According to The Straits Times - Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News, Masashi Higashitani, a caricaturist in Tokyo's Asakusa tourist area, is brushing up on his Mandarin as he gets ready for a surge in visitors after Beijing relaxes its inbound quarantine regulations. As the largest foreign tourist group by far and a significant increase from the 450,000 visitors in 2003, about 9.6 million Chinese made their way to Japan in 2019.
Prior to the pandemic, Mr. Higashitani thinks that 20% of his clients were Chinese, and he and his staff learned Chinese words from both the clients and one another. Even though he admits some trepidation as well, he is delighted about the anticipated surge of arrivals because he had to downsize and let people go during the pandemic.
Beginning on Sunday, visitors returning to China won't have to undergo quarantine, reducing one of the biggest obstacles to travel for the populace.
The decision, which was made public in late December, caused a flurry of travel preparation, with searches for Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea rising sharply. A third of all international visitors to South Korea prior to the epidemic were Chinese, and they were also among the top three nationalities visiting Thailand and Indonesia. Mr. Son Kyung-rak claimed at a creperie in Seoul that he was already preparing for a rush of Chinese tourists.
A significant wave of illnesses has resulted from China's abrupt removal of pandemic restrictions, but the magnitude of the surge is unknown due to Beijing's refusal to provide information.
Flights from China are limited to Seoul, and travelers from the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau must undergo a negative pregnancy test before departing. Upon arrival, mainland visitors will also undergo testing.
