A Guide to the Visit Japan Web app and Japan Entry Procedures

The Japanese government “strongly recommends” that you use an app called Visit Japan Web to upload your Covid vaccine status and/or your negative Covid test status.

If you are not triple vaccinated (ie, boosted) or if you are unvaccinated, you will need to have a negative Covid test within 72 hours of boarding your flight to Japan. For more details on this, see our Covid Vaccination and Testing page.

Technically, you can bring hardcopy proof of vaccination or negative test results instead BUT some airlines might refuse to board you and your passage through your arrival airport will be much slower. These apps allow you to use Fast Track (expedited travel lanes through Japanese airports).

Visit Japan Web

Visit Japan Web app

The Japanese government strongly recommends that you use the Visit Japan Web app to upload your Covid vaccination and/or Covid test documents. Using this app will allow you to move much more quickly through your arrival airport.

Quick note: If you successfully complete Visit Japan Web and your vaccination and or test results are accepted, you get a blue screen. You might wonder why it’s blue and not green, since the app is modeled on traffic lights. The reason is this: Japanese use the word “aoi” (blue) to describe a green traffic light (which is puzzling, because they have a word for green: “midori”).

• Here’s the Visit Japan Web download site.
• Here’s a detailed manual for using Visit Japan Web.

Japan Entry Procedures

Arrivals: Narita Airport, Japan – image © Toby Oxborrow / CC BY-SA 2.0

Before you land in Japan, you will likely be given a disembarkation/embarkation card, just like before the pandemic. You’ll have to give the address of your first night’s lodgings, so it’s handy to have that to hand.

Upon disembarking in Japan, you’ll be asked to show your Visit Japan Web completion screen. You may be given a piece of paper to hand to someone further along. If your Visit Japan Web screen is blue, you’ll be able to breeze through several checkpoints until you get to immigration (passport control), where you’ll be asked to show your passport, disembarkation/embarkation card and Visit Japan Web completion screen. If you still have a piece of paper given by a previous screener, you’ll also have to hand that over.

After clearing immigration, you’ll enter the customs hall, pick up your luggage and pass through a customs inspection counter, where you will only have to show your passport. Once you clear customs, you will not be required to show your Visit Japan Web completion screen to anyone else during your entire stay in Japan.

Kyoto District Map

• Arashiyama
• Central Kyoto
• Northwest Kyoto
• Nishijin
• Northern Higashiyama
• Southern Higashiyama
• Downtown Kyoto
• Kyoto Station Area
• South East Kyoto