The Japanese Consulate in Moscow is the official diplomatic mission of the Land of the Rising Sun in Russia. Like other such institutions, the representative office provides the full range of consular services. However, the Consulate General of Japan in Moscow is a division of the Japanese Embassy, engaged in the development of bilateral relations and representing the interests of Japan in the Russian Federation.
Cooperation in the political arena
The first Japanese embassy appeared in Russia after 1874, when an agreement on friendship and trade was signed between the two countries. Subsequently, relations developed very unstable, up to a break during the Second World War. They were restored after that only in 1956 with the signing of the corresponding declaration.
Relations between the two countries have arisen so long ago that they have already gone beyond bilateral. Japan and Russia are developing cooperation not only at the regional, but also at the global level. The governments of both countries believe that maintaining this trend is in the interest of all parties.
After Russia led the G8 in 2006, relations reached a new level. However, some cooling came after the Russian Federation was expelled from the G8.
The main institution, within the framework of which multilateral cooperation is currently taking place with the participation of Russia and Japan, is the United Nations. The leaders of the countries devote much attention to the environmental problems of the Pacific region, the nuclear settlement on the Korean peninsula, and also the conclusion of a peace treaty.
Embassy of Japan in Moscow. Address
The consular section of the Japanese Embassy is located in Moscow at Grokholsky Lane, 27. If necessary, you can call (495) 229-25-50 / 51 there. However, the official website of the Japanese Consulate in Moscow contains all the information necessary for the traveler.
The existing modern embassy building in Grokholsky Lane was opened only in 2007. On this occasion, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso personally came to the capital of Russia, but his visit lasted only one day. The construction cost exceeded $ 80 million, but now about 200 meters of office space per mission employee.
Visa Terms
Although the Japanese visa policy is flexible in relation to many countries, citizens of Russia, the CIS countries and Georgia, regardless of the purpose of travel and length of stay, must have a visa before traveling to Japan. Fortunately, the address of the Japanese consulate in Moscow has not changed for a long time.
Previously, the process of obtaining a tourist visa to this country required a significant time and cost from the traveler. However, since 2017, the Japanese government has simplified this procedure.
Now, in order to be in the country of dreams, it is enough to fill out a form, purchase medical insurance, reserve a hotel room and purchase tickets through the reservation system. A tourist voucher is not required.
Despite the fact that most people consider Japan a very expensive country, this is not entirely true. For example, a capsule in a special hotel can cost about 1000 rubles per night. Food prices in supermarkets are comparable to Moscow, and street food costs no more than in Berlin. Therefore, you should not be afraid of traveling to the Land of the Rising Sun.
How to get to the embassy
It is worth talking about the address of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow. How to get to the Japanese diplomatic mission by metro: the Japanese representative office is located in a non-trivial area for foreign missions, but has a good transport infrastructure. While most embassies are located in Khamovniki or closer to the Kremlin, the consular section and the Japanese embassy are located between the Komsomolskaya and Prospect Mira metro stations, next to the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University.
How to get to the Japanese Embassy by metro to get a visa is a very common question among tourists planning a trip to this country. A walk from Mira Avenue to the diplomatic mission takes 11 minutes, and from Komsomolskaya - 15. You can also find out the address of the institution on the website of the diplomatic mission on how to get to the Japanese consulate in Moscow.
All metro stations located within a kilometer radius of the embassy are interchange stations. This makes the road to the establishment very convenient from anywhere in the city. From Prospekt Mira station, which belongs to the Koltsevaya branch and Kaluga-Riga at the same time, you can not only walk, but also use trams number 7 and number 19, passing two stops to Astrakhan Lane.
Package of documents for visa
Before going to the consulate, you should check whether the necessary package of documents has been fully assembled, which, in addition to the traditional set of papers for such cases, also includes the stay program and a copy of the internal passport page with registration and photo.
Although the embassy requires mandatory presentation of the route in Japan, this requirement can be considered a formality and indicate the main attractions as the purpose of the visit, and the rest will be done by air tickets and a reserved hotel room. It is worth noting that a visa is issued in a very short time, and a visa fee is not charged for it, that is, the applicant costs nothing.
Prospects for the development of Russian-Japanese relations
In addition to the usual consular services, the Japanese consulate in Russia, I am part of the embassy, has a very important function - it helps to resolve the bilateral conflict that unfolded around the Kuril Islands.
Being a key issue in bilateral relations, the Kuril problem casts a shadow on other aspects of cooperation between countries.
However, it is worth noting the efforts with which both sides meet each other. The leaders of the two countries regularly visit their partners, negotiations are being held both at a high level and at the ministerial level.
However, unresolved issues in no way affect the quality of the consular services provided, such as legalization of documents, issuance of visas, certificates and other government securities.
In addition, the consulate promotes humanitarian contacts. For example, from 1998 to 2010, about 129 people from the islands of Kunashir, Iturup and Shikotan were admitted to various Japanese hospitals.
How to get to Japan
The most common, if not the only, way to get to Japan is air travel. Several airlines fly to various cities of Japan from Russia. First of all, it is Aeroflot and Japanese Airlines, which make direct flights from Moscow and Vladivostok.
However, these airlines cannot be called cheap. Many experienced travelers use the services of airlines from China to get to Japan. However, in this case, you will need to make a transfer in Beijing, Harbin or Shanghai. Although this method is much cheaper, it can nevertheless require more time, as sometimes transplantation lasts more than a day.