The Kinkaku-ji Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.
Japan will further ease Covid-era restrictions on tourism by allowing tour groups without a guide beginning Sept. 7, announced Prime Minister Fumio Kashida.
The country will also raise its daily international arrival capacity to 50,000 visitors next month.
Currently, only guided packaged tours are allowed in the country, where tourism is in the early stages of restarting. Only 20,000 international arrivals per day are allowed to enter Japan.
Independent tourism to Japan is still not allowed.
Last week, the prime minister announced that the country would drop its Covid-19 testing requirement for inbound travelers and would only require proof of vaccination.
Japan reopened its borders to groups in June.
