[Sangetsu]

While on your flight to Japan, you will be given an immigration/customs form to fill out. It asks how long you will stay, where you will stay, the nature of your visit (tourism, work, etc), and how much money you have with you (they want to know that you'll be able to support yourself during your visit). It also specifies a few items which you may not bring to Japan (rice, guns, meat, or swords).

Once you deplane, you'll head first to the immigration window, where your passport and form will be examined. Then you'll be photographed and fingerprinted, the visa will be affixed in your passport, and you will be shown the way to customs.

Your flight may or may not have the forms for you to fill out, sometimes they run out, or, as in my case, a new form came into use while I was gone, and they didn't have any copies of the new form available on my plane.

Dress well for your flight. Business-type people are whisked through immigration and customs quickly, whereas others are often questioned or examined more closely. The grunge/goth/hipster look is not in favor with Japanese immigration, and dressing a such is a good way to get yourself delayed or detained, or, in some cases, denied entry altogether.

Sakura House rents to tourists, as do other hotel/apartment providers. A visa is necessary to prove that you are in the country legally.