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kathrynoh
Joined: 16 Jul 2009
Posts: 64
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 Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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When I went to Japan last year, I had a one way ticket but had bought a ferry ticket to Korea. I was questioned by the airline staff at check in and had to produce a print out of the ticket.
It's about $100 to book a ticket on the ferry and costs you a couple of bucks if you cancel it later. To me, it's worth it to not have to deal with further questioning or other consquences.
I also got questioned by immigration in Japan because I had a residential address on my forms rather than a hotel. I'd book with Sakura House but the guy was having trouble with my explanation of monthly rental so I told him I was staying with someone (kinda true).
I don't think they'd ever go to the trouble of checking your luggage to see if you have packed a suit or anything like that. They just want to be sure you aren't going to overstay your visa. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Bottom line: a work visa trumps a single ticket. But even with a work visa, on today's wages one should probably have a return ticket "just in case" LOL. |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Looks like the advice is to tell them you're going to Korea next, and to research the name and partial address of a hotel to put on your forms. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:54 am Post subject: |
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| kathrynoh wrote: |
| I don't think they'd ever go to the trouble of checking your luggage to see if you have packed a suit or anything like that. They just want to be sure you aren't going to overstay your visa. |
I've been questioned about my intentions and had my baggage checked twice at Narita airport. It was all very friendly and informal, but I'm sure that if they'd spotted anything odd I'd have had a lot more explaining to do.
By the way, I like the ferry ticket idea. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:16 am Post subject: |
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| teacher4life wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| what if you WERE caught? |
This "what if" thinking is often deemed a strong sign of generalized anxiety disorder by psychiatrists. |
Psychiatrizing attitudes you disagree with is often deemed a strong sign of being close-minded. If Glenski was as crippled with anxiety as you suggest, I doubt he'd have made it to Japan.
The risk of being refused entry is low, but not negligible. Glenski is reminding us to consider the downside, as well as the probabilities, when weighing our options. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:26 am Post subject: |
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| kathrynoh wrote: |
When I went to Japan last year, I had a one way ticket but had bought a ferry ticket to Korea. I was questioned by the airline staff at check in and had to produce a print out of the ticket.
It's about $100 to book a ticket on the ferry and costs you a couple of bucks if you cancel it later. To me, it's worth it to not have to deal with further questioning or other consquences. |
Yes, this is a legitimate alternative to a return airline ticket, as I mentioned earlier. |
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teacher4life
Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121
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| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
| teacher4life wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| what if you WERE caught? |
This "what if" thinking is often deemed a strong sign of generalized anxiety disorder by psychiatrists. |
Psychiatrizing attitudes you disagree with is often deemed a strong sign of being close-minded. If Glenski was as crippled with anxiety as you suggest, I doubt he'd have made it to Japan.
The risk of being refused entry is low, but not negligible. Glenski is reminding us to consider the downside, as well as the probabilities, when weighing our options. |
More likely he or she has been in BFE for so long that Japan itself has been the source of psychological troubles. After all, Japanese make and follow rules to the umpth degree; Glenski has seemingly taken that on as a personality trait. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| teacher4life wrote: |
| Pitarou wrote: |
| teacher4life wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| what if you WERE caught? |
This "what if" thinking is often deemed a strong sign of generalized anxiety disorder by psychiatrists. |
Psychiatrizing attitudes you disagree with is often deemed a strong sign of being close-minded. If Glenski was as crippled with anxiety as you suggest, I doubt he'd have made it to Japan. |
More likely he or she has been in BFE for so long that Japan itself has been the source of psychological troubles. After all, Japanese make and follow rules to the umpth degree; Glenski has seemingly taken that on as a personality trait. |
So now he has ... what ... Japan Syndrome?
