Job Discussion Forums

[earthmonkey]

[wolfman]

[MrCAPiTUL]

For what it is worth, I ALWAYS get search here in the States. Everytime I fly, my bags get searched. With Out Fail. This hasn't much to do with your post, though, so I will make a clean exit here.

[Bozo Yoroshiku]

[johanne]

In the dozen or so times I've entered Japan no immigration officer has even spoken to me - just taken my passport, stamped it and waved me on my way. I've entered on a Working Holiday visa, a tourist visa (although at that time I really was just visiting and not looking for work), an Instructor visa and a Spouse visa. I've come in on my own, with my Japanese husband and with my daughter - nothing even seems to make a difference. I'm waiting for the day an officer actually talks to me or answers my "konnichiwa" with more than a curt nod.

As an aside, I've been searched 3 times going through the States, once where I had to take my shoes off. In the last case I asked why I was singled out and the security officer told me the airline had red-flagged my boarding card. She said that usually happens if you're flying one way, which I was as we were moving back to Japan.

If you come in to Japan on a tourist visa, my advice would be to just hand over your passport and if the officer actually speaks to you tell him how much you're looking forward to seeing the sights of Tokyo and Kyoto. As in most countries, telling immigration you are here to look for work while on a tourist visa, while probably technically legal, is not that great an idea, IMHO.

[Bozo Yoroshiku]

[gibberish]

Finally arrived. Indicated I'd had a sore throat, as I had an obvious sniffle. Immigration asked how long I had it and then stamped me in. I declared a wooden statue to Quarantine, which was observed by Customs. Customs asked what I did at Q, I informed them of the statue and they passed me through, no search.

I had actually Express Mailed my resume just in case.

[Sweetsee]

After being deported and blacklisted from Japan I married a J-national, returned illegally and spent nearly two years on provisional release during which time I was not allowed to leave. After receiving my spouse visa I was told to always go to the flight crew window when coming or going at the airport--no more lines!

[canuck]

[Sweetsee]

Oh yeah I forgot, but once before that I tried to enter and forgot to fill in my disembarkation card completely, specifically I forgot to write my occupation. When asked, I told the officer I was a restaurant manager. Guess that sent up a flag because I looked to the printer and a ream of paper was coming out. Cut a long story short, I was held at Narita with an Israeli kid for two days, a stay made more pleasant by plenty of Valium I had brought from Bangkok and they let me have my guitar. I honestly had no money on me and was given food and somehow slipped out of having to pay the 20,000 yen detention fee. Also, there was a woman there when we were first being questioned, she seemed to want to help us and offered to arrange a room where we could stay together, for a price. We told her we had no money. Funny because when I travel now I recognize people from my ordeal, well this one geezer anyway.

[canuck]

[Sweetsee]

I can't help thinking that had I filled in that card completely I would never have been held. In fact, I meant to fill it in but just spaced it out.
I was ticketed through to Los Angeles via Seoul and begged them to allow me to continue on but they insisted on detaining me.
And to think that I spent some of our last money the night before on Kaosan Road buying footwear for the trip, having spent the last several months in Thailand I only had sandals.

[shikushiku-boy]

With a work visa, no questions, no searches

With a tourist visa (3 times) I''ve notice they seem to ask more questions
every time.

Kansai International: never had any bother. Seems much less stressed out than Narita.

Sapporo: The customs guy gave me a kind of half amused/half embarrassed smile as he showed
me that card with the pictures of all the naughty stuff on it (guns, knives, a badly drawn picture of
a copy of Playboy, etc.), as if to say,"Come on...you're a westerner arriving in Sapporo, in the middle
of winter, with no skis, no snowboard, on a tourist visa, from Hong Kong...it is a bit weird."

Narita: At immigration, lots of questions and checking the pages in my passport. Unamused looks
from the customs guy.

I've tried to do an internet search looking for 'passengers' rights' as far as immigration/customs/quarantine goes.
If passengers do have any rights I can't find 'em. As has been mentioned, those guys are, pretty much, GOD.
They can twist you like a pretzel and there's not much you can do. Basically, it's a case of smile and be nice.

The only time I really get POed is when I'm coming back into Australia and some oaf from immigration starts
giving me the third-degree. They act as if they could prevent me from entering my own country! I feel like
beating them about the head and shoulders with my duty-free carton of 'Mild-7s'.

Has anybody else noticed there seems to be a 'Lets build the biggest, most sprawled out, with the most
gates, airport' competition going on? I went through the new Singapore airport last year. I arrived at gate 97 (or
something like that), my flight to Japan was from gate 30 something. By the time I got to gate 30 something, I felt
as if I walked half way across Singapore island. The new Hong Kong airport is almost as bad.

[chirp]

I arrived in Narita last year on a Tourist Visa but was not asked any unusual questions, given dirty or unamused looks, or generally treated any differently than I am by Customs and Immigration officials all over the world. The only times I have been hassled is by U.S. C&I Officials.

[Bozo Yoroshiku]