Japan has had some of the strictest border restrictions of any country throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Or コロナ禍 (corona-ka), as it’s called here. Thankfully, the government has slowly started rethinking its absolute border closure. But the day tourists can once again fill the streets of Tokyo still seems a while away.
Last time I flew to the US, I had the lovely surprise mid-trip to find out my state had been added to Japan’s list of designated quarantine locations. Upon return to Japan, I would have to stay in a quarantine hotel for a week.
This post will detail my experiences with quarantine in Japan. Although the government has removed most quarantine requirements at the time of this post, I write this post for several reasons: 1) this position has been reversed multiple times in the past so there is a chance quarantine will be required again in the future, 2) if you test positive for covid on arrival you will have mandatory quarantine for two weeks anyway, and 3) I think it’s an interesting, unique experience worth sharing. Let me know what you think, and what experiences you’ve had with quarantine in your country!
Hopping on the quarantine bus
So, back to where I left off on part 2 of this “return to Japan” series. After passing immigration, you wait together with everyone else shipping off to quarantine. Eventually they led us to a tiny hotel bus specially chartered for us. Tip #1, sit at the very front of the bus. (You will get to your room so much faster. After the long flight and all the airport procedures, you’ll thank me for this.)
The two times I had quarantine in Japan, the bus ride took about an hour or two. Travel time varies depending on what hotel they (randomly) assign you. This time, I went from Haneda airport to Shinagawa. I would spend a week… very unfortunately… at the unspeakably tiny… APA Hotel.
Those of you in Japan know the name. APA Hotels have the hilarious “benefit” of having everything within reach of the bed. Or so Japanese netizens like to joke. As a “business hotel” designed to have its customers on business trips spend only their sleeping hours there, APA Hotel rooms are the size of a closet. They’re definitely not designed for a week-long enclosure. But alas, government contracts with this chain of hotels led me to this unfortunate fate.
Check-in for hotel quarantine in Japan
A mix of worn-out Japanese staff and heavy-lidded south Asian translators met us upon arrival. (Considering the hour at which we got there, I’m sure everyone involved only had sleep on their minds.) These quarantine hotels get entirely reserved for international arrivals, so check-in consists of only your fellow travelers. It still takes a while. The staff confirm your identity, explain the rules of your stay, hand you even more documents, and send you off with a sad-looking bento to your new home for the next few days.
You can’t choose your meals. Some (not all) hotels do offer vegetarian or halal bento options though. Confirm at check-in if you have dietary restrictions. If you have allergies, confirm at every meal. While I don’t think anyone has died yet, I’ve heard countless stories of people receiving allergens in their meal. The staff either don’t know or don’t care enough to check.
Contrary to popular belief, most Japanese bento are horribly unhealthy. Carbs, deep-fried meat, and more carbs. You’re lucky if you find a lonely boiled broccoli hitching a ride. Eating that for three meals a day (yes, even breakfast) for an entire week will make you sick. Bring healthy snacks!
My hotel had a halal/vegan option (covering all their bases) that saved me from stomach troubles, but left me unbearably hungry. Boiled unseasoned vegetables, salad, and rice—taken straight out of the fridge with no option to heat up. Thankfully Japan’s love of tea meant my room had a kettle, so I warmed myself with instant soup and coffee.
What a day in quarantine in Japan looks like
The next morning at 7:30, we awoke to loudspeakers in our room telling people to prepare for their covid tests. Everyone must test negative before leaving, but you only take the test once or twice during your stay. Jet-lag combined with long announcements in broken English meant I spent my mornings lounging in bed, hungry and unable to sleep. Some hotels also have you report your temperature by 8am. Forget, or report something higher than 36.4, and you get a call from the nurse asking, “大丈夫？”
Every day at 8 am, noon, and 6 pm, I would hear a chime followed by a three-minute announcement. “...and careful not to absentminded lock your key inside of your room…” And I would hurry to my door, crack it open, and grab the ice-cold bento and lukewarm tea just outside. When you have nothing to do, you look forward to every little event.
With the frosted window only opening a crack, I had no idea about the weather or time of day. I left the news on most of the time to get a sense of the outside world. My hotel did not have any laundry services, though they offered to send detergent for washing clothes in the tub… I could receive packages, on a few conditions. Tell the front desk by the night before, no raw/refrigerated food, the staff must check the contents beforehand, etc.
We also had to respond to notifications from the various apps we downloaded on arrival. Apart from that, there was nothing else to do during quarantine in Japan. Even if you’re not easily bored, a week trapped in a cramped room can make anyone go stir-crazy.
Last day of quarantine
Day six rolled around and I was so ready to get out of there. I took the covid test kit left at my door and spit into the tube, just like at the airport. Nurses in protective suits knocked on our doors to collect individual samples and confirm our identities again. After that, the morning continued as normal.
Around 2:30 pm, the front desk called to say we would be leaving immediately. (I guess I was negative for covid?) I hurried to gather my luggage and rushed out the door, ecstatic to be out of that tiny hotel room. We all boarded the same bus again and headed back to the airport. For some unknown reason, this was the only option for leaving the quarantine hotel.
Our arrival at the airport was almost comically ironic. They kicked us off at the arrivals bus stop and… just left… without a word. All that fanfare when we first arrived, but once quarantine was over they just let us run free. Technically we could not use any form of public transportation to get home, but apparently a lot of Japanese people flaunted that rule. (We foreigners could get our visas revoked; Japanese citizens have no such consequences.) So I headed over to the rental car desk, filled out some paperwork, and drove myself home, singing along to the radio blasting.
Thoughts on quarantine in Japan
I didn’t hate my week in quarantine, but I would not wish this situation on anyone. I felt three things I rarely ever experience: boredom, insatiable hunger, and an intense desire for the outdoors. (The definition of first-world problems, I know.) When you lose the freedom to do what you want—like going for a walk or choosing your own food—you suddenly really miss it.
Now that we’re three years in to the pandemic with no end in sight, people have hit the limit of tolerating restrictions. That, and widespread vaccination programs, means we will probably soon see the end to strict quarantines. I guess my Japanese quarantine story will just end up something fun to tell people in a few decades, when we finally get to put COVID-19 behind us.
How was your quarantine experience, in Japan or another country? Similar, different? Comment, and hit subscribe if you want to learn more about Japan (for when COVID restrictions finally do go away)!