Glenski is conservative. You may view that as a character flaw. But there's a world of difference between saying "Glenski is too cautious." and "Glenski is sick in the head." |
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midnightpariah
Joined: 26 May 2007
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:07 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski is right. My husband got stopped because he didn't have a return ticket. He had his CoE, but didn't have the visa yet. They made him purchase a ticket to Korea before they would let him board. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:18 am Post subject: |
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| midnightpariah wrote: |
| Glenski is right. My husband got stopped because he didn't have a return ticket. He had his CoE, but didn't have the visa yet. They made him purchase a ticket to Korea before they would let him board. |
And he already had his CoE!? I wonder whether you could have sued the airline...? |
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hagiwaramai
Joined: 24 May 2010
Posts: 119
Location: Marines Stadium
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| midnightpariah wrote: |
| Glenski is right. My husband got stopped because he didn't have a return ticket. He had his CoE, but didn't have the visa yet. They made him purchase a ticket to Korea before they would let him board. |
They probably didn't know what a CofE was and thought he was trying to enter on some of kind of funny visa they'd never heard about and didn't trust, especially if it seemed he was intending to work. If he'd said he was just going as a tourist it might have been alright. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 11:23 am Post subject: |
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| hagiwaramai wrote: |
| If he'd said he was just going as a tourist it might have been alright. |
How can you say that with such confidence?
FWIW,
My coworker used to be VP of a language school here, and he said that once, a teacher of his got stopped on a return trip to Japan. That is, it was the return leg of a roundtrip ticket. The stupid person at the airline didn't understand what his reentry permit allowed, so they detained him for 24 hours. They said he needed a RT ticket, despite having a visa and REP. Bonehead. |
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hagiwaramai
Joined: 24 May 2010
Posts: 119
Location: Marines Stadium
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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hagiwaramai wrote:
If he'd said he was just going as a tourist it might have been alright.
Glenski wrote:
How can you say that with such confidence? |
I wouldn't call using the highlighted phrase as having "such confidence". It was speculation, but quite understandable I think given what I outlined. Like in your story the airline didn't even know what a re-entry permit allowed, which is very basic documentation for Japan, let alone having a C of E but no visa. I can imagine that would have confused them no end. Just last month I had to point out to the JAL staff at Heathrow that my visa hadn't actually expired because although it did indeed expire in March, February in fact comes before March so it was legal for me to enter Japan, so I know how bloody stupid they can be. It's not about having confidence in saying something as much as simply being because most of the people I've read on the net have said they did manage to get in on a one-way ticket, and I would imagine people who didn't manage to board would actually be more prominent in this kind of situation, just like any situation where people with something negative to say are usually disproportionately represented, yet they are in a very small minority in this case. Getting to Thailand seemed to be a problem but there were countless numbers of people stating they'd been able to get in to Japan on a one-way as well as people who said they'd called airlines and been told they didn't need to worry about having a one-way ticket, and an airline company worker who said his company didn't require evidence of onward travel. It's not about confidence or that I'd advise people to come on a one-way instead of a return if they had the chance, it's just the facts. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| hagiwaramai wrote: |
| Quote: |
hagiwaramai wrote:
If he'd said he was just going as a tourist it might have been alright.
Glenski wrote:
How can you say that with such confidence? |
It's not about having confidence in saying something as much as simply being because most of the people I've read on the net have said they did manage to get in on a one-way ticket, and I would imagine people who didn't manage to board would actually be more prominent in this kind of situation |
Glenski did go too far with that comment, but I agree with his basic attitude. This problem may be rare, but it does happen, so it's sensible to be sure you can cope with it.
And most of the people on this forum can cope. Being forced to buy a ticket to Korea is no great hardship for them, so "Don't worry; it's a rare problem." is the right attitude.
But some people come to Japan with barely enough cash to see them through to their first paycheck. For them, buying a 95% refundable ferry ticket to Korea strikes me as a sensible insurance policy.
Last edited by Pitarou on Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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teacher4life
Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121
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| Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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| One can get tunnel vision from being in Japan too long. Japanese are by and large not risk-taking people. Stay there long enough and you too may lose your desire for challenge and even moderate risk-taking. |
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