Since I have to plan trips around kids’ school schedule, that left us with a window of opportunity in the summer of 2021. What about a flight from Seattle to Orlando? It’s only fair for me to adjust this time since he is a serious Japanophile, and we have been to Hawaii twice. Best case scenario: we will be on the same plane coming home. In my case, I burned miles, miles that I’m not certain will be worth anything in a few years. Read the country information page. The worst case scenario is the miles get redeposited for $150 or so. Hand sanitizer is available at most places that sell masks (see above). Consider visiting popular destinations early in the morning or just before they close in the late afternoon. At present, almost all non-Japanese are barred from visiting or transiting Japan. We will be updating this as more information is released – 8/19/2020. Disclosure: InsideKyoto.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. This was the year of 3 “free” trips, and of course, all but one in December have been canceled. Time will tell. Businesspeople from certain Asian nations are allowed to travel to Japan under strict conditions (see below for details). It won’t be my first or last. Upon arriving at the airport, all foreign nationals are subject to a PCR test until further notice (as of August 13, 2020, officially until the end of August but likely to be renewed). You can also pick them up at airports in Japan. But first, I had to transfer 8k MR points to top up the account (instant). Everything I book, I will make sure has a good cancellation policy. The official wording also states: “The relaxation is only applied to those who have left Japan with re-entry permit before the day when country/region where such foreign nationals are currently staying was designated as an area subject to denial of permission to entry into Japan.”. We are slaves to school calendar for the foreseeable future. Also, there is a lot of uncertainty in Hong Kong right now, even without the virus. jw-webmagazine.com/top-10-things-to-do-in-japan-in-july-dc6ff5609f20 Here is my thought process, which I hope will benefit some of you. Right now, all bets are off, so I’m making the leap into the unknown. A practical and amusing (re:husband) post. We will update this page weekly on Mondays, Japan time. Sure,  three years is a long time, but as an infrequent traveler, I’m not sure I will be able to burn them without drastically altering my plans. As a person who hates uncertainty, it’s very much out of character for me to do something like that. I’m hoping that United will release the award seats I need at some point, but for now, I’ve moved on to Plan B. And the most important thing, of course, is that my family stays healthy. There is an overnight layover in LAX included at no extra cost, a must for me since we are traveling with young kids. I had to cancel four trips in a row due to hurricane, medical emergency and travel bans. JAL will simply cancel the flight for me, just like they did a few months ago, and I should get a full refund without penalties. But honestly, the biggest reason I decided to rebook this trip is because I want something to look forward to. Here is where I hit a snag. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. I may also lose some money, though not a huge amount. That’s a rare thing to find, and I can totally see why you pulled the trigger. I very much want to get rid of them ASAP, since Avianca is currently in bankruptcy. Things To Do In Kyoto Overview – Start Here! Here are some useful tips to ensure a safe trip during these unusual times. This official statement says that currently, certain foreign nationals who hold residency in Japan are eligible to re-enter Japan – as long as they have a “Re-entry Confirmation Letter” (the form can be downloaded here), and can prove they have tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of landing in Japan. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as of July 30, 2020, foreign nationals who posses the status of residence may re-enter Japan – with a catch. Its independence from mainland China is pretty much history. Asia Miles website is full of glitches, and kept saying the flight wasn’t available. Just doesn’t seem practical and I’m not inspired. Read the country information page. See related post. A part of me thinks I should book “just in case things change” but deep down I don’t think it will improve enough in 2021 and I don’t want to spend all that time planning for nothing. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Travel restrictions for certain affected areas in China, including the Hubei province and South Korea had already been in place since the earliest cases were reported. At the time of writing, travel is freely permitted inside Japan. Many restaurants in Japan offer private rooms, which are called “koshitsu.” Your hotel concierge can help you locate such restaurants and reserve them for you. Japan had a resurgence of cases that started in July and peaked in early August. Originally, I was planning to go to Europe, but we’ve decided to bring my sister and mom here in 2022. So it won’t be a total shock. If it goes into liquidation, I can pretty much kiss those miles goodbye. