00:00:08 John Daub: Alright, I think we're live everybody. Hey, this is a travel update for Japan, April 2022. If there's technical difficulty, because I'm doing this on OBS, I'll just do a mobile live stream and switch over to the smartphone. But I thought this would be a nice change up from what I've been showing you. Maybe the quality is a little bit better by doing it at home.

00:01:12 John Daub: So there's some good news. There's some optimism about travel returning to Japan very soon. Nothing solid yet. This is why I haven't been doing a lot of Japan travel updates since this pandemic started back in January of 2020. I've been doing updates, giving people kind of the lowdown what's going on here in Japan.

00:01:38 John Daub: And the last two years, over two years now, we've had so many challenges, setbacks. So it's been kind of negative, right? Let's be honest about it. It's really sad for me here in Japan not to be able to see a lot of you, a lot of people coming to visit. It's really quiet out there.

00:02:00 John Daub: So Roy on Instagram recently sent me something that was quite positive and something that didn't really register here in the news in Japan. It was news from Hawaii about Japanese coming to visit. It was about the awesome. And this is a clue like a nugget of something we can hold on to. And I want to share this with you right now.

00:02:28 John Daub: Let's see if I can get the window going here. Right here is the page in the article. Why isn't it showing up? That's weird. Anyways, I'll put the link in the description for you so you can check it out right away. But basically, Japanese government officials went over there to discuss whether or not the possibility of opening up was possible for summer 2022. When exactly that is I'm not sure.

00:03:04 John Daub: And this is the big caveat and one of the reasons I'm doing this travel update is to update you that there's really nothing solid yet although we do see a lot of positivity in the fact that students and spouses of people living here in Japan are starting to get those visas. This is a really positive development because it's been for years almost no access to enter into the country.

00:03:32 John Daub: So I think that this is one step towards tourism returning but apart from this nugget from Hawaii which I will put a link in the description so you should check this out it's kind of a positive news there's not a lot to report.

00:03:48 John Daub: The only thing that I can tell you that is worrying about this possible opening in summer 2022 and I think it was Peter who was a little skeptical yesterday and I'm going to take some of your questions in a second is the resurgence of the new strain here in Japan. The numbers are actually starting to increase.

00:04:12 John Daub: And it could be because school has been out for spring so a lot of students have been mingling no social distancing was going on. You go outside you kind of like yeah you see these hordes of kids all together and you know like if one has them they probably all have it.

00:04:32 John Daub: And that's been going on and now the kids are going back to school. The new year starts in April so maybe we'll start to see a decline in the numbers. This all has a major impact on whether or not Japan is going to reopen but once they reopen I'm thinking they're not going to close it again suddenly.

00:05:00 John Daub: They want a situation where they can just leave it open and I know that Australia has opened up and I know that Singapore has and some other countries have. Japan has decreased the quarantine which is really a positive thing. It used to be 14 days just a couple of weeks ago.

00:05:24 John Daub: And I'm thinking that's not a good thing but like I've learned a lot about how to handle it but I do think that it's a bit of a struggle to deal with that. But a couple of months ago when we came back we would have to stay for 14 days and if we tested negative within a certain amount of days would be allowed out I think it was 10 days.

00:05:52 John Daub: I know Greg (Life Where I'm From) visited from Canada to film a couple of really great episodes if you haven't checked it out on the snowiest city in the world up in Abashiri [?]. So he had to stay in a hotel in quarantine I think it was three days and then home quarantine for two weeks before he could go out and film.

00:06:24 John Daub: That's changed now and I believe it's just three days and if you test negative then you're allowed to take public transportation and assimilate into life. The thing is all this information is changing so quickly over time.

00:06:44 John Daub: I want to see if this maybe this page will come up. Let me share it with you. This is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the authority on what is happening here in Japan if you want to know.

00:07:08 John Daub: I'm shrinking the window here. If you want to know where I get my information it's from here which is the source of everything. There you go nice and pretty window.

