Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 570723)

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.

Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 570723)

Dress well for your flight. Business-type people are whisked through immigration and customs quickly, whereas others are often questioned or examined more closely

Originally Posted by Henbaka (Post 570959)

Hey Sangetsu, I was just wondering;

Do you know how the customs procedure works when you already have a visa (student)?

Originally Posted by imiss (Post 571081)

Hmm, very interesting. So would you recommend wearing a suit or the like? Just seems like a tad of a pain in the ass being dressed up for 14+ hours...

But then again if it really does simplify things as much as you suggest it does, maybe the discomfort would be worth it...

Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 571099)

You don't have to wear a tie, just the pants, shirt, and jacket. The jacket is handy for carrying things like your phone, passport, and wallet, and keeping you warm if you are on one of those flights where the air conditioning is turned up to the max, and there aren't enough blankets to go around (American Airlines sucks).

It is worth the trouble. In Japan, your clothing tells people a lot about you. The other times when you should wear a suit are when you are looking for an apartment or opening a bank account. In Japan people are often judged by their appearance, foreigners especially.

Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 571092)

Are you in Japan now? If so, you'll need to get a reentry permit from your ward office. With the reentry permit and your current visa, you'll be able to use the Japanese passport line at immigration, which will save you a lot of time.

There are two types of reentry permits, a single trip permit, and a multiple trip permit. It is best to get the multiple trip permit, it is handy to have in case you need to travel in an emergency, and don't have time to wait in line at the ward office again.

Originally Posted by imiss (Post 571200)

So... something like this would do; ?


Alternatively, what about white? How "accepted" is it in Japan?

Originally Posted by Henbaka (Post 571303)

Nah I'm not in Japan. I will be getting my student visa right about now, and go there in a few weeks.

And, about getting held up for alot of questions etc in customs. Is that the same for me (that already has a visa) as people getting a student visa? Should I dress well too, if I want it to go smoother?

Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 571322)

Students usually don't have any problems in immigration, but you may get your bag checked in customs. Don't bring any porn, it's not legal in Japan.

Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 571319)

Those AX suits look nice, but are at the bottom of Armani's scale. I like their black label items myself :D