Travel conditions in Japan: what you need to know to get there

Its cherry blossoms, its temples, its Mount Fuji... Your suitcase is ready for the Land of the Rising Sun.

But, between the visa, the passport, and the directives relating to Covid-19, you no longer know where to turn?

The point on what to pack in your luggage to leave serene in Japan.

To discover

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  Great Sites of Japan

• Trips to Japan: tailor-made tours, hotels and stays from our partners

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With which travel documents can one go to Japan?

Don't forget your passport if you visit Japan.

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What you should pack for a vacation in Japan depends on how long you plan to spend there.

Thus, for any stay of less than 90 days, it is not necessary to apply for a visa.

On the other hand, for a longer trip, you must have one.

On the other hand, there is a document on which it is not possible to ignore, and this, regardless of the duration of your vacation: your passport.

Anyone, even a minor, deciding to go to the Land of the Rising Sun must have a valid passport.

A validity of 3 or 6 months after return is not necessary.

Small Japanese particularity: any national entering the territory is subject to fingerprinting as well as a photographic portrait.

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What health measures are in place to deal with Covid?

It is highly recommended to wear the mask in public spaces in Japan.

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Since September 2022, it is no longer necessary to present a PCR test with a negative result in order to set foot on Japanese soil... Provided that you are able to justify a complete vaccination schedule (three doses).

Anyone who cannot guarantee such a vaccination schedule must present a negative PCR test dated less than 72 hours.

What about the mask?

Wearing it is a habit for a large part of the Japanese - and has been since well before the pandemic.

It is therefore recommended to wear it, especially in spaces falling within the "3C" category ("confined spaces", restricted spaces; "crowded places", overloaded spaces; and "close-contact settings", spaces where there are close contact between interlocutors).

It is also strongly advised to wear the mask in closed places, hospitals and public transport.

Moreover, in some places (stores in particular), displays invite you to wear a mask.

In general, note that it is quite badly perceived not to wear the mask outdoors and in several closed places in Japan.

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Which airlines fly to Japan?

Most France-Japan flights have a stopover and last between 7 and 9 p.m.

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Non-stop, allow approximately 12 hours of flight to reach Japan from France.

Most flights require a stopover: in this case, plan between 19 and 21 hours of flight on average.

To reach the country of cherry trees, you can take off from the airports of Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, or Nantes.

On the arrivals side, you can put your suitcases in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Hiroshima or Akita.

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As far as the airlines for your trip are concerned, you are also spoiled for choice, from Air France to SWISS via KLM, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Finnair, Vueling or even British Airways.