Cherry blossom, free visas and stronger rouble see Russians flock to Japan

By Lev Sergeev and Dmitriy Turlyun

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Wrapped up successful lukewarm coats and woolly hats, hundreds of radical person braved Moscow's chilly outpouring upwind to signifier an orderly queue. But they person not travel to spot a personage oregon an exclusive exhibition. What they privation are Japanese visas.

With astir of Europe having banned nonstop flights with Russia, and Japan offering escaped visas, Russians are exploring caller vacation destinations and making the astir of the strengthening rouble and a emergence successful existent wages fuelled by the economical betterment wrought by Moscow's dense spending connected the warfare successful Ukraine.

Japanese airlines nary longer person nonstop flights with Russia, but the Japanese embassy successful Moscow said Russian visitant numbers were expanding on with the availability of connecting flights.

The fig of Russians holidaying successful Japan is acceptable to treble this twelvemonth from astir 100,000 successful 2024, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian national of the tourism industry, told Reuters.

Queues astatine the embassy are understandable, Gorin added, arsenic Japan's celebrated cherry blossoms successful outpouring were a fashionable attraction.

"The astir important happening is that determination are nary analyzable visa formalities and determination is an affordable flight," helium said.

In November, Japan stopped requiring Russian visitors to taxable documents successful beforehand to corroborate they had paid for hotels for their stay. Return tickets, often with connections successful China, commencement from astir 40,000 roubles ($477.64), Gorin said.

Elizaveta, who Reuters spoke to arsenic she queued for her assignment astatine the Japanese embassy successful Moscow, said the simpler visa process had encouraged her to bargain tickets.

"We've wanted to spell for a agelong time," she said. "Nowadays, it's much hard to get to Europe. It lone takes 4 to 5 days to get a visa to Japan, truthful we decided to go."

The radical Reuters spoke to astatine the embassy declined to springiness their household names.

'LONG TIME DREAM'

Before Moscow launched the struggle successful Ukraine successful February 2022, millions of Russians travelled to Europe each year.

Those trips, via indirect routes since astir European airspace is closed to Russian carriers, person go much expensive. Current yearly visitant numbers of astir 300,000 radical are astir 90% beneath 2019 levels, according to Gorin.

Russia's system contracted concisely nether the value of sanctions, but has since rebounded and soaring user demand, including connected aerial travel, has contributed to overheating.

But the rouble's crisp appreciation this twelvemonth - connected hopes that improving ties betwixt Washington and Moscow could pb to immoderate benignant of struggle solution successful Ukraine - has lone helped Russians heading to Japan, and elsewhere.

International question has mostly pivoted to countries that person not imposed sanctions connected Moscow.

"The rouble's strengthening straight affects the outgo of tours and user involvement successful holidays abroad," said Lyubov Voronina, caput of planetary projects astatine tourism examination tract sletat.ru.

Depending connected what they program to bash connected their trip, tourists tin presently prevention betwixt 10% and 30%, Voronina said.

The operation of a higher disposable income and little prices has travel astatine the cleanable clip for some.

"It's been a agelong clip imagination for me, ever since I was a child," said Nikita astatine the embassy. "Now I person the wealth to travel and decided to do. Moreover, the prices person present dropped."

The 1 obstacle for Russians is that agelong queue, but Anton, asked if helium was disquieted helium mightiness tally retired of clip to taxable his exertion that day, simply said: "Well, I'll travel time then."

($1 = 83.7455 roubles)

(Reporting by Lev Sergeev, Dmitry Turlyun and Anastasia Bakhur; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kate Mayberry)