Hirayama Koichi, NNN Moscow bureau / We are in front of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow. It’s still about an hour before opening time, but there’s already a long line stretching all the way down the street.

A long line formed outside the Embassy of Japan in Moscow on September 18 as Russians arrived to apply for tourist visas.

Japan-Russia relations have strained since the country’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the number of Russians visiting Japan between January and August 2025 reached 108,000, doubling from the previous year.

Russian planning to travel to Japan / It is autumn foliage season in Japan. I missed it on my last trip. I also want to see Mount Fuji.

Russian planning to travel to Japan / My main goal is to watch a sumo match.

NTV Interviewer / Have your overseas travel destinations changed in recent years?

Russian planning to travel to Japan /  I can no longer travel to places I used to be able to visit.

Visas to travel to Japan are easier to obtain compared to the ones to Europe. A further increase in the number of Russian tourists is expected ahead of the autumn foliage season.