Dr. JP Coronalove or: Stop Worrying and Get Vaccinated, US Edition
Coronavirus has been crazy across the board, but I can only comment on my experience with it as a US citizen living in Japan. After much consideration, I’ve just made my way from Japan to the US to get vaccinated. This article is an initial account of that recent journey. I expect it to be most relevant to other US citizens living in Japan, though it may also give some helpful insight to citizens of other nations. Either way, I am no medical professional, so please, just like crypto, don’t take my word for it and consult your doctor or embassy representatives if you have technical questions.
To start, let’s just get it out of the way and say that Japan’s completely failed in its response to all of this. I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading this if that weren’t the case. I don’t like that I am motivated to point that out explicitly because I quite enjoy many aspects of living in Japan, but there are some things that ought not be swept under the rug. This is definitely one of those things. Let’s leave it at that, and move on.
I can only speak for the US population in Japan, but it seems to largely believe that traveling to the US for a vaccine is either too difficult or dangerous to consider. While I wouldn’t say it is easy, my experience so far is that it is not nearly as difficult as is generally accepted. Boiled down, it requires jumping through a few hoops, the acceptance of a non-zero level of uncertainty, and a few thousand dollars.
The Process
It might seem minor, but the first step to getting vaccinated is to decide you’re going to do it. Over the course of the 18-ish months of Coronatime in Japan, I moved from bustling Hamamatsucho in downtown Tokyo to rural Yugawara near breezy, beach-y Atami in Kanagawa to, amongst other things, remove myself from the densely populated and thus risky city; developed an increasingly cautious approach to IRL social interaction while also liberating myself from the deathgrips of Japan’s notoriously analogue business culture which I always raged against but never hard enough; and started a respectable collection of face masks. However, one thing that was not really top-of-mind was getting vaccinated, mainly because of the various steps I assumed were involved in doing so, and I had more or less resigned myself to waiting it out in Japan’s depopulated and thus safe-ish inaka.
That changed with the announcement of the most recent lockdown. After so many failed initiatives and so many press releases amidst an ever-rising number of cases as we are hurdled toward a miraculously cursed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, I now have zero faith in public statements or proposed timeframes. With the likelihood of the Olympics becoming a superspreader event despite good intentions, this left me with two options: passively accept that at some point in the near-ish future I would contract coronavirus, or actively pursue mitigation options, of which there is only 1 I know of for US citizens: traveling to the US to receive one of three vaccine types.
I don’t like deterministic philosophy one bit, so I chose to actually do something about it myself instead of waiting for a proven-farcical administration to do it for me.
So once I’d decided to take the reins, there were a few things to think about. There isn’t a specific order of steps that needs to be followed, though some do necessarily come before others. They are:
- Planning Your Trip & Buying a Plane Ticket
- PCR Testing
- Choosing a Vaccine and Getting It
- Departure from Japan & Disembarkation in the US
- Departure from the US & Disembarkation in Japan
Planning Your Trip & Buying a Plane Ticket
This isn’t much different than it was in pre-Coronatime, though there are considerations that you should make while considering traveling to the US for vaccination.
The first, and perhaps most important/relevant item is that the Government of Japan considers 4 US states as areas with confirmed spread of COVID-19 variants: Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, and Minnesota. This means that if you visited, in any capacity, one of these states during your vaccination trip, in addition to 2 weeks of quarantine and abstaining from using public transportation, you will also need to submit to 3 days of supervised quarantine in a government-approved facility upon arrival in Japan.
Guam seemed kinda ideal, but my folks live in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and I hadn’t seen them in maybe 2 years, so I figured I could a.) kill two birds with 1 stone and b.) maximize my surreal Coronatravel experience by opting in to the Government asylum upon my return.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your PCR test might come back positive, ruining your plans to travel abroad. It is also not impossible that either Japan or the US decides to close their borders again, rendering your ticket meaningless. So book with the understanding that you better have contingency plans in place to deal with unforeseen changes. Last minute refund-ability goes a long way to alleviating that anxiety.
PCR Testing
In order to leave Japan and enter the US, you must have a documented negative PCR test result that was issued within 72 hours of your departure, in addition to other standard forms of ID and tickets.
Scheduling a PCR test is a bit more complicated than it initially sounds because there is a variety of delays between having the test administered and receiving the test results. Some are same-day, others next-day, and I’m guessing there are still others that take longer but given the small window you have to receive the results I wouldn’t want to go higher than next-day.
There is also a lot of scattered info out there about PCR testing, much of which is not vetted. You can choose from any number of clinics that offer PCR tests, some for considerably cheaper than others, but I’m no PCR connoisseur so this was a bit stressful. Ultimately, I decided to play it safe and select testing facilities from the list on the US Embassy in Japan’s website.
I live near Atami in Kanagawa, and there are only 4 options in the prefecture: 2 in Yokohama, 1 in Kamakura, and 1 in Kawasaki. None of these are a stone’s throws away from me, but my departure was from Haneda, so I figured I should look near there. I guess I could’ve picked Kawasaki because it’s closer, but whatever I went with The Bluff Clinic in Yokohama.
The Bluff Clinic offers next-day test results for ¥33,000. You can schedule appointments online, but they only have a 2 hour or so window a few days a week, so make sure to schedule with plenty of time to spare. Aside from that, registration is simple enough, though be careful to notice that you need to respond to their reservation confirmation email with an image of your passport, your phone number, and your address.
I scheduled to have the PCR test administered on Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 so that I would receive my results on Wednesday, May 12th, 2021, 1 day before my flight on Thursday, May 13th, 2021. They only issue physical documents that must be picked up in person, though, so I also booked a cheap hotel room at a LiveMax in the area for 2 nights so that I didn’t have to go back and forth between my home in Atami and Yokohama/Haneda.
