Tokyo Travel Experts on What the City Will Look Like Post-Pandemic

Presented by Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau

It's been an unusual year for travel, to say the least. Yet as COVID-19 restrictions, travel guidelines, and even destinations themselves change right before our eyes, our top travel specialists are the ones we turn to for up-to-date intel every step of the way. 

In a new Condé Nast Traveler virtual event series titled Making Connections, we're bringing these experts together to discuss new travel trends, the challenges ahead, and what travelers need to know. The first event in the series took place on March 3, centered on a place we can all get excited about: the city of Tokyo. 

The latest news from Tokyo

Condé Nast Traveler's director of special projects Lauren DeCarlo kicked the event off by bringing on Nori Akashi, a New York–based representative for the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau, to share the latest news out of Tokyo. Akashi highlighted the lesser-known parts of the city that she thinks will speak to travelers post-pandemic, like the verdant neighborhoods in the west, and nature-filled day trips. This idea of wanting to ease back into cities after COVID—that many travelers will be craving the perks of metropolises like Tokyo, but will need time to become comfortable in crowds again—was a common theme. In Tokyo, as Akashi and others pointed out, it's possible to find a healthy balance of both. 

Tachikawa City, for example, was one such destination highlighted. Located in the west of the city, it's home to a vibrant flower garden and the Sorano, a new hotel that just opened, with a rooftop infinity pool and garden views from every room. Urban parks, like Inokashira Park in Mitaka City (inside of which is Ghibli Museum, a showcase of the Japanese animation studio's work), are popular with local families and were celebrated as natural refuges. Also mentioned was Mount Takao, which has the highest elevation in the city and fantastic views of the sprawl below (on a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji towering above the skyline). Many travelers choose to hike to the top, but a chairlift means that breaking a sweat isn't required. Lastly, Akashi shouted out Okutama, where Tokyoites head for camping, glamping, and visiting sake breweries. 

Though the pandemic has interrupted or delayed a handful of anticipated openings, Akashi said that the city will be making up for lost time in 2021. The second Tokyo Edition will open in the popular Ginza neighborhood this summer, and the recently reopened international cruise terminal, which hasn't been able to welcome cruise ships since its grand debut last September, is preparing for arrivals in the year ahead. The Haneda Airport, a 30-minute train ride from downtown Tokyo, is also adding two new hotels, including the 160-room luxury hotel Villa Fontine. 

What post-pandemic travel will look like

Next, Condé Nast Traveler top travel specialists Andres Zuleta of Boutique Japan and Nancy Craft of Esprit Travel and Tours shared their predictions for post-pandemic travel to Tokyo. In chatting about when they expect travel to Japan to really pick up again, they both pointed to cherry blossom season of 2022 as a potential watershed moment. “There’s a lot of speculation about when [tourism will open up] but we’re hoping for gradual re-openings in the fall [of 2021],” said Zuleta at the event. “There's talk of some people being able to enter in the spring [of this year], but I don't think that’s likely for people from the U.S.” 

He and Craft both said they have travelers who are “really eager” to return to Japan, but the earliest they're booking guests for is early fall (for “ambitious and hopeful” travelers, according to Zuleta), with the greatest focus on spring of next year. 2022, Zuleta anticipates, will likely have a backlog of those who missed cherry blossom season in 2020 and 2021. 

That said, the types of trips that will be popular post-pandemic will look different than before—many travelers will be avoiding the crowds, for the most part. “We know from our readers that people want to be outdoors, in nature,” said DeCarlo. 

Zuleta said that his team will be pushing travelers toward such green spaces in the city and beyond. “So much of the city itself is quiet, charming, neighborhoods, where you can explore the urban landscape without feeling like you're in a mass of people,” said Zuleta. “I think that it can make sense to spend more time in Tokyo than you might envision. Use Tokyo as your base [for day trips] and spend three, four, five, six days there.”

Tokyo's evolving restaurant scene

For the next portion of the evening, Condé Nast Traveler city guides director Corina Quinn hosted a conversation with contributor Melinda Joe, an American journalist and food expert based in Tokyo. Joe, who is currently in the city, offered insight into how the dining scene—as in most cities throughout the world—has evolved during the pandemic. Takeout has become a boon for businesses, she said, with Japanese fried chicken (karaage) an increasingly popular offering this year (something she attributes to how easy it is to package in a bento box). Barbecue restaurants with tabletop grills have also dominated the dining scene, thanks to great filtration systems already set up for smoke extraction. 

Overall, Joe says travelers can certainly be excited to eat in Tokyo on their first visit back. “Last year was full of cognitive dissonance in a way,” said Joe. “We have lost a ton of wonderful restaurants and these bankruptcies will continue. And at the same time, we're getting a lot of new restaurants. It's kind of a crazy time, but it’s also really exciting as well.”

Why we're excited to return

The programmed portion of the event wrapped with a Q&A session, during which attendees lobbed lingering questions to the panelists. A few particularly timely topics came up, including the current state of public transportation during COVID. In speaking of easing back onto public transportation herself, Joe shared the cleaning efforts she's seen on the city's trains, as well as the adherence to masking. Craft added that this is largely why she believes Tokyo will be such a popular destination post-pandemic: “One of the great things about Japan is that it’s always been a mask-wearing culture, there hasn't been politicization of mask wearing, and Japanese people are used to social distancing, culturally."

The evening finally wrapped up with breakout sessions. The few dozen attendees were separated into small groups, among which they discussed takeaways from the earlier conversation. Specialists like Duff Trimble shared insights on the current vaccine rollout; others, like Jody Bear and Craft, swapped tips on the art of nabbing coveted restaurant reservations. 

Of course, most conversations naturally drifted toward the inevitable: what everyone is most looking forward to when they can finally return to Tokyo. For Akashi, it's the food and quiet neighborhoods; for Craft, the Sunday flea markets. Zuleta described a feeling he has yet to find in any other major city: "In Tokyo, I feel like I can relax."