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In these uncertain times, it’s simply not worth the risk. In early October, Japanese media carried reports of a plan to reopen to tourists in April, in preparation for the Olympics (see this Japan Times report), but details are unclear. In Japan, all staff will be wearing masks, hand sanitizer will be widely available, social distancing will be clearly enforced, and your temperature will likely be taken when you check in. He usually goes along with whatever I book. I haven’t booked our lodging yet, but will make sure that anything I reserve can be refunded a few months before the trip. I actually started with the return leg of the trip because JAL releases award seats before United does. We are also thinking about visiting South America in the fall of 2021. But I started booking award flights regardless, and there is no turning back. @Russ I remember Air Berlin rigmarole! I know that there is a very good chance this trip will not happen, and I also bought insurance. That’s an elaborate plan of its own, and a post for another day. There are some options for flights to Tokyo, but that would add a connection, something I would rather avoid. It helps that I have several stashes of mileage currencies on hand. Sushi in Japan - Sushi Names and Ordering Sushi in Japanese! Additionally, regardless of the PCR test results, all foreign nationals must wait for 14 days at a location designated by the quarantine station chief – and are barred from any use of public transportation following their re-entry during this 2 week period. And if not, well, if Japan is open to Americans, we’ll be going via AA miles. My attention turned to AAdvantage, and I was able to reserve four award seats from Orlando to Osaka for 35k miles apiece. Japan might reopen its borders to all travellers early next year Rules for travel in the country have relaxed for some, while all international visitors could be allowed in by April 2021 By Maybe it’s wishful thinking, so we’ll see. Here are cities with direct flights to Japan and the airlines that operate them. Therefore, they are not bookable via Lifemiles. If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you probably remember that my original plan involved a stopover in Hawaii. Cases declined after that and are now holding steady. Ben (Lucky) says: April 3, 2020 at 1:13 pm A great thing about AA program is that due to new rule change, you can now cancel award flights for free, as long as you do it 60 days or more before travel date. Japan should permanently impose travel ban from those countries except for those who hold a work visa or PR in Japan. Next, I was hoping to redeem Lifemiles on San Francisco-Osaka flight. Oh, and I also burned Avios on two seats for my in-laws for Tokyo-Seattle flight. A lot depends on the Covid-19 vaccine and “game changer” treatments being developed in time for Japan government to lift entry restrictions. Or, consider visiting, Avoid crowded areas. Learning Japanese in Tokyo without a Visa - FAQ. Quarantine Measures” here. my original plan involved a stopover in Hawaii, Bank of American Finally Catches Up, When You Get Too Many Free Night Vouchers, How Theme Parks Can Be Political Landmines - Your Mileage May Vary, Rebooking Trips Has Added a Spring to my Step - Miles For Family, 100k JetBlue Offer, World of Hyatt Promotions and More, My Thoughts on “I Hope Disney Never Returns to Normal”, 3 Conveniences I Wish Disney World Offered, Cruise Workers Protest, Southwest Announces More Destinations and More. Also, as mentioned above, Japan has started to allow business travel to/from South Korea and Singapore (see the official Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs page for full application details). Hawaii is sort of on the  way to Japan, so why not? The fact is, they’ve got this stuff down to a science in Japan. Hope the vaccine will come along soon. If it goes into liquidation, I can pretty much kiss those miles goodbye. I had to be able to buy travel insurance with medical coverage for Covid-19, plus “cancel for any reason” option. Visit the Embassy's COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 in Japan. There have been reports in the Japanese media of a plan to reopen to tourists in the spring, but few details have emerged (see this. Here are all the details on travel restrictions, flights, hygienic hotels, outbreak information and safe travel tips. But, I went ahead and did it. I hope things will work out, as it’s a long time form now. @Christian Yeah, I like to kill multiple “birds” with one trip, and my husband is the opposite. Kyoto in cherry blossom season: f11 photo / Shutterstock.com. I could have booked a flight to Tokyo instead of Osaka, and maybe I should have. Right now,  flights on most US airlines (including Delta) reserved through the end of this month can be cancelled without penalty. There are numerous reasons I’ve hesitated to cancel our current plans, but one of them is […], […] week, Leana wrote about rebooking her trip to Japan for 2021. I really want to get rid of them ASAP, since Avianca is currently in bankruptcy. I’ve been busy rebooking trips as well, and it sure feels better than canceling […]. Cases declined after that and are now holding steady. The wording here is rather vague. But I went into it with full realization that things may not work out.

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