00:07:24 John Daub: If you look on this website you'll get everything that you need all the documents you need for your visa all of the entry procedures the quarantine rules and they're changing so rapidly. I would bookmark this page and get it right from the source never mind what all the YouTubers are saying.

00:07:52 John Daub: Check out what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is saying because they're in charge of immigration. I'll take your questions in a second just give me one moment here I'm gonna go through this a little bit with you.

00:08:12 John Daub: There it is the visa application documents for downloading the announcements. Now this is where you get all the latest stuff. Now there's even the applications for visas for re-entrants okay so the consular service.

00:08:36 John Daub: So it was last updated February 24th 2022 and there's another one here new measures borders. I haven't actually seen this. All right so they're constantly being updated here so we're seeing that Japan is gradually starting to open and we're getting trickle of information.

00:09:04 John Daub: I get a lot of my news from Kyodo News which is right here and they basically translate a lot of the stuff that's in Japanese news and make it into nuggets that are relevant to what you probably want to know about what's happening here in Japan.

00:09:28 John Daub: So this is the reason why I don't need to do a news program on Only in Japan Go it's like it's all here so I can't recreate the wheel. Just check out Kyodo News, which has been an amazing source of information.

00:09:48 John Daub: So let me go to your questions here. But basically, there's no real change in the travel situation. So if you're thinking about booking your trip to come to Japan, maybe July, maybe August.

00:10:12 John Daub: But the thing is, my feeling is that it's probably going to be through packaged tourism at first. Because my gut, and this is all assumption. This is all we have to go on. Is that Japan wants to be able to hold a group accountable.

00:10:36 John Daub: So if the situation does turn and something happens, it'll be companies being able to get in touch with the people on their packages. And they'll be able to get them out of Japan and be more accountable. Because if people start coming here on their own, it's very hard for them to get in touch with those people.

00:11:04 John Daub: Unless there's some app they make you install. I don't know. But it doesn't seem like we're going to be completely out of the woods until 2023. Where it's just like free.

00:11:20 John Daub: Because Japan is the oldest country in the world. The population is the oldest. They also feel that there's the greatest risk. As a result of that old population, the leadership is also old school.

00:11:44 John Daub: So they do things in the old way. Which is probably fax machines and phone calls. So information really doesn't get moved through Japan quickly like it does in the West. That's a good thing sometimes. And it's a bad thing more often to me as a non-Japanese than it is to my wife who is Japanese.

00:12:16 John Daub: Because Japanese like the way things work in Japan. You can't argue with that. Because Japan is Japan. They have their own way. As we're learning through international news. Every country has their own way to deal with things. And this is Japan's way to deal with the pandemic. Whether you agree with it or not. And I don't agree with it. But it is the rules and I do follow them. Like wearing a mask in public.

00:13:00 John Daub: Let me get to some of the questions that you had on the last video that I asked you about. If you have any questions, leave them on the video and I will get to them. I said that so I have to go through them.

00:13:20 John Daub: Did anyone hear a scream? What? Question. This is a laugh. LMFAO. Okay.

00:13:36 John Daub: My friends and I are wanting to visit Tokyo in late November and the start of the new cup World Cup. Are there any events watch parties for Japan national team during the match.

00:14:00 John Daub: There were for the World Cup when I was here in 2002 20 years ago. There were watch parties all over the place. I was in Toyohashi which had a very vibrant Brazilian population working in the factories in Aichi prefecture. And the watch parties were awesome.

00:14:32 John Daub: But I don't know if there's any dedicated watch parties. I know that most of the bars that have watch parties will have the World Cup on. But probably dedicated to just Japan. Unless there's like a really big game between top teams.

00:15:00 John Daub: But I don't think that because this is not taking place in Japan. It's going to be such a big LMFAO. A lot of parties. And it's too early to tell right now because the pandemic is still according to Japan still going on.

00:15:28 John Daub: And the state of emergency was just lifted a couple of weeks ago. I don't think they're really thinking about that yet. That's a good question.

