^{I didn’t expect to be talking Covid for my first blog following our November 2023 trip to Japan. But here I am – talking about it, recovering from it. And hoping other travellers will take note – be cautious, be prepared. Covid still lurks.}

^{Firstly, Covid did not ‘rain on our parade’. It presented a challenge, but we are now home after a fabulous 5th trip to Japan. I think its success was due to good preparation, intensive research and good luck. So, this story isn’t to warn you not to travel. It simply urges you to consider Covid as part of your travel plans, and be prepared.}

^{When I visited in November 2022, Japan had just reopened to independent travellers, and there were still a multitude of Covid measures in place. Deep cleaning at hotels and public places. People were aware. Travellers, locals and governments took responsibility when it came to Covid. Even the MITSUKOSHI Lions in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi were masked!}

^{You had to present vaccination certificates, there were Covid reporting facilities. I think there were still quarantining facilities for travellers still operating. Cafes/restaurants had clear partitions in place on tables. Hand sanitisers and temperature taking machines were everywhere. You couldn’t walk into stores without having your temperature taken. And everyone was masked. There were also very few foreign tourists. No massive crowds at tourist attractions. Covid was present, and you were constantly reminded of it. The measures felt protective.}

^{Returning in November this year, things had changed drastically. The protective coat of the various measures was gone. The Lions had no masks, and looked ready to party for Halloween. It was if Covid had never existed. Shhhh – don’t mention it.}

^{The tourists were back big time and having fun- their numbers reportedly greater than pre-pandemic. Japan has become the new ‘in’ destination, and it is being embraced by visitors from throughout the world.}

^{Even the welcome party for our flight into Tokyo displayed no masks.}

^{Tourist numbers were overwhelming in places like Kyoto and Osaka. Tourist officials were scrambling to put on enough local transport to cope. And most overseas visitors that we saw were not masking. Locals? Difficult to say. Perhaps half and half. It seemed to depend on what region we were in. Like Aussies, I think Japan wants Covid to be over.}

^{This time there were no quarantine measures, no reporting measures. When we turned up for our plane flights, we weren’t asked ‘have you had a temperature lately’ – ‘can you check your temperature here please’. For the record, neither of us had a temperature with our brush with covid.}

^{Like Australia, covid in Japan seemed to have been swept under the carpet – gone away. Only it wasn’t. It isn’t. Like Australia, it is on the rise again.}

^{So, where did that put us as travellers? Where Covid was concerned, we were on our own, and needed to be well prepared to take care of ourselves.}

^{Firstly, we now have had five vaccinations. And we believe that ensured that, when we got Covid (our very first time), it was only mild – like an annoying cold. No fever.}

^{Secondly, we were able to test, monitor and treat ourselves by including in our travelling kit a thermometer, a pulse metre, an abundance of quality masks, quality covid test kits, small hand sanitiser bottles, antiseptic wipes, paracetamol, electrolytes and vitamins. We had the backup of travel insurance that we could have called on for extra medical assistance if we had needed it.}

^{Planning our trip, we deliberately chose to stay off the popular tourist tracks for much of our itinerary. In fact, we never saw another westerner for almost the first two weeks of our trip. It is interesting that when we did get Covid – husband first, me inevitably following – it was in Kyoto where it was impossible to avoid a crowd, even by going early to an attraction or for a meal.}

^{Of course, you can’t stay masked 24/7 – you do have to remove it to eat, to drink. We don’t know where in Kyoto Covid caught us. But it did.}

^{Luck was in because we were at the beginning of an extended stay in Kyoto when my husband tested positive . We also had a nice comfortable and roomy hotel room, with a window that opened for fresh air. Here luck was with us as a few hotels back in our itinerary, our room was tiny with a fixed window.}

^{We reacted quickly to juggle our itinerary and extend our Kyoto stay and our hotel to allow more isolation, rest and recuperation time.}

^{We couldn’t completely quarantine, without support. We didn’t know what the hotel reaction would be if we reported our covid. Would there be any authority we could turn to if we were turfed out?}

^{There was no instruction to alert hotels about covid. So, we isolated as best we could, and looked after each other. We went out briefly – masked – to fetch food and other supplies- always keeping our distance from others where possible.}

^{I wished we could have shouted ‘for heavens sake, mask up. We have Covid. So,no doubt, have others around you!’ Because, realistically, we would not have been the only ones. Amongst all those crowds of travellers, and yes, locals, there would have been plenty of others walking around with Covid or flu, which is also on the rise.}

^{When we flew to Japan, our State Premier, Deputy Premier and Chief of Staff were all on our plane. It was the first direct flight between Japan and Tokyo by ANA, and the politicians were drumming up trade and business with Japan. They only stayed a few days, but all returned to Australia with Covid.}

^{I noted the Premier didn’t mask up in the airport, and indeed, I removed mine when he offered to have a photo taken with me. Foolish thing to do, really. I realised afterwards that, when taking photos with others on travels without your mask, make it quick. I follow the 15 second rule – hold your breath for that long as a safeguard. Does it work? No idea. Worth a try. I saw researchers recently claimed it was a good practice to follow if someone with Covid passes you. Good research guys. How do you know that person passing has Covid?}

^{I, of course, could not hold my breath long enough when closeted in a hotel room with my covid positive husband! I did insist on having the window wide open. But all that chilly November fresh air and ‘you stay on that half of the room, and I’ll stay on mine’ didn’t save me.}

^{My point in all this: don’t stop travelling. But be very aware that Covid still lurks – alongside its contagious mate, flu.}

^{Consider this when planning your travels, and be prepared. I think longer stays in a few places, fanning out on day trips, works well in this situation, rather than moving around every few days. This way if you become ill, you have a better chance of being in one place for recovery and isolation.}

^{As for us – we are home again, with new lessons learnt for travelling. My doctor tells me that we would have been no longer contagious after five days, even if we were still testing positive. Good to know for future trips.}

^{We are rejoicing in being mask free – at least within our own house and garden. We’ve unpacked our souvenirs, downloaded our photos, and are relaxing with Japanese chocolates and sake. Probably all gone by the time you read this! Memories of a wonderful trip will endure and spur us on to another Japanese adventure next year – Covid permitting.}

STAY TUNED FOR MORE STORIES FROM OUR WONDERFUL 2023 TRIP TO JAPAN