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Tourists flock to Japan after COVID restrictions lifted
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Foreign travelers gather upon arrival at the Haneda International Airport Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in Tokyo. Japan's strict border restrictions are eased, allowing tourists to easily enter for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent tourists are again welcomed, not just those traveling with authorized groups. - photo by AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
TOKYO (AP) — Eager to admire colorful foliage, eat sushi and go shopping, droves of tourists from abroad started arriving Tuesday in Japan for the first day of lifted border restrictions, which had been in place for more than two years to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Travelers are expected to deliver a sorely needed 5 trillion yen ($35 billion) boost to the world’s third-largest economy. And the flood of visitors is expected to keep growing.