00:15:44 John Daub: Planning to be in Tokyo and Hokkaido in August. Knock on wood. I have wood right here. My spouse is Japanese national so I'm staying positive.

00:16:12 John Daub: I'm guessing that there's going to be a way for you to get here in August. Whether or not it's going to be easy. I don't know. I think there's going to be a lot of jumping through hoops. That's just my feeling. It's gonna be a lot of jumping through hoops.

00:16:44 John Daub: But I would say book the ticket and make sure that it's cancelable. ANA has been pretty good with that. We were thinking of going to the US. They understood the situation. They allowed us to cancel and returned our money pretty quickly. So I'm pretty happy with ANA.

00:17:20 John Daub: I don't know any of the other airlines. I would not travel on any of the other airlines. I would pay an extra $100 or more to travel ANA. Just because it's so much better. I have more peace of mind. I know I'm going to get my luggage, etc. And I know they're going to take care of me on both sides. It's just the service is just second to none with ANA compared to the US carriers.

00:18:04 John Daub: Not that there's anything wrong with it. A family. Friends. Restaurant. Grill. Chateau. Used to be in that building. Okay.

00:18:20 John Daub: I'm going to look for the questions specifically. Ben writes in here. Thanks for helping the community and answering questions on traveling to Japan. You're welcome, Ben.

00:18:44 John Daub: Could you tell us how contact tracing is done in Tokyo? Is there an app? And as a tourist, do you see details? All right. So there is an app. And let me see here. It does actually notify me if I'm in close contact with somebody who...

00:19:20 John Daub: Here it is. It's active, too. I don't know. Can you see that? There. So it's a government app that allows me to check close contacts. And right now I don't have any close contacts.

00:19:52 John Daub: So the app actually has to make sure that it's on. But if somebody does report, I believe it's based on self-reporting. And maybe the government. I'm not sure of the background. But I use this app.

00:20:20 John Daub: And the government requires people to install this app, I believe, if they're quarantining, too. It also has a place where you can register the positive results. I don't know if you can download this unless you're living here in Japan.

00:20:52 John Daub: Yeah. Ross writes in here that ANA gave a full refund. See? They're really good. They're really good.

00:21:08 John Daub: Let's see here. A seventh wave will have a full refund. It will happen in Japan soon. I don't know if it's a seventh wave. But I think that the sixth wave went up really fast. And it's kind of coming down slowly. But it's sort of staying the same right now, which is worrying.

00:21:44 John Daub: But the state of emergency is not coming back, I don't believe. And Japan is learning how to live with it. Because the booster shots have been out. Anybody who wants one can get one really easily.

00:22:12 John Daub: And I'm stuttering. I'm stuttering because there's a slight delay. Just the slightest that throws you off your game like a curveball. But I got my booster shot pretty quick. Kanae has her booster shot. They're already talking about a fourth booster shot.

00:22:44 John Daub: So Japan is a lot more proactive than they were with this. And I think it's the realization that Japan has to learn to live with this is now sinking in. But they want to get through this wave first, which is why they're starting to talk about it.

00:23:12 John Daub: Because they're starting to talk about it to get the momentum going. Japan's not ready for tourism. I'll be honest with you right now. If tourism started, they're not ready.

00:23:36 John Daub: A lot of the hotels, they're just not there yet. It's going to take a little bit of momentum. Some of the attractions, they're still closed. There's a lot of places that closed down because they went bankrupt. Or they closed because there were not a lot of people to take advantage of those attractions.

00:24:12 John Daub: So to restart that, Japan, the government needs to signal to them that they are seriously considering opening. Which means that I think we're going to get that signal too. Because you need to book flights. You need to know how the procedures work. Japan needs to make that signal.

00:24:52 John Daub: And I'm guessing in a matter of weeks, we're going to get a signal. Especially to the businesses. Because again, they can't just quickly start to do this. It's going to have to take some time. Or else it's going to be chaos.

