Tourists flock to Japan after COVID rules lifted
(11 Oct 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Haneda Airport - 11 October 2022 1. Close of person waiting for foreign tourists at arrival gate 2. Mid of people coming out from arrival exit 3. Close of sign that reads (English/Japanese) "Arrival Exit" 4. Wide of foreign tourists 5. Close of suitcases being wheeled 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nadine Lackmann, 30, German tourist: "So we were like: yay, we can come (to Japan)! No. Can we come? No. And we got the news that we can finally come. We are really really happy." 7. Tilt down of banner 8. Various of international tourists at the airport 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Javier Perez Toledo, Spanish tourist: "I'm here from Spain. We came here for our honeymoon, so we are coming for tourism. We were waiting for coming to Japan like for more than one year, because we were preparing the wedding. And we were waiting for the last minute to get a ticket to come to Japan because we are really passionate about the country, for the first time here and we are so happy that we can come." 10. Close of police officer 11. Close of panel that reads (English) "Getting around in Tokyo?" 12. Various of foreign tourists in airport 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Nadine Lackmann, 30, German tourist: "It was three years ago that we could travel here. Since the corona and the COVID-19 started, we had everything booked and wanted to fly, then we couldn't and had to sit down and stay at home. Now it's the first day that we can come here and we are so so happy." 14. Various of foreign tourists leaving airport for station 15. Wide of airport exterior and sign that reads (English) "Tokyo International Airport" 16. Various of airplane landing 17. Wide of Haneda airport interior STORYLINE: Eager to admire colorful foliage, eat sushi and go shopping, droves of tourists from abroad started arriving in Japan on Tuesday, the first day of lifted border restrictions. For more than two years, Japan put strict border controls in place to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Tourists are expected to deliver a sorely needed 5 trillion yen ($35 billion) boost to the world's third-largest economy. And the flood of visitors is expected to keep growing. Among those who arrived on Tuesday was Nadine Lackmann who came from Germany with her wife to enjoy a much-awaited trip in Tokyo. "It's the first day that we can come here and we are so so happy," said Lackman. The daily cap of 50,000 arrivals is gone. Airlines have added flights to respond to the full re-opening of borders. Visa-free travel is back for short-term business and tourism from more than 60 nations. The only protocols left for entry are that you must be fully vaccinated with one booster or have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure. Then, virtually all visitors from the U.S., the rest of Asia, Europe and South America won't have to quarantine. Compared to the most recent surge in Japan, when reported infections nationwide topped 200,000 people in August, both cases and deaths have dwindled. Last week, daily deaths averaged eight people nationwide. Japan has provided free COVID-19 vaccines, especially encouraging the elderly and the medically vulnerable to get inoculated. But visitors may have to adjust to face masks. Most Japanese are still wearing masks, just about everywhere. Many stores and restaurants require mask-wearing, as well as sanitizing hands at entrances, though there is talk of relaxing such recommendations in outdoor spaces. Some establishments close early, or have shuttered completely. The surge is coming on top of lesser, more gradual increases recorded the previous week. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
