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Konnichiwa to escorted tours

This June Japan opened its borders to tourists for the first time since it shut down due to Covid-19 in early 2020. Visitors from select countries deemed ‘low risk’, including the UK, U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are now allowed to enter Japan along with students, business travellers and relatives of residents. You must, however, be in possession of a visa and be visiting as part of a package tour, where you are chaperoned by local guides. You’ll also be required to wear a mask much of the time. It’s hoped that the country will allow independent travellers to enter by autumn.

Swiss goals

A new long distance hiking trail, combining cities, lakes and mountains, has opened in Switzerland. The ViaBerna is about 187 miles long but has been split into 20 stages that range in length from 6.5 miles to 15 miles, and are helpfully rated as easy, moderate or difficult. The first five stages traverse the forested slopes of the Jura Mountains past windmills, gorges and old watch-making villages. It passes the Swiss capital of Bern, with its medieval old town, and the charming lakeside town of Thun (pictured). The track follows the shores of pretty lakes, including Thun and Wohlen, and crosses the Alps, ending at the panoramic Susten Pass.

Work from Venice

Digital nomads and remote workers are being encouraged to start working from Venice. The city’s population has shrunk from 174,000 in the 1950s down to 50,000, and it’s hoped an injection of young professionals will help boost the city’s economy and rejuvenate areas that have become more like a museum than a living city. Members of the new ‘Venywhere’ initiative pay a one-off fee to access to a concierge service which offers practical support and access to a number of work desks set up in historic buildings around Venice, including a former Renaissance convent. Open-air wifi spots around the city are also planned.