I showed up about 15 minutes early for my Bluff Clinic appointment, and they told me to wait outside until the specified time of 1:30PM, so I hung out in a nearby park for a bit.
When the time came, I returned and they took me around back, a full-suited doctor came out, said something to the effect of let’s do this!, and then nimbly inserted a cotton swab up both of my nostrils with blistering speed, and frightening precision. He asked if I was alright, and I sneezed, “yes,” in response. The good doctor nodded in approval, and retired to his quarters as I made my way back to the hotel to spend the next 12 hours in a hypochondriac daze convincing myself that everything was as symptom of Coronavirus and I was doomed to never get vaccinated.
Long story short, I got a call the following morning confirming the negative result of my PCR test, and that I should pick up my travel certificate. I danced my way through the streets, awkwardly gesturing to others that I would hug them but for the pandemic, and into the clinic where they welcomed me with a very solid envelope with a neatly folded slip of paper inside indicating I was not infected.
This phase is really stressful, folx. Prepare.
Choosing a Vaccine and Getting It
There are 3 vaccines available to the public in the US:
From the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
You should get the first COVID-19 vaccine that is available to you. Do not wait for a specific brand. All currently authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and CDC does not recommend one vaccine over another.
So do your research, and pick whichever one you like — they’re all good. I went with Pfizer because that seemed the most comprehensive to me, but let me reiterate: they’re all good. Go get vaccinated.
As for scheduling a vaccine and getting it, this likely depends on your destination and vaccine stocks available at that time. As I mentioned, I was headed for Michigan, so I used this RiteAid booking service, and I must say, I yelled out loud in elated frustration at how simple this was. If you’re quick, you can probably schedule a vaccination in under 30 seconds.
Again, I can’t speak for anything but my own experience, so it could be the case that there are some experiences out there to be had which are less than optimal. My only advice towards making sure that isn’t your experience is to be diligent in your booking.
Departure from Japan & Disembarkation in the US
There is no better source of information than the US Embassy and Japan Immigration to contact about this. To avoid any mishaps, I’ll say that you should at least consider taking every possible piece of identification you have with you — Passport, Driver’s License, Residency Card, etc. — in addition to your negative PCR test results, but implore anyone considering planning travel to the US from Japan and back for vaccination to contact both the US Embassy and Japan Immigration about what you will need to exit Japan and enter the US.
At the airport, the process was pretty much as normal. What was different was the conspicuous lack of other people, the preponderance of shuttered stores & restaurants, and the occasional request by staff to present my negative PCR test results. I suspect the number of people and establishments open for business changes a bit with the day and hour, but I’d bet on the checking of test results to be pretty locked in.
I arrived maybe 4 hours early just to make sure I had time to address anything that went awry, but luckily it was a pretty smooth experience. After getting all my affairs in order to embark, I had lunch at one of the only open cafes (chicken curry), wandered around the ghost town that was Haneda, and got some work done near the gate.
Eventually, the time to board came, and this, too, was pretty normal except for the extremely low number of fellow travelers, and extremely high number of staff on call at the gate overseeing passengers boarding. Once in my seat, the scarcity of other passengers really set in as I think there were maybe 20 scattered around the cabin. Which was great, because when I wasn’t watching Bill & Ted Face the Music or playing Disco Elysium, I could stretch out on any one of a number of completely empty rows for some of the weirdest sleep I’ve ever gotten.
11 or so hours later, I was in Detroit, which immediately slapped me in the face with he stark juxtaposition of masked people moving socially distanced through an airport operating at near normal levels. Sure, there were some things that felt new or out of place, but nothing major. It seemed pretty normal compared to the empty Haneda I had just come from.
Once you disembark and are on US soil, you’ll then be in self-imposed quarantine for 7–10 days. I am currently in this phase, except for biking solo around the Michigan countryside and, importantly, having received my first vaccination at a nearby Meijer Superstore.
I was a bit nervous that the reservation I had previously placed would have something wrong with it, but no. I arrived, announced my presence, was told to wait in isolation for about 5 minutes, was led into a clean room with a masked and be-smocked pharmacist with syringe in hand. He greeted me in just about the most non-chalant way possible, sat me down, stuck me, and said he’ll see me for my next dose in 3 weeks. “Whoa. That’s it?” I asked. “Yup, that’s it,” he replied. “… lol rock & roll,” I exclaimed as I put my mask back on before making my way back out to the parking lot.
Departure From the US & Disembarkation in Japan
*Note*: I haven’t done this yet. As I write this, I’m about 5 days into a 25 day trip. So what follows is what I know right now, what I have prepared, but is subject to change as who knows what the future holds in these insane Coronatimes.
In addition to those documents you need for entering the US, when it comes to re-entering Japan you will also very likely require another negative PCR test result issued 72 hours prior to leaving the US to return to Japan as well as proof of your vaccination. Once again, please contact the US Embassy and Japan Immigration to confirm what the proper course of action is.
As I previously mentioned, because I am in Michigan, which is on a watch list, I will have to spend the first 3 days of my return in a government-approved facility. Again, this is only the case if you are visiting Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, and Minnesota. After that 3 day quarantine, I will be subject to the following, which all re-entrants are subject to.
Upon landing, you will be expected to self-quarantine for 2 weeks. You will also be made to download a tracing app. You will be checked in on by government officials to confirm your whereabouts every day of that 2 week period. You will also be banned from public transportation, meaning that if you live in a place like Atami like I do, you’d have a very difficult time getting home if you didn’t have friends!
