To boost the local tourism industry, Japan has introduced a nationwide travel subsidy programme for residents. The National Travel Discount Programme is available across almost all prefectures until late December, with discounts of up to 40 percent (a maximum of ¥8,000 per person per night) on transport and accommodation. This will come in very handy for those on a budget who’re planning to visit the country’s most beautiful autumn destinations.
What is the National Travel Discount Programme?
The travel promotion offers discounts on public transport and accommodation packages up to ¥8,000 per person per night. For accommodation alone, you can save up to ¥5,000 per person per night. The deal also includes discount coupons for local restaurants and other attractions worth up to ¥3,000 on weekdays and ¥1,000 on weekends and holidays, which you’ll receive during check-in at your hotel or ryokan.
Note that this travel subsidy is only available to those with residency status in Japan, so don’t forget your residence card when checking in. You’ll also have to either submit a negative PCR test result or be triple vaccinated to be eligible for the discount. The accommodation will check your negative PCR test certificate or vaccination status during check-in.
The campaign is currently ongoing and runs until December 20 (including check-out on December 21). However, there are a few exceptions: Gunma prefecture’s discount deals are only available until October 31 (check-out on Nov 1 included), while Tokyo joins the National Travel Discount Programme only from October 20. The discount deals are also limited, meaning the campaign in each prefecture will end when the capacity has been reached.
For details and additional requirements, check each prefecture’s campaign website here.
How to book
Bookings can be made in person at any national travel agency office such as HIS, JTB or Nippon Travel Agency. You can also book directly at the hotels.
The easiest and fastest way, however, is via a travel booking site. Jalan and JTB are the most straightforward.
Jalan
Booking via Jalan is by far the easiest option. Here's how.
- Access the campaign website and enter your preferred travel dates and destination under the subhead ‘今すぐプランを探す(国内宿・ホテル専用)’.
- Click the ‘検索する’ search button and all the participating accommodations will show up.
- Look out for the red icon attached to each deal reading ‘全国旅行支援対象’ to identify the participating accommodations.
As of now, Jalan’s package tours only include trips to Okinawa via flights with ANA or JAL. To book a package tour, follow these steps.
- Fill in the required fields here and choose from the available plans.
- Make sure to select the ‘全国旅行支援クーポン’ coupon during the booking process. It will be available on the payment page.
JTB
If you want to book through JTB, here are the steps.
- Access JTB’s campaign website and scroll down to the two tabs that read ‘Hotels and ryokan' (ホテル・旅館) and ‘JR or flights + accommodation' (JR・飛行機+宿泊).
- Pick the prefecture you want to visit and select the number of people.
- A coupon code and a password for that specific area will be displayed, divided by travel on weekdays and weekends.
- Note down the codes before clicking the button under ‘Step 4’ to see the available deals.
- Choose an accommodation or package deal and proceed to the booking page. Here you will have to insert the coupon code and password in order to apply the discount.
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