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Some 49% of Singaporeans say they are considering Japan for their next holiday abroad, according to market research firm YouGov.

Interest may be even higher among young citizens. About 68% of Singaporeans aged 16 to 24 indicated they are considering Japan for their “next holiday”, compared with 37% of those aged 55 and over, according to research published in May.

Japan was the top choice among survey respondents by a wide margin, with the second choice, Taiwan, gaining interest from 39% of respondents. About 26% indicated an interest in vacationing in Malaysia, according to the results, but this may have been influenced by the survey, which specifically asked about travel plans “by air.”

Still, Wanping Aw, chief executive of Tokyo-based travel agency Tokudaw, said her company saw a big uptick in business after Japan reopened its borders in June – with 50% of inquiries and bookings coming from Singapore, she said.

Why Singaporeans like Japan

Japan has always been a popular destination among Singaporeans, said Aw, especially among those looking for a change of seasons. This may interest you : August 2022 Covid-19 and Monkeypox travel restrictions.

Spring and winter are the two “peak seasons” for travelers from Singapore, she said: “They like cherry blossoms and snow a lot.”

Singaporean businessman Alex Ng said he is planning a trip to Japan this fall.

Wanping Aw at Shinjuku Gyoen, a popular park in Tokyo. Aw, who is Singaporean, has lived in Japan for 13 years.

A self-described “Japanophile,” Ng said the country hits the “sweet spot” between the familiar and the unknown.

He said Japan’s safety, cleanliness and professionalism are like Singapore, as is the culture’s adherence to social rules for the collective good.

“The trains don’t go on strike while you’re rushing back from a day trip,” he said. “We feel comfortable operating in that structure. It’s familiar to how we live here, probably why most Singaporeans like Switzerland too.”

The food is also familiar — rice-based with ingredients like fish, pork and tofu — but it “branches out from there in a myriad of fascinating directions.”

Alex Ng said most Singaporeans enjoy the intricacies of Japanese culture. “It’s brilliant and inspiring to experience it.”

He said he also appreciates the religious differences between the two countries.

“We are lucky to have a variety of religions here in Singapore,” he said. But “Shintoism, which informs much of Japanese life and culture—especially their architecture, aesthetics, cultivation and maintenance of natural spaces—is quite different from what we grew up around.”

And the cherry blossoms? “Hundreds of years were spent growing tens of thousands of cherry trees … for a few weeks of lively festivities each year.”

“I am not yet tired of the spectacle,” he said.

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Confusion abounds

Singapore is one of more than 100 countries and territories marked “blue” in Japan’s color-coded entry classification system. Read also : Hajj tech is changing pilgrimage.

Travelers from these locations are not required to take a Covid-19 test or quarantine on arrival, or be vaccinated to enter. However, visas and pre-flight Covid-19 PCR tests are required, according to the website of the Embassy of Japan in Singapore.

But the requirements beyond this have left many travelers confused, Aw said.

This is especially true of the rule that allows tourists to enter “only when a travel agency among others that organizes the trip acts as the host organization for the participants,” as stated by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sites like these use “language that speaks in loops,” Aw said.

Everyone is confused and stressed about the visa application process.

“And this misunderstanding escalates with the fact that the Japanese embassies use the word – package travel,” she said. This conjures up images of “30 to 40 strangers in a big bus going on a fixed route with a predetermined itinerary.”

But this is not accurate, she said.

One person can book a “package trip,” she said, adding that she has arranged three solo travel bookings – including one from Singapore – since Japan’s borders opened in June.

The term “predetermined itinerary” also confuses potential travelers.

“Everyone seems to be under the impression that they have to fix their itinerary down to the hour or the minute … which is hard to come by,” she said. “But it’s not as hard as it seems.”

Another problem — “everyone is confused and stressed about the visa application process,” she said.

To apply for tourist visas, travelers must plan an itinerary and book flights and accommodations before she can process “their ERFS certificates,” she said, referring to an approval document visitors need before they can apply for a visa.

Only Japanese companies can apply for the certificate, but travelers can work through travel agencies in their home country, which in turn work with their local partners in Japan, she said.

Once an ERFS certificate is obtained, travelers can apply for a visa, Aw said.

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Lastly, the chaperone

In addition to working with an agency, international travelers must also travel with a companion “at all times,” Aw said. See the article : The role of travel and tourism in our recovering economy – InsideSources.

Guests must pay for the attendant, who is employed by the travel agency, Aw said. But on the upside, chaperones can help with things like restaurant reservations and train schedules to make trips smoother, she said.

Traveling with an escort is not a deal breaker for Ng, and neither are the rest of Japan’s travel rules, he said. However, he said he would probably travel to Japan more often if the rules were less cumbersome.

For now, Ng said he is optimistic.

“There is a good chance that Japan will further relax restrictions soon, given that the election is now over,” he said.

Ng said he has secured his flights and hotels – but not his visa – on the understanding that the rules may be different in the autumn.

Aw said many other Singaporeans do the same. They are making plans but pushing the visa application process “as long as they can,” she said.

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