confident this won't detract from the incredible experience of travelling to Japan.

Hotels and accommodation
Sightseeing
On the Ground - Hiroshima
On the Ground - Tohoku

Restaurants and bars (opens new page)
Trains and transport (opens new page)
Flying (opens new page)

Hotels and Accommodation

From swish hotels in the Tokyo skyline to traditional family-run ryokan (Japanese inns) handed down through the generations, Japan has incredibly diverse accommodation. Located in all parts of Japan, many of them have been affected differently by the coronavirus pandemic and are approaching the welcomed return of visitors from lots of different angles.
We are currently undertaking an audit of all our accommodation suppliers and their safety measures regarding coronavirus. We've had really encouraging signs from many of them so far, with a consistently high standard of hygiene and safety measures being implemented. Some of the best hotels and ryokans (Japanese inns) have gone above and beyond here with comprehensive measures, which is great to see.
Examples of what we've seen so far include:
reducing contact as much as possible when checking-in and checking-out
- automated check-in and check-out services
- providing a-la-carte or set plates instead of buffet breakfasts to reduce contact points
- extra cleaning and disinfecting routines
- one ryokan has a QR code system which allows guests to see how busy the shared baths are in real time!
Japanese Travel agency JTB have also released a new chat system for guests to message hotel staff from their own smartphones during their stay with questions and requests. The multilingual chat service will be able to translate 109 different languages, so keep an eye out for it in the future at your accommodation! (Kyodo News).
Koito Ryokan in Iwaki, Fukushima, provides guests with "locally brewed" alcohol spray

Sightseeing

While many places closed during the emergency declaration, the open layout of shrines and temples meant these could stay open for worshippers and visitors. They remain open and are a great place to visit while remaining outdoors and socially distancing from other people. Central to Shintoism (the indigenous religion of Japan) is the relationship between humans and nature, and as such many of the country's best shrines are in forests, up mountains, or by water.
Apart from shrines and temples, in a country that is covered by almost 70% forest, many of Japan's best destinations and activities are out in the less populated and quieter parts of Japan, from the snow monkeys in Nagano to the giant cedar trees of Yakushima island.
All in all, there will be plenty of options to explore the outdoors and escape the city.

Museums and attractions such as Tokyo Disneyland have all largely reopened, but those located in prefectures where a state of emergency is currently in place have restrictions on their opening hours.
We've noticed the following measures in place at some locations:
- Visitors are required to wear masks
- Temperature checks upon entry
- Advanced tickets only
- Disinfecting high contact areas - get a rare peak inside Ghibli Studios as they disinfect the park before reopening in September!
- No screaming on rollercoasters (!)
Our suppliers are also considering the impact that visiting local communities can have on people's health and wellbeing and are working closely with community members to ensure everyone's safety and enjoyment.
We've noticed from early domestic travel statistics that it seems many people are choosing to travel to places that have a deeper cultural connection to Japan, such as Dogo Onsen in Ehime prefecture and Nara's Yamato Saidaji temple, rather than typical ?photo-spot' destinations (ANN News - Japanese only). It will be interesting to see if this trend continues!

Camping on the shores of Lake Biwa
On the Ground: �A startling contrast between prefectures�

Kristen from Customer Support drove and camped around western Japan, noticing big differences in areas with fewer case numbers

Our first night we camped along the shore of Lake Biwa and, despite being a popular camping spot, we had the whole place to ourselves. In the morning we took a trip up the Biwako Valley Ropeway, and in contrast to our camping experience the night before, the cars of the ropeway were fairly crowded. Masks were mandatory, with staff even handing them out to people without them, and hand sanitizer was readily available.
Kyoto was notably quieter and one of the busiest spots in the city, Fushimi Inari Shrine, was practically empty. Despite having visited several times in the past, it took me several wrong turns and a ?no, not this way!' from a gardener before I was able to find the entrance to the famed torii gate path because there were none of the usual crowds to guide the way.

Naoshima, the usually popular art island, had very few people visiting on the ferry. We had no trouble showing up at a popular bicycle rental shop without a reservation and securing some usually coveted electric bicycles. The Chichu Art Museum also had few people, and one exhibition room was also only allowing seven people to enter at once. In addition, masks were required to be worn at all times while within the museum.

There was a noticeable difference when we visited Matsuyama. As a prefecture with very few covid-19 cases (at the time 1 active case, and 115 total), the contrast was startling. The streets were very lively and while people still wore masks, the amount of people not wearing them was noticeable.

At every hotel we stayed at there were tablets on the reception desk capable of scanning body temperature, and we were required to fill out forms with our details and travel history and plans. All of the hotels had also changed their buffets to set menus.
The usually bustling streets of Kyoto

An almost deserted Hiroshima Museum of Cotemporary Art
On the Ground: "We had the place to ourselves"

Richard, one of our Tour Leaders, recently visited Hiroshima prefecture and loved that there were hardly any crowds

"Getting the shinkansen bullet train down to Hiroshima from Kyoto was pretty quiet, even on a weekend! When we arrived at the Rhiga Royal Hotel Hiroshima there were plastic screens between staff and guests at the check-in counter. We had our temperatures checked and were given a mask before entering the restaurant for breakfast, and instead of a buffet service it was a la carte. There were lots of bottles of hand sanitizer in the public areas of the hotel...

...We visited Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which we had almost to ourselves! We had our temperatures checked at the entrance and were required to wear masks. At Kosanji Temple on Ikuchijima it was compulsory to fill in a form giving either an address or phone number when entering for contact tracing purposes.
Back in the city some of the trains and trams were pretty busy, but almost all passengers were wearing masks. When we went out for dinner, Okonomi-mura (a fantastic collection of restaurants offering the local dish of okomiyaki) all the staff were wearing masks but apart from that there were few special measures being taken."
An equally empty Kosan-ji Temple in Ikuchijima, Hiroshima

"We were the only people at this World Heritage site"
On the Ground: "Breakfast slots and QR-code menus"

Tour Leader Rob headed up to Akita and Aomori for some fresh air and beautiful scenery

"We got the shinkansen up to Morioka station in Iwate prefecture. For me it's still by far the best way to travel long distances across the country. There were reminders on the train of the cleaning protocols and ventilation systems in place, and we felt extremely safe and relaxed as we whizzed along at over 200km/h. It was lovely to be out in the mountains and lakes of Tohoku (the North East), with much fewer people around, and the freshest air you could wish for!
We had our temperature taken at most of the hotels we stayed at (a mixture of resorts and business hotels), sometimes by staff and sometimes by machines that could also check if you were wearing a mask or not!

For breakfast we had to book a time each morning to space people out, and it was a set menu with table service rather than a buffet. At one hotel in Akita they had a buffet dinner, where we were provided with gloves and asked to wear them along with a mask whenever we went up for food. Again, we had to book a time slot, and the buffet counter was extremely quiet with staff there to minimise contact with frequently-touched areas.
At one of the restaurants they'd done away with menus altogether, with a few blackboards spaced around the room and a QR code where we could access the menu on our phones. Whilst I've seen this type of thing become a lot more common recently in the West, it's still quite rare in Japan!"
"This machine checked our temperature and also if we were wearing masks"

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