Mt. Fuji with Chureito Pagoda in autumn
Photo: Nuttawut Uttamaharad/DreamstimeMt. Fuji with Chureito Pagoda in autumn

11 amazing reasons you should visit Japan now

Because Japan is now open to tourists, plus all the great things you don't want to miss before the end of 2022

Emma Steen
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Emma Steen
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Hello, world! It’s been a long time coming, but Japan is finally ready to reopen its borders fully on October 11. This means that quarantine protocols will be lifted and only those who show symptoms of Covid-19 will have to undergo a test upon arrival. Better yet, Japan is resuming its visa-free travel scheme, so globetrotters can plan their trips on their own terms without having to make arrangements via travel agencies. 

Some of you have been waiting to book your flights to Japan for over two years now and we’re thrilled to welcome you back. A lot has changed over the course of the pandemic. A number of city redevelopment projects were implemented in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics and better multilingual support was put in place in anticipation of more visitors from abroad. We saw a few long-established attractions close to make way for a ton of cool new venues. As if you needed any more convincing, we’ve compiled a list of reasons why the next three months are the prime time to visit Japan.

Guide to Japan’s reopening for tourism: visa-free travel, valid vaccines, PCR tests and more

We've been expecting you...

Because the yen is super cheap right now
Photo: Keisuke Tanigawa

1. Because the yen is super cheap right now

Personally, we’re not too excited about the yen falling to a 24-year low. Nevertheless, there’s a window of opportunity here for tourists to splurge on their dream vacation for an unusually affordable rate.

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  • Travel
  • Transport & Travel

We’ve been counting down the days to the launch of the world’s first Ghibli Park and, from what we’ve seen so far, the theme park is looking to be everything we dreamed of and more. While the park is set to open in stages, this soft opening promises plenty to see in sections like the Hill of Youth, the Dondoko Forest and Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse.

  • Art
  • Art

In August, we bid farewell to teamLab’s first permanent digital art museum in Tokyo’s Odaiba district (don’t panic, it’s coming back next year). Before the teamLab Borderless museum closed, however, the art collective opened a new permanent nighttime exhibition at a botanical garden in Osaka, with multiple interactive installations that evolve with the changing seasons. There's also the sensational teamLab forest in the historical Mifuneyama Rakuen Park in Saga prefecture, complete with digital monoliths in an abondoned bathhouse.

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  • Travel

Autumn in Japan even overlaps with the beginning of ski and snowboarding season – and we’ve got some of the best snowy mountain resorts in the world. While ski lifts in popular villages like Hakuba or Nozawa Onsen in Nagano start running in early-December (weather pending), the season opens sooner the farther north you go. In Hokkaido, for instance, ski resorts open as early as November.

  • Art

Some of Japan’s biggest contemporary art festivals are only scheduled to occur once every two or three years. Due to the pandemic, however, a number of these events were forced to cancel or postpone their festival, which is why so many of them are happening now. Festivals worth seeing include the Echigo Tsumari Art Field (ends November 13; pictured above), where you'll find over 200 permanent installations by artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Leandro Erlich, as well as the Setouchi Triennale (ends November 6) on Japan's 'art islands' including Naoshima.

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Because Tokyo was recently ranked as one of the best cities in the world to find your soulmate
Photo: Riccardo Chiarini/Unsplash

10. Because Tokyo was recently ranked as one of the best cities in the world to find your soulmate

Okay, so we’ve seen the statistics and we’re still unsure about this claim, but whether or not you believe in soulmates or that Tokyo is the place to find yours, one thing we can confirm is that Japan is indisputably great for single travellers. From capsule hotels to solo-sized karaoke booths to yakiniku joints with one-person barbecue grills, everything here is designed so that single people don't miss out on any fun.

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Because there is actually an infinite number of reasons to love Japan
Photo: Shinya Kigure

11. Because there is actually an infinite number of reasons to love Japan

The truth is, the list of fun new things Japan has to offer right now is endless. For manga and anime lovers, we’ve got jaw-dropping attractions like a life-sized Gundam robot that moves, a Sailor Moon Museum and an entire island resort dedicated to Hello Kitty.

Beyond budget-friendly omakase sushi and Michelin-approved ramen, our ever-evolving food scene boasts indoor yokocho halls, modern omakase meals and neo izakaya. Even the hotels here are attractions in their own right, with guest rooms that also double as art installations (like the Shiroiya Hotel, pictured above), receptions that are managed by robots and icy igloos. Take it from us – don’t wait on booking those flights.

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