00:25:20 John Daub: And Japan is usually a well thought out and planned country. In my experience. They do things fairly well. That's irritating to us sometimes. Because there are a lot of rules and hoops to jump through.

00:25:52 John Daub: I see that the chat is going. I'm going to go to the chat in about a minute or so. So just hold off on your questions for the chat for a second.

00:26:08 John Daub: Erdogan, the COCOA tracker app is available on the US market. And the US Google Play store. Great. I think it's on iOS as well. The Apple app store. I think they might want you to install that before you come.

00:26:44 John Daub: And by the way, the vibes that I'm getting is that you might be asked for a vaccine passport. I don't know if it's something they ask for now. But it's very helpful. And if you need proof of vaccination, this could limit your quarantine time. And save you a lot of money. And time in a hotel.

00:27:24 John Daub: So if you are vaccinated, try to find a way to get proof. If you don't have a vaccine passport, make sure you come with the official documents to show that you've been vaccinated. Japan loves paperwork.

00:27:52 John Daub: So if you have paperwork, a doctor's note. Like I always told my brother who is diabetic to bring doctor's notes for the insulin. Because if you have proof, just in case they stop you, you have documentation.

00:28:28 John Daub: So always have that for something that might be questionable. Even though you don't need it for your own country. It really smooths things over. If you get one guy who is a pain in the neck, you just say, I've got documentation. Lets him off the hook.

00:29:00 John Daub: It's something to think about with Japan. Paperwork, they love it here. It's like eliminate paper? No way. They love that here. More documents, more signatures. You can just make stuff up. I didn't say that.

00:29:32 John Daub: If you just have paperwork, it just looks more official. Like you did your homework. Does JR or the government know? No, the other line still offers special day passes.

00:30:00 John Daub: Japan Rail, actually, they have a lot more passes than the Japan Rail Pass. Which is the one that allows you access to the entire country. If you're just thinking of going to Tohoku, which I encourage everybody to do, you can get the pass in Japan very easily with a non-Japanese passport.

00:30:36 John Daub: Even if you're a resident of Japan, and you've got a foreign passport, you can get these passes. The Japan Rail Pass is only for tourists. But foreign residents living in Japan can get these JR passes, which is pretty awesome.

00:31:12 John Daub: I've been using the JR Tohoku Pass. And there's one also for Nagano and Niigata, which is available to residents. So I believe you might even be able to get the one down in Kyushu. And there's a Kansai Pass.

00:31:44 John Daub: So JR is recognizing that foreign nationals living in Japan should have access to these passes. So you can get these a lot more easily than you used to. Yeah. I've been using JR to travel a few years ago here in Japan. You just need your passport.

00:32:20 John Daub: I'll put a link in the description and you can check out to see some of the pass options. But as an advocate for JR East, I love them. They give me access and grant me permission to film in certain places that are very restricted.

00:32:56 John Daub: I know that this pass is something that they hope encourages more tourism to the regions in Tohoku, which are especially, particularly in Japan. So I would say go check them out.

00:33:24 John Daub: It's a great way to impact it, especially because of the earthquake and tsunami ten years ago. They're still in reconstruction mode. Thanks for asking about that.

00:33:44 John Daub: Merrigan writes in here, I'm going to miss Tokyo Eye. I started watching on 2014. Last year it was Kawaii International. Some of the other shows suddenly disappeared. J-Trip Planner and LaunchOn. This is true. Japan. Nani?

00:34:20 John Daub: Oh, Leo just woke up. So April 1st starts the new year in Japan. That means new TV shows on NHK. They end the things at the end of March and they start anew in April.

00:34:52 John Daub: And my show that I've been on since 2008, which is like 14 years, which is crazy, ended last month. And I was on one of the last episodes to say goodbye to present Akihabara. You can see this on NHK World video on demand, which is kind of a neat episode.

00:35:36 John Daub: And I think you can see Only in Japan Go. This channel is on the NHK. I showed you the inside of Akihabara's Sega World before they closed that down and changed it to GiGO. And they put that on the show, which is pretty cool.

