One of the last nations to reopen its borders following the coronavirus pandemic, Japan is a hugely popular travel destination this summer. Japan has consistently ranked among the top five destinations globally for bookings and search engine volume since the nation lifted its remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions in the spring of 2022, just in time for summer travel.

It’s no wonder that tourists from around the world are seduced by Japan’s rich culture, renowned cuisine and gracious hospitality. The East Asian nation is home to 21 World Heritage sites including the iconic Himeji Castle, and the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and Nara. Tourists also enjoy Japan’s network of hot springs, traditional Ryokan, low crime and efficient transit systems.

Before you board a plane for your next adventure in Japan, be sure to protect your travel investment and health with travel insurance. Just before the summer travel season this year, Japan ended its pandemic era requirement that visitors purchase travel insurance with medical coverage. However, it’s still not wise to go without travel insurance. Your domestic health insurance may not fully cover you in the event of a medical emergency abroad. Additionally, travel insurance with trip cancellation coverage is a life saver if your plans are derailed for reasons out of your control.

Here’s some of the ways travel insurance coverage by Allianz Global Assistance can help you on your next trip to Japan. 

Medical Emergencies

You wake up before the sun and lace up your hiking boots for an early arrival at the head of one of Mount Fuji’s pilgrimage trails. Your chosen route, the Gotemba Trail, winds up world-famous Mount Fuji past Buddhist shrines and through sacred forests. As you tiredly descend the summit of the nine-hour hike, you trip on the rocky route and fall on your wrist, breaking it. Your hiking companion helps you temporarily splint your arm, thanks to her well-stocked wilderness first aid kit, but you need a permanent fix. You go to the nearest hospital in nearby Fujinomiya.

Ahead of such incidents, the purchase of travel insurance with emergency medical benefits is essential.  Allianz Global Assistance offers benefits for a range of budgets, some of which are critical in emergency situations. We can provide medically necessary emergency transportation to the nearest healthcare facility, and emergency medical benefits for losses due to covered emergencies. 

Trip Cancellations & Trip Interruptions

The island of Okinawa in southern Japan is known for its white sand beaches and colorful reefs. But there’s a caveat to the beauty of Okinawa’s tropical climate; the island’s typhoon season, which falls between June and November. If you’re visiting this popular destination for a summer beach vacation, be sure to purchase travel insurance with trip cancellation benefits as soon as you book your trip.

Travel insurance is there to protect you in the case of reasonably unforeseeable events. Once a typhoon or other weather event is forecasted, the event is considered foreseeable. If your policy was purchased after the storm was forecasted, you won’t be compensated for financial losses due to the storm. That’s why it’s imperative to purchase travel insurance immediately if you’re headed to a typhoon-prone region in season, to ensure your trip falls within the window of coverage.

Trip Cancellation and Interruption benefits by Allianz Global Assistance may protect you from financial losses in the event your trip is canceled or delayed due to a typhoon or other extreme weather event.

Or let’s say you’ve already departed for your trip and a member of your immediate family suffers a serious illness that requires you to return to the U.S.; we may also reimburse non-refundable costs for the unused part of a trip cut short for a covered reason. 

Baggage Loss

The plane has just touched down and you’re beyond excited for your cosmopolitan adventure in Tokyo! You head to the baggage claim and after standing there long enough to see the carousel go around for the ump-teenth time, you realize your luggage didn’t follow you to Narita International (sigh). Not only will you have to deal with the hassle of reporting the luggage and sourcing new clothing, but you also are out two grand because you packed your best duds (heavier sigh). Airlines are not required to reimburse the total value of lost luggage. For international flights, the maximum liability for lost, damaged or delayed bags is about $1,780. The maximum baggage liability for domestic flights is $3,800.

Travel insurance may make up the difference. If your baggage is lost or damaged, Allianz Travel Insurance can reimburse you for the actual price, cash value, repair or replacement of your luggage, – whichever is less, based on the limits of your policy.

Convenience

Many travel insurance plans include assistance services, which can help you deal with all kinds of travel emergencies. If you have an insurance plan by Allianz Global Assistance, you have 24/7 access to expert coordinators via our hotline or the TravelSmart TM app We can make your trip smoother with services such as live translation, booking alternative accommodations and transportation if your travel plans are delayed, coordinating with your airline to retrieve lost baggage, and more.

Get a quote for travel protection for your next trip.

What Do I Need to Travel to Japan?

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