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Japan government announced that they started the Go To Travel Campaign to encourage people to travel around Japan from July 22nd, 2020 onwards. This is a great opportunity to travel cheap in Japan! This campaign is not for international travelers but only for residents in Japan. So if you already live in Japan, why not going for a trip around Japan with the Go To Travel Campaign?
In this article, we will explain what the Go To Travel Campaign is and how to travel cheap with it!
What is the Go To Travel Campaign?
The Go To Campaign consists of 4 different campaigns which will support the industries which have been severely affected by COVID-19 such as travel, food, entertainment industries etc. Go To Travel Campaign is one of these campaigns and the government will cover half of the domestic travel costs up to 20,000 yen per person per day (up to 10,000 yen for a day trip) with issuing coupons which are worth 15% of travel costs which you can use at the restaurant, other facilities or transportation etc, and giving 35% off discount on the travel package.
There is no limit for the number of traveling with campaign, so you can repeatedly travel at a half price in Japan during the campaign. This campaign will last until February 1st for overnight trips and January 31st for a day trip in 2021 (or if the budget for Go To Travel Campaign has been reached, the campaign will end earlier than scheduled).
*Tokyo residents and trips to Tokyo are excluded from the campaign but the government is planning to include them from October 1st, 2020. We will update the information when the official announcement is made.
How does Go To Travel Campaign work?
It is basically a package deal and the campaign will cover half of the travel costs up to 20,000 yen per person per day. About 70% of reimbursement is actual discount on the package and about 30% of it is with coupons that you can use for gift shops, restaurants, amusement parks and transportation.
- If your travel package costs 20,000 yen, you can save a half of the costs which is 10,000 yen with the campaign. You will pay 13,000 yen for your trip but you will get 3,000 yen worth coupons. With that, you can save 10,000 yen in total.
- If your travel cost is 50,000 yen, a half of the costs will be 25,000 yen, however, the reimbursement is up to 20,000 yen per day. So you will pay 36,000 yen out of the total costs and will get 6,000 yen worth coupons. With coupons, eventually you can save 20,000 yen in total.
But please note that distributing coupons will start on October 1st, until then you can get only discount on the package cost.
How to apply for the Go To Travel Campaign
Book a package via travel agencies or book the accommodation directly.
If you book a package via travel agency, accommodations and transportation (trains, highway fee, airplane, bus etc.) will be included but if you book accommodations directly, transportation will be excluded from the discount. But either way, you will get coupons.
The discount is not only valid for the accommodation but also if you book overnight transportation such as a cruise ship, the overnight ferry or a sleeper train (excluding overnight transportation that only offers seats), you can get a discount for those too.
If you want to go on a day trip, the campaign will cover your transportation fee + food or activities.
If you already made a booking for your trip before the campaign started, you can still apply the discount if you go on a trip between July 22nd to August 31st.
Submit the papers online or mail to the office after the trip.
E.g. For overnight trip, you have to submit;
1) application form
2) original receipts
3) verification of accommodation
4) bank account
5) copy of cash card or bank book
6) copy of license card or insurance card (something they can check your address)
7) If you have companions, you will need to submit the paper for the verification of their residence
After these documents got approved, you will get a refund. These forms you will have to submit are available from the website (only available in Japanese)
If you want to apply online, you can apply from here.
Let’s “Go To Travel” with Japan Wonder Travel!
All the official information about the Go To Travel Campaign is available only in Japanese, but don’t worry, we can arrange your trip for you! What we can do; we can arrange your trip including transportation and accommodation/ activities.
We have package tours with the Go To Travel Campaign, usually our package will include the transportation + accommodation but if you want to book the accommodation separately, we can arrange lunch reservation or activity such as admission pass or guided tour instead. We have some travel packages including popular destinations, please check out what we can offer with Go To Travel Campaign!
▷Go To Travel Campaign with Japan Wonder Travel
We can also arrange a travel package just for you. Please fill out the form below to make it happen!
Contact us if you have any questions about the Go To Travel Campaign or want to travel cheap with us.
Let us know your travel date, destination and preference etc. so that we can help you make the best trip in Japan with the campaign.
Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more travel inspiration. Or tag us to get featured!
Happy travelling!
▷Check out how the coupons work from Go To Travel Campaign
For travel destinations
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