MOSCOW, Feb 16 (News On Japan) –
Long strains have been forming every day outdoors the Japanese Embassy in Russia as individuals search vacationer visas to go to Japan, with an unprecedented growth in journey curiosity regardless of Moscow designating Japan an “unfriendly nation” over sanctions associated to the Ukraine invasion.
In Moscow, round 200 individuals have been seen standing in a queue below freezing winter skies, many hoping to safe visas in time for spring journey. One lady in line mentioned it could be her first journey to Tokyo and that she deliberate to go to Osaka afterward, whereas one other mentioned the crowds may very well be even bigger, noting that some candidates deliver tents through the summer season as curiosity in visiting Japan continues to develop.
The variety of Russian vacationers visiting Japan had plunged through the pandemic and following the invasion of Ukraine, however in 2025 it rebounded to a document 194,900 guests. Compared with Europe, the place visa procedures for Russians have tightened because the invasion, Japan’s vacationer visa is taken into account comparatively simpler to acquire, boosting its recognition as a vacation spot.
Although Russia has designated Japan an “unfriendly nation” in response to sanctions, an unprecedented Japan journey growth is now underway. Many candidates cited a need to see cherry blossoms, with one saying she needed to view the sakura as a result of her birthday falls in spring, and others timing their first journeys to coincide with the blooming season. As a outcome, lengthy queues have shaped every day outdoors the embassy throughout this era.
To address the surge in visa purposes, the Japanese Embassy on February 12 opened visa facilities in two cities, together with Moscow, introducing a brand new reservation system aimed toward eliminating ready strains. The services even embrace premium rooms the place candidates can loosen up on sofas with drinks whereas finishing procedures.
Travelers described detailed itineraries, with one planning a solo journey to Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Tokyo, adopted by every week in Tokyo, two days at a seashore in Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture, and visits to Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. Others mentioned they have been desirous to attempt ramen, tonkatsu, and sushi, whereas one runner deliberate to participate within the Tokyo Marathon on March 1 and benefit from the metropolis’s ambiance. On social media, posts introducing Japanese vacationer spots have proliferated, and a few have even canceled weddings to journey to Japan as an alternative.
At a Russian restaurant in Tokyo’s Kichijoji district, Cafe RUSSIA, workers say Russian prospects go to virtually every day. Manager Ksenia Betts mentioned the variety of Russian guests seems to have elevated in contrast with a decade in the past, including that many followers of anime and Japanese dramas at the moment are touring to Japan.
Since direct flights between Russia and Japan have been suspended by airways following the invasion of Ukraine, many Russian vacationers now journey through Chinese cities corresponding to Beijing and Shanghai. The Japanese Embassy in Russia mentioned that whereas bilateral relations stay tough, it welcomes the visits as laying a basis for future ties between the 2 international locations.
Source: FNN