Japan's New 'Sayonara' Tax on Travelers Is Here
You'll now have to pay to leave the country
Thanks to a bevy of flight deals and new routes, it's now easier than ever to get to Japan — but it also just got slightly more expensive to leave the country once you've had your fill of Tokyo sushi, Okinawa beaches, and Kyoto temples. On Monday, the country began collecting a "sayonara" tax from visitors. The new fee of ¥1,000 ($9.23) will be tacked onto plane and ship transportation fares of all passengers when booking, regardless of nationality.
There are some exceptions: Children under the age of two won't get hit by the tax, nor will passengers who are in Japan for less than 24 hours or anyone who is forced to enter the country because of "unavoidable circumstances" (read: flight reroutes and bad weather), reports The Japan Times.
