How To Travel To Japan Without A Guided Tour

So you want to go to Japan? You’re probably not alone!
It’s probably the hottest ticket right now as Japan has effectively banned the world from enjoying its incredible culture, food and sights.

That said, there are ways to get in, and with restrictions easing, now might be the perfect opportunity to enjoy Japan minus the hordes of tourists. Here’s how…

Current Japan Travel Restrictions

Until recently, Japan only allowed “guided tour groups” into the country.
Why? Who knows!!

However, that rule is changing from September 7th! From this date onwards, tourists are welcome back as long as they have purchased a “package tour” with a licensed Japanese travel agency.

The definition of a “package tour” is so loose that it essentially allows Japanese agencies to sell you a piece of paper with your own accommodation and flight details.

This means tourists will no longer need to have a minder with them at all times but can follow their own itinerary and book their own hotels, as long as they have the stamp of approval from an authorised Japanese travel agency. Of course you can buy an actual packaged tour but most people like to plan their own itinerary these days.

On top of that, Japan is increasing the inbound arrivals cap from 20,000 to 50,000, which should be sufficient to ensure entry into the country.

How to enter Japan with an Australian passport?

Below I’m going to list all the steps you need to take to be able to enter Japan under the current rules. These rules apply for most tier 1 passport holders except for USA and Canadians. There are 68 countries on this list, so if you don’t have an Australian passport; you can see if you’re eligible for a visa here: https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/short/novisa.html

From September 7th, 2022, you will need the following:

• Vaccination certificate with a minimum of 3 shots
• No vaccine? You will need a negative PCR test taken within 72h before departure (double check this as this is my personal interpretation of the wording…). The same applies if you had less than 3 vaccinations.
• Be a resident of a “Blue” category country for the last 14 days. If you live in Australia, congrats. If not, check your country on this list: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/border_category.html
• You will need a valid passport
• You will need your ERFS certificate (Entrants, Returnees Follow-Up System); more on this below.
• You will need a tourist visa to enter Japan (see below).
• You will need accommodation in Japan
• And lastly, you will need a flight into and out of Japan booked.
• A completed Japan health declaration form (you will get a QR code which you will need to present upon entry). You can find the form here: https://arqs-qa.followup.mhlw.go.jp/#/

ERFS – The Golden Ticket

Until now, the ERFS certificate was the hardest and most annoying part of getting into Japan. It’s essentially a money-making scheme for Japanese tour agencies. While initially, you could only get an ERFS if you were on a guided tour, this wasn’t very popular for obvious reasons. So now tour agencies can sell you a “package” which allows you to travel by yourself.

Smart operators have identified this to make a quick buck, so the aim is to find a tour agency willing to sell you an ERFS via a package. The catch, of course, is that the flights and hotels are booked by yourself, and when you provide these details to the agent, they will then create a piece of paper for you that lists all these details.

Thanks to my friend Ricky from Prince Of Travel, I was recommended JGA as they sell precisely the product we’re looking for. Is it cheap? Nope!

For the golden ticket, that is the ERFS; the agency charges you JPY30,000 or around AU$313 per person. In exchange, you will get all the documents needed to move on to step 2; the visa.

Getting your ERFS should take around 1 business day.

Update: 

Less than 1 day after purchasing my ERFS certificate, I received the email containing the certificate which contains the following information:

This means I can now move on to step 2 which is applying for a tourist visa.

How To Get A Japanese Visa

Pre covid, most of us could just rock up to Japan and get a visa on arrival. Right now, that’s not the case. You’re in luck if you’re holding a US or Canadian passport. You can simply apply for an eVisa online.

If you hold an Australian passport or any of the 68 countries I linked to above, you must make an appointment at a Japanese embassy or consulate where you live.

I would recommend calling them right away as they are pretty busy. When I spoke to the Perth consulate, they advised the earlier appointment was in 1 week and the visa would take another week to process. So my tip would start this process 3-4 weeks before your flight (minimum!)

To get the visa, you will need to bring the following to the appointment:

• Visa application with a photo attached (see here: https://www.au.emb-japan.go.jp/pdf/VISA_APPLICATION%20_FORM4.pdf)
• Valid passport
• Copy of passport photo page
• ERFS documents
• If you’re not an Australian citizen, you will need to bring a copy of your Australian visa details.
• Overview of the “tour”, this will be provided by the travel agent and will basically include your flights and hotel details.

Summing Up

I will update this post once I get my visa organised so you can get an idea of how long things take. However, until Japan opens up completely, which will hopefully happen in a few months’ time, this is the most efficient way for non-Japanese visitors to gain access to Japan.