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Getting into Japan/Korea without onward ticket -
06-18-2009, 04:39 AM
Hey guys i have a question to the tourist Visa.
I have been in Japan for close to a year now and my Visa is running out (Working Holiday Visa). Im now taking the Ferry to Korea and i will stay there for a while. Because im not sure yet wich day i will leave Korea to go back to Japan for 1 week, i didn´t buy a roundtrip ticket. Also when i come to Japan i will not have a onward ticket, but will leave back to Korea after around 1 week. Now to my question: Im german and i know that i should get a 3 months Visa with entering the country (Japan and or Korea) but the homepage states you need an onward ticket. Does anybody know if they really check that? And if yes and they find out i dont have one will it be enough to show enough funds to buy one? Dont misunderstand me, i dont want to overstay or jumpe between the countrys for new visas, but i dont know the dates when i will travel onwards so i didnt buy any tickets. Any help would be appriciated. Oh one more question regarding Korea: Does anyone know if it is safe to drink the Tabwater? Lonely Planet said you shouldnt in Busan but how about the rest of the country? I know this is not Japan related but i havent found a Korea forum till now, if anybody knows one please post a link. Thanks as always guys, youve been helping me out alot till now! 
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06-18-2009, 06:35 AM
I can tell you they do check your onward/returning ticket, but not every time. It seems to me that it depends on the immigration officer. Now that said, I haven't gone to Japan on a tourist visa for several years now (only student/work visa), and since then, immigration has become stricter (fingerprints, new gaijin cards, etc), so I certainly would not risk going to Japan without a plane ticket if you don't have a long-term visa. I have no idea whether they'd allow you to go in if you proved how much money you had - I doubt anyone here would know the answer to that. I would really recommend calling your embassy/consulate, they can provide a lot more information than people on these forums can.
As for Korea, I've drank tapwater in Korea many times without a problem (although it was only in Seoul/Incheon). I don't know what things are like outside those areas, though.
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06-18-2009, 07:07 AM
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Believe it or not, my father's first foreign language is German, not English. Quote:
Quote:
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06-18-2009, 10:57 AM
You'll need to fill out a form specifying your length of stay in Japan, the amount of funds you have (it better be sufficient to support yourself for your intended length of stay), and usually a return ticket. In 3 of the times I entered Japan, I was required to show the return ticket in order to get a 90 tourist visa, the 4th time I was entering with a one-year visa obtained at the Japanese Embassy, so a return ticket wasn't required.
There is probably better than a 50/50 chance that you will be denied a tourist visa, the Korea weekend strategy is well known to Japanese customs and immigration. If you pull it of, be sure to share with us how you did it. You might try buying a second set of tickets while in Korea, with your return ticket bringing you back to Korea, that's the only logical method I can think of which might work. You'll still get the 90 days, regardless of the travel date on the ticket.
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06-18-2009, 12:24 PM
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Cheers - Oz
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06-29-2009, 05:56 AM
Ok, just to answer my own question:
It was absolutly no Problem to get into Korea without an onward ticket! However going back to Japan without one seems to be impossible (as some here mentionend). I have asked the guys at the ferry port and they said that for Korea it doesnt matter and if you want to be sure, a reservation for a ticket will be enought (you can still cancel/change that later). They said however that this is not possible for Japan, so be aware! The Forum for Korea posted by komitsuki is crap (every post is spam, seems to have very few active members) so if anyone know another forum please let me know! Cheers
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06-29-2009, 06:25 AM
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So sorry about that. Sadly there aren't any good forums on Korea. For a last ditch effort, what I can recommend you is go to groups related to foreigners in Korea on Facebook. Of course, if you have a Facebook account, that's great.
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06-29-2009, 11:44 AM
Sorry, i didnt want to sound that negative, i had just flipped through the first few pages and they where all just posts by spambots. I wouldve prefered an active forum like this one where i can ask ppl and get answers, but i guess ill do some digging.
And thanks for the tip to facebook, ill try that as well.
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06-29-2009, 12:59 PM
You don't always need an onward ticket. Just proof you can afford one.
The best korea forum hands-down is koreabridge: Koreabridge Discussion Forum (Powered by Invision Power Board)
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