Japan's restaurants and hotels welcome life after state of emergency

Businesses and customers remain cautious about rushing into new normal

20211025N dining past 9pm

Restaurants across Japan, outside of Okinawa, can now stay open past 8 p.m. (Photo by Rie Ishii)

Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- As Japan slowly opens up its economy after a lengthy emergency declaration, the restaurant and tourism industries are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"We can finally stay open until late at night," said Kazunari Maguchi, the proprietor of the Rockfish bar in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district. On Monday, the Japanese capital and Osaka stopped asking restaurants to shorten operating hours.

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