THE country of Cherry Blossoms, also known as Japan, has become one of the well-loved countries amongst Filipinos due to its culture and traditions.
Aside from the merchandise of your favorite anime and the taste of authentic Japanese cuisine; a trip to Japan gives you a whole lot of new experiences, a type of experience that will forever stay in the minds of those who visited.
Why Japan is famous for tourist destinations
From must-try cuisines to must-see Japanese landscapes, being in the land of the Rising Sun gives many tourists who are visiting a whole lot of must-not-miss experiences.
Last year, Filipino tourists contributed a staggering 31.6% increase (818,700 visitors) in Japan; reaching a historic high according to the preliminary figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Among Southeast Asian countries, The Philippines also ranks second among the highest amongst Southeast Asian countries tracked by the JNTO after Thailand.
The Philippines is also one of the biggest markets for Japan in 2024; marking seventh next to South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US, and Thailand.
Longer visa process
Getting into the land of Cherry Blossoms used to be easy but due to the increasing number of visa applications from different nations, processing of tourist visas now takes at least two months–unlike the previous five working days as of January 9, 2025.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), among Southeast Asian nations; the Philippines was listed as the largest increase in tourists visiting between 2023-2024 that doesn’t have visa exemptions.
Some travel firms that are accredited by the Japanese embassy in the Philippines are no longer accepting walk-in applicants and others have temporarily ceased to accept tourist visa applications altogether.
The longer visa process for this is only applicable for tourists or short-stay visas where tourists can only stay for 15 to 30 days in the country.
Travelers are encouraged to apply at least two months before their intended traveling date, according to the embassy’s website. Compared to the previous processing duration, that is four times longer.
Meanwhile, according to the embassy’s website and travel agencies list, there is no change to the requirements as before for any type of visa.
Is it the Philippines only affected?
Among the Asian nations, the Philippines is the only country affected by this due fact that it is the only country in Southeast Asia and Eastern Asia that does not grant visas to its residents for brief visits to Japan.
The number of available slots for Filipino tourists has not been reduced but rather it is only the processing time for tourist visas that has changed.
Most agencies no longer accept walk-ins, so it is best to set an appointment with the embassy online and arrive at the agency on your appointed date. The appointment intends to control the amount of applications they receive.
It is also best to secure every document you’ll need so that there will be no further delay for your application.
When considering applying for a tourist visa, travelers should also verify if the travel agency is accredited by the Japanese embassy.
The Embassy of Japan has only accredited seven travel agencies to receive visa applications on its behalf:
- Universal Holidays Inc.
- Discovery Tour Inc.
- Rajah Travel Corporation
- Reli Tours & Travel Agency
- Attic Tours Philippines Inc.
- Friendship Tours and Resorts Corporation
- Pan Pacific Travel Corporation (this agency can only serve those who don’t require documents and assistance in Japanese)
Short notice travel is also highly discouraged as the embassy cannot accommodate requests for early release of passports based on the scheduled date of departure.
For any additional questions, you can contact the Japan Visa Information Hotline at (+63-2) 8540-0006.
