Japan on Tuesday opened its borders to nonresident foreign nationals who are entering the nation for purposes other than tourism — the first time such entries have been allowed on a general basis in more than three months — giving a ray of hope to those who are eagerly waiting to come to the country for study, research and business.

But it may be a while before airports such as Haneda, Narita and Kansai are flooded with new arrivals, since Japan still has a cap of 5,000 people allowed to enter the nation every day — bumped up from 3,500 on Tuesday — which includes returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents.

And it will be even longer before foreign tourists can experience Kyoto’s temples, the anime mecca of Akihabara in Tokyo or Niseko’s powder snow in Hokkaido.

“We will gradually increase visitors from abroad in phases considering how the pandemic pans out at home and abroad, as well as the demand from Japanese nationals returning to Japan,” Hirokazu Matsuno, the top government spokesman, said Tuesday.

Still, the latest border measures are good news for all arrivals, including Japanese and foreign residents re-entering Japan, as the quarantine period has been shortened to three days from seven.

Starting Tuesday, quarantine requirements are as follows:

  • If you are arriving from one of the 37 countries on the omicron hot spot list and have not received a booster shot, a three-day quarantine at a designated facility and a negative test on the third day is required.

  • If you are arriving from one of the 37 countries and have received a booster shot, a three-day quarantine at home or a venue of your choosing and a negative test on the third day is required. If you don’t take a test, you need to quarantine for seven days.

  • If you are not arriving from one of the 37 countries and have not received a booster shot, a three-day quarantine at home or a venue of your choosing and a negative test on the third day is required. If you don’t take a test, you need to quarantine for seven days.

  • If you are not arriving from one of the 37 countries and have received a booster shot, you will be exempted from quarantine.

Those entering Japan can also use public transportation to head to the place where they are quarantining.

“I was able to return to Japan smoothly because I had my booster shot and was exempted from quarantine,” Akira Onodera, 57, who arrived at Narita Airport from Hanoi, told Kyodo News. “But I’m worried that the eased restrictions will cause infections to spread.”