Things have recently changed, making the process smoother for international tourists.

It’s been over a month now since Japan reopened its borders to international tourists on 11 October, but unlike a lot of other countries, there’s still a bit of rigmarole to get in.

Last month, visitors were required to enter personal details such as vaccination status into an app called MySOS, but from 1 November, that requirement was abolished, and has now been replaced with “Visit Japan Web“, a website designed to smooth out the immigration process.

One of our reporters flew into Japan from Singapore the other day, and upon using the Visit Japan Web site, they noticed three major differences.

1. Family Members can be registered

Previously, parents were unable to register their children’s details via the MySOS app as it had a one-account-per-person requirement. This meant anyone wanting to get into the country, including young children, had to own their own smartphone, with the app installed, otherwise they’d be in for a long wait to deal with the situation, holding up the line at immigration.

The new site solves this problem by allowing visitors to register up to 10 family members with one account, which makes it a lot easier for families to now enter the country.

2. Multiple schedules can be registered

Previously, on the MySOS app, entrants had to register their details each time they travelled in and out of the country, but now you can enter all your trips in one go. This is a much welcome improvement to procedures, especially for travellers needing to take multiple trips around the region.

3. Password is hard mode

Special characters like symbols aren’t always accepted for passwords in Japan, but in this case, it’s one of the requirements. Users need to create a password that’s 10 characters or longer, and include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Though some travellers might find this annoying, especially as it makes it hard to remember the password later on if you don’t make a note of it somewhere, it’s actually an important development. As the above image shows, users are able to register their passport details on the site to “fast track” the immigration process, so having a strong password is vital to protecting your personal information.

While the above three points outline the main differences for travellers arriving in Japan now, the remaining requirements to enter the country are similar to before, in that travellers register other details on the site…

▼ …and show QR codes to staff at quarantine, immigration and customs.

When our reporter used the new Visit Japan Web Fast Track system, they said they entered the country at “unprecedented speed”, making their way through Quarantine, Immigration and Customs almost non-stop. That’s certainly good news for travellers, especially given the “three small hells” that previously awaited new arrivals to the country.

Reference: Visit Japan Web 
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Insert images: SoraNews24, Visit Japan Web
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