Japan to Resume Tourism in the Most Ridiculous Way | ALSO Returning to the UK after 2 YEARS: Patreon Vlog

A few weeks ago while in the UK, the Japanese Prime Minister hinted that Japan was about to resume tourism in line with the other G7 nations.

Everybody was initially very excited, until the plans were released describing what this actually meant.

"Tourists who've been triple-vaccinated & come from the US, Australia, Thailand & Singapore will be allowed to join the tours, which will be strictly planned & accompanied at all times by tour conductors."

It seems not content on simply re-opening the country, Japan is embarking on some bizarre North Korean-style travel package tours, with carefully stage managed trips strictly enforced by tour guides. It sounds more like a trip to Pyongyang than Harajuku.

We can only hope this is just a short experiment that ultimately leads to the resumption of normal tourism as this endless saga has become frustrating and baffling. Every time it looks like they're set to re-open, it all gets thrown off course with vague discourse or bizarre ideas.

The Full Story
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-testing-tourism-reopen-intl-hnk/index.html

I suspect this whole absurd process, while undeniably pointless on an experimental level, is all just a part of the PR process to slowly encourage the public to accept tourism once more. Especially given the current government is enjoying a rare degree of popularity right now, that I'm sure they don't want to lose by opening the doors and unleashing the world back upon the country.

The sad truth is most of the Japanese public are still reluctant at the idea of letting in tourists. The fears of COVID cases massively dwarfs the fear of damaging the economy and the country's international image, while the rest of the world moves on. Japan after all lives in something of a bubble to the outside world, for better or worse.

It's more than happy to breakaway and do its own thing. In the same way most Japanese would sooner see the population collapse than increase immigration, economic ruin is more favourable to letting in foreign tourists.

Still, hopefully once these bizarre North Korean-esque tours are out of the way, they get on with resuming regular tourism over the course of the summer. If you've booked your trip for as soon as October, I see no reason to adjust those plans!

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AND NOW on to the Patreon Vlog! I'll let the video do the talking guys.

After 2 YEARS I'm Going Back to the UK
Watch: https://youtu.be/9kYuMSixkfE

I'll update you on what's been going on in the UK in the next few days!