Author: Eliza

At long last, we can soon welcome you back to Japan as the country is reopening fully for international tourism. Starting October 11, Japan will resume visa-free entry and independent travel after two-plus years of tight border restrictions. The daily entry cap will also be scrapped along with the red-yellow-blue country classification scheme.

Some details are still being finalized by the government at the time of publication, but we will keep you updated as more information is released. In the meantime, here’s what we know so far about the new entry protocols.

No more quarantine

This is a big one. Until October 10, which of the three entry protocols travelers need to follow will depend on whether the country they are arriving from falls into the ‘red’, ‘yellow’ or ‘blue’ category. According to Nikkeihowever, Japan will ditch this red-yellow-blue country classification system along with the last of its quarantine requirements

Blue sky thinking

While some workers return to the office this year, many others continue to work remotely indefinitely. This seismic shift has changed where people live and work and, increasing, how they travel.

In the first quarter of 2022, nearly 25% of job postings at the 50,000 largest companies in the US and Canada were for permanently remote positions, according to the job listing service Ladders. That’s up from a mere 4% before the pandemic.

“It has enabled us to extend trips, leave early and work different hours,” says Kirsten Reckman, a credit risk manager based in Tampa, Florida, who works remotely. “My boss is very accommodating as long as the work gets done.”

Reckmen’s experience reflects a larger trend. One in five travelers this summer plan to do work on the road, according to a report from Deloitte, an international professional services network. Of these so-called “laptop luggers,” 4 in 5