00:36:12 John Daub: But I'm Tokyo Eye, I finished. So hopefully my connections at NHK World, a lot of the producers, and directors know me quite well and can rely on me. I'll be able to jump on another show reporting about the great things of Tokyo once again.

00:36:52 John Daub: Because when you make friends with some of the producers and directors at any channel, often they go to people that they can trust for new shows to help launch it. And I'm always happy to be a part of it.

00:37:20 John Daub: It was always such an honor to be on Tokyo Eye. I think I did 50 episodes for them, which is crazy over the years. But it's always an honor. When they bring you back on, that means you did a pretty good job. If you didn't do a good job, they don't call you again.

00:38:00 John Daub: So it's such a huge honor. Jay, thanks for asking about that. I hope that you are not John Dove from somewhere else in the Marvel Universe. I don't know what that means.

00:38:24 John Daub: Do you think the reopening of tourists will have to wait until after the next Japanese election in late July? I'm not sure. I think there is a growing sense among the Japanese population that the economy is doing bad. Inflation is starting to see that.

00:38:56 John Daub: And Japan, I believe, is going to want to do everything it can to shore up more dollars, more money. And the tourism industry is one of those things that has been dragging down the economy because it was built up for it. People had created jobs based on it. And a lot of that has been lost.

00:39:36 John Daub: So to restart that might be one way for Prime Minister Kishida to shore up support and show that the economy is coming back on. I'm not really sure. But there's a lot of really good politicians that are more proactive with starting up tourism than Prime Minister Kishida, who is doing the best job he can do. I honestly believe that.

00:40:24 John Daub: I do believe that summer, Japan's going to open up. I'm a very optimistic person. This is... I believe. Please put an asterisk. I believe. Because, you know, they have to. If other countries are opening up, they're going to have to show signs.

00:41:00 John Daub: And I think that it's going to... You're going to get those nuggets of information in the next couple of weeks. Is it illegal to remove trees like that?

00:41:20 John Daub: So yesterday I showed Sakura Dori, which is building a new high-rise apartment on Sakura Street. They removed a lot of the cherry blossom trees, the Somei Yoshino that were quite old.

00:41:52 John Daub: It's not against the law to cut down a tree. You just have to have permission of the city to do something like that. And I believe they got the permits because that's a famous cherry blossom street.

00:42:24 John Daub: I bet you they replant them when the building is finished construction, just because it's ridiculous to have a Sakura Dori without Sakura trees. And no, the cherry blossom trees do not have fruit on them. Just... I get that question a lot.

00:43:00 John Daub: It's a Sakura tree. And in English, we call them cherry blossoms. But a Sakura is cherry blossom. So it's not actually a cherry. It's a cherry blossom. So you get it, most of you.

00:43:24 John Daub: John, is it open already to visit? If you're a resident or working here or a student with a visa, you can come into Japan. Jetstar Australia is selling flights to Osaka from June. Follow the airlines.

00:44:00 John Daub: This is from Brett Taylor. Follow the airlines and you will start to get inside information because they're in close contact with the government. They're the ones who profit off of this. And they are the ones who want you to come.

00:44:36 John Daub: If you do get a ticket with Jetstar, make sure that it's refundable. Or make sure you pay a little bit more to get that refundable option. Peace of mind. Because Japan will say one thing, but they're very set on how the people think. And people are very risk averse and scared.

00:45:20 John Daub: So if a new variant comes, be prepared to wait a little bit longer. But it looks like we are, of course, closer to the end than we are to the beginning.

00:45:44 John Daub: All right. I hope it doesn't endanger the sakura trees. I hope so too, Rose. Okay, a lot of questions here.

00:46:00 John Daub: I'm hoping to visit Japan in the autumn. This is from Joe Talent. If things go well, do you think there will be a chance that rules will change about wearing masks outdoors?

