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Frontier Formalities
Immigration
To visit Japan, you must have
a visa, issued by a Japanese Embassy or Consulate. For
sightseeing, you will generally need a Tourist Visa, naming
you a "Temporary Visitor," which is granted
for 90 days or less.
As a general rule, the applicant must submit to a Japanese
Embassy or Consulate: 1) a valid passport; 2) two copies
of the completed visa application form (with a passport-size
photo affixed to each); 3) an air or sea passage ticket
to and from Japan or an evidence of possession thereof.
A Commercial Visa is also available for those conducting
short-term business. This visa requires the submission
of two copies of a letter from the firm from which the
applicant is given an assignment to visit Japan in addition
to the documents for tourist visa applicants.
Reciprocal Visa Exemptions: A visa is not required for
the following citizens who do not engage in any remunerative
activity in Japan.
Visa Fee Exemption: The citizens of some 40 countries
around the world are exempted from visa fees. For details,
contact the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in your country. |
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| For
a stay of 6 months or less |
Austria, Germany, Ireland,
Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United
Kingdom except when the passport is originally
issued in British colomial territories. |
| For
a stay of 3 months or less |
Argentina, Belgium,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark,
Dominica, El Salvador, Finland, France, Greece,
Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Italy, Lesotho,
Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal. (except when passport is originally
issued in present or former Portuguese colonial
territories), San Marino, Spain, Surinam, Sweden,
Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay. |
| For
a stay of 90 days or less |
Andora, Australia, Bahamas,
Barbados, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Hungary, Israel,
Macedonia, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Singapore,
Slovenia and the U.S.A. |
| For
a stay of up to 14 days |
Brunei |
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Customs
An oral declaration of your personal effects will suffice
except: 1) when you arrive by ship; 2) when you have unaccompanied
baggage; or 3) when you bring in articles in excess of
the duty-free allowance. In the above cases, a written
declaration will be requested at customs. Customs duty
will not be levied on personal effects as long as their
contents and quantities are deemed reasonable by the customs
officer. In addition, the following items can be brought
in duty free: 1) 500 gramsoftobaccoor4OOcigarettesorlOOcigars;
2)3 bottles (760 c.c. each) of liquor; 3) 2 ounces of
perfume; 4) gifts and souvenirs other than the above whose
total market value does not exceed Y200,000.
Currency
You can bring in any currency, personal ornaments and
other valuables, or take out the foreign currency and
valuables thus brought in, only with the confirmation
of the customs officer.
The unit of currency is the yen (indicated as Y). Coins
are Yl, Y5, Y10, Y50, Y100 and Y500. A Y10 coin is good
at public telephones for a 1 -min. city call. Y50 and
Yl 00 coins are widely used for bus rides, vending machines
for cigarettes, soft drinks and short distance railway
tickets. Bank notes are Yl,000, Y5,000 and Y10,000. V2,000
note will be introduced from July 2000.
You can buy yen at foreign exchange banks and other authorized
money exchangers. At the international airports of Tokyo
and Osaka, currency exchange counters are open during
the normal office hours. The exchange rate fluctuates
daily depending on the money market.
Traveler's Checks and Credit
Cards
Traveler's Checks and Credit Cards Traveler's checks are
accepted by leading banks, hotels, ryokans and stores
in major cities. International credit cards such as American
Express, VISA, Diners Club and Master Card are also acceptable
at these major establishments. Cashing by credit cards
is, however, sometimes not so convenient outside big cities
that getting cash beforehand is recommended when you travel
to the countryside. |
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Useful
Information
Drinking
water
Tap water is safe to drink anywhere in Japan. Mineral
water is available at hotels, department stores, supermarkets
and high-class restaurants.
Electricity
The electric current for home use is uniformly 100 volts,
A.C., throughout Japan but there are two different cycles
in use-50 in eastern Japan, which includes Tokyo, and
60 in western Japan, which includes Nagoya, Kyoto and
Osaka. Leading hotels in Tokyo and other big cities
have two outlets of 1 1 0 and 220 volts but their sockets
usually accept a two leg plug only. Some leading hotels
have hair dryers and other electric appliances on a
loan basis.
No Tipping
Individual tipping is not common in Japan, since a 10
to 15% service charge is added to the bill at hotels,
Ryokan and high-class restaurants. No tip is necessary
unless you request extra services.
Peak Travel Seasons
Visitors to Japan should be aware of the busy times
of the year for booking travel and accommodation reservations,
which are: (1) Year-end and during New Year holidays-December
27 to January 4 and adjacent holidays. (2) "Golden
Week" holiday season-April 29 to May 5 and adjacent
weekends. (3) "Bon" festival season-A week
centering on August 15. Check with JNTO for details.
Emergency
Dial 1 1 0 for the police and 1 1 9 to report a fire
or to call an ambulance. For these numbers, one does
not have to insert the usual Y10 coin. A red button
must be pushed before dialing the number.
Guide-interpreters
There are about 1,100 active licensed guide-interpreters.
Their services may be retained through the Japan Guide
Association (Tel. 03-3213-2706) or Japan Federation
of Licensed Guides (Tel. 03-3319-1665).
Passenger Service Facility
Charge
For convenience, passengers departing from Narita Airport
have the passenger service facility charge included
in the air fare (Y2,040 for adults, Y1,020 for children)
and do not need to pay this at the airport. Passengers
leaving from Kansai Airport on International flights
are obliged to pay this charge in yen (Y2,650 for adult,
Y1,330 for children) at the airport. Transit passengers
taking connecting flights the same day do not pay this
charge. Infants aged one year or younger are also exempt.
This charge is not levied at other international airports
in Japan.
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