Japan has flung open its doors to international visitors after almost three years of pandemic isolation
Locals are hoping this week's reopening will kickstart the country's tourism sector, and New Zealanders are already snapping up flights.
Florence Best has booked her third trip to Japan in six years.
The bustling streets of Tokyo, the thrill of Osaka's theme parks, and the snow-capped mountains of Mt Fuji are just a handful of destinations she's got in her itinerary.
"My favourite anime is doing a collaboration with Universal Studios, and they have a real-life freaking version of one of the main characters just sitting inside the park," she said.
"I'm excited to go, sit down and take a photo, to see just how absolutely terrible this big humanoid thing is."
Japan had some of the world's strictest border controls to slow the spread of Covid-19 but has now reinstated visa-free travel to dozens of countries.
Cue the rush to snap up fligh