00:46:36 John Daub: There's no actual rule to wear a mask. But I know this is one of the reasons why Japan is a little hesitant to open up to foreign tourism. One of the reasons why Japan has not 100,000 people a day getting sick. Why they have millions getting sick is because people wear masks.

00:47:20 John Daub: And when in Rome, do as the Romans. When in Japan, do as the Japanese. There's no actual law. But society means that you should be thinking about the other people around you.

00:47:52 John Daub: So just because you don't have to wear a mask in your country, doesn't mean that you shouldn't be wearing one in Japan. I do. I wear flimsy, something that probably doesn't offer a lot of protection, but it makes people feel at ease, societal rules type of thing.

00:48:36 John Daub: Alright? So I want you to really... When you come to Japan, you are a guest. But you really should be thinking about the Japanese people and their feelings. And you as a guest would do the same if you go into somebody's household. And they're thinking about you too.

00:49:20 John Daub: But in crowded places on public transportation, in crowded areas, you should be wearing a mask. And I saw on late night TV, when you go into an audience on, I don't know, all of the late night shows, the audience is all wearing masks.

00:50:00 John Daub: So yeah, I mean, like maybe not on a flight, but in Japan on public transportation, nearly 99% is wearing masks. And when you don't wear a mask, Japanese people take note of that. And they group you in with all foreigners. And that hurts me as someone who lives here.

00:50:44 John Daub: So that's why I want to make sure you understand this. Walter Street writes in here, Do you think that my wife and I can somewhat plan for traveling to Japan in January, February 2023, late honeymoon?

00:51:20 John Daub: Yes. I'm going to just go out on a limb and say, you know, this could change, but it seems like 2023 is going to be fine. I bet you once they open up the border, it's a question of just living with it. So thanks for asking that.

00:51:56 John Daub: Mohammed, thanks for being here. Thanks for being a member. And Chan writes in here, Hi, Leo. Leo is trying to say hi behind you. And this is the way Leo is saying hi. He really is. Yeah, this is, that's his way.

00:52:44 John Daub: I think when he wakes up, he gets a little cranky, but he wakes up and he's smiling and having fun. I think he wants to play with these Daimyo packages. I see.

00:53:12 John Daub: I've been trying for the longest time to send packages to even the United States. And today is the day right after this. I take these large packages. I'm going to send these larger boxes to the post office to send to you.

00:53:52 John Daub: So the supporters are getting these. Leo wants to probably play with the boxes. I'm not going to let him slobber on them for your sake. Those that are Daimyo supporters on Patreon.

00:54:24 John Daub: I believe that Autumn is going to be fine. Look, I really can't say for sure because there's no definitive news. But three things bookmark the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and check often.

00:55:00 John Daub: Number two, follow the airlines and check and call them often. Number three, if you need a visa, call the consulate. Shawshank Redemption that.

00:55:28 John Daub: All right. They'll tell you to stop calling. Just call once a week. It's up to you to get the most up to date information. All right. And you want to be first in line. I want you to be first in line.

00:56:00 John Daub: So if you can get that information before somebody posted on Twitter, then you'll be able to get in line first. I don't even know how long it takes. I don't know how long that line is. But in Japan, we love to wait in lines. It's insane.

00:56:36 John Daub: James writes in here, hopefully going back to Japan this September. But I suppose we will see. I'm planning to go to Kyoto for half my trip. Is it worth to get the JR rail pass?

00:57:12 John Daub: Yes. I think first you need to sort of map out what you want to accomplish when you get here. What do you want to see and do? Do you really want to travel around a lot? The rail pass pays off.

00:57:52 John Daub: If you're going to be making two or three trips long distances in Japan, then if you do the math, it'll work out. But if you're not, consider just flying.

00:58:24 John Daub: Again, we have budget airlines like Peach Aviation. We have Jetstar. We have Skymark that are really cheap. And in fact, if you book in advance, you can get a domestic flight for under $100 going from place to place.

00:59:00 John Daub: And it's so much faster because it's seven hours to get to Fukuoka by Shinkansen. Or like 75 minutes on a flight, which is like half a day, really. So you want to think about these things. Sometimes it's better to fly. Sometimes it's better to get the rail pass.

00:59:44 John Daub: And consider the regional rail passes, not just the all-encompassing Japan Rail Pass. Maybe it makes more sense to get a regional pass for one week and just get the Japan Rail Pass for one week. You can maybe save some money that way.

01:00:24 John Daub: So it just depends on what you want to do. What you want to accomplish on a trip here. Thanks, James.

01:00:44 John Daub: Sarah writes in here, Hi, John. Thank you so much for the videos. Just been following you since the start of the pandemic. And my sister moved to Japan. I saw a few questions about visiting family already.

01:01:20 John Daub: As a foreigner, how will it affect being able to visit family? If you have family in Japan, contact the consulate about visiting them. Sometimes based on the rules, I'm hearing that if you are directly related to a family member, that means your family member can take responsibility for you.

01:02:00 John Daub: You're not really a tourist in a traditional sense. You're visiting family. And there's cases where you can visit. Like, I would hope that my mother and father would be able to visit me because of Leo is here and have a special circumstances to get a visa because we have Japanese family here.

01:02:44 John Daub: So maybe it goes with that. But if your daughter was a foreign national living there, I don't know. But it's worth contacting the consulate and embassies to see if you can possibly get an exception.

01:03:20 John Daub: If you have somebody in Japan who might vouch for you on this side. I don't know. Again, the policies are changing so quickly, Sarah, but it would be something to look into for sure.

01:03:56 John Daub: Yeah, I hate when people remove trees, though. I get like get a little upset unless they plant new ones. But even then these trees have seen a lot even though they don't have eyes.

01:04:32 John Daub: Actual new year or just to start it's not an actual new year but it feels like everything starts April 1st in Japan it feels like that's the start of everything so more so than in the West like school starts April 1st whereas it starts in September in the US.

01:05:12 John Daub: Um so let's see here this is uh way farmed do you expect inflation to affect the prices for tourists you know what all right right now if you are living in the US you have a bargain in Japan.

01:05:52 John Daub: The inflation has not gone up to the same rate as it has in the US but the exchange rate has. In fact you can get I think it's 20 percent cheaper now than it was two years ago.

01:06:24 John Daub: All right I think it was like 105 to the dollar it's now like 124 to the dollar 124 yen to one dollar so if you're changing a hundred dollars you get 12,400 yen two years ago if you change a hundred dollars you got 10,500 yen so you're getting extra 20 dollars for every hundred dollars you exchange so that's a good thing.

01:07:12 John Daub: So if this um favorable exchange rate continues into the summer yeah you're going to get a 20 percent increase in the exchange rate and you're going to get a 20 percent discount granted the prices might increase slightly but inflation in Japan has been historically low to deflation so we will see.

01:07:56 John Daub: But I'm starting to see prices on everything rise here in Japan but it's not on the same scale unlike the United States. Japan is still importing Russian gas so I mean just to give you an indication they're not really on board with all of this yet but you know the pressure is there.

01:08:36 John Daub: Uh question here when coming to Japan how and who do check about medication you need to bring coming to Japan i don't know i think the medication that you need to bring but if you need to get medication um and you get sick when you're here you're going to have to visit a doctor so bring your insurance card because you're going to have to get that taken care of.

01:09:24 John Daub: I think we got a guest just curious how travel between Japan Okinawa and Japan. As I recall, Okinawa was a vacation destination there.

01:10:00 John Daub: I guess he's got his Anpanman vehicle that I bought him for birthday. Yeah, Okinawa is open. It's part of Japan. It's not another country and Okinawa, there's flights all over the place. They had a state of emergency but it's now not a problem.

01:10:44 John Daub: He hates it at first and then he loves it. So no problem on visiting Okinawa at all. I recommend that you do.

01:11:12 John Daub: The president of the Japan National Tourism Organization in Australia stated this a few weeks ago