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01-18-2011, 04:25 AM
MMM: i was under the assumption that total travel time each way can be up to 24 hours with stops etc.
Sangetsu: thanks, if flight time only 13-14 hours that's great. customs etc, how long does it take? customs is a 3-4 hour affair if you are last in line coming into the US. 
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01-18-2011, 04:40 AM
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I haven't flown into Narita in a long time, but into Kansai customs is probably 15 minutes. It's taken as long as 30 or 40 minutes when another flight landed right before us. Where are you landing where it takes 3 or 4 hours to go through customs in the US, that sounds awful! I usually come in through Vancouver BC, Seattle, Portland or San Francisco, and it has never taken more than 45 minutes at any of those airports, and usually is around 20 minutes.
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01-18-2011, 11:14 AM
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01-18-2011, 01:05 PM
On a busy day you might spend 45 minutes waiting in line at immigration as every person entering Japan must be printed and photographed. There is usually little to no waiting time at customs, unless you are one of the few who are picked out of the line to get searched. One of my travelmates was searched a few years ago (the agents were a little suspicious because she had a pierced eyebrow and lip, and she had a tattoo on her hand). We were held up for nearly an hour waiting for her. When she was finished she said she thought they weren't going to let her through.
On my last trip I was the first person off my flight (I love first class), so there was no one at all in line at immigration, and my bag quickly made it to the carousel, so there was no waiting there either. 20 minutes after my flight touched down I was already on the bus headed to Tokyo.
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01-18-2011, 06:45 PM
mmm
not my experiance but 2hrs+ is not unusual here. smaller airports 20 mins after landing ive seen but at the large airports like lga there is a lot of walking etc to do and waiting. i dont travel so i cant get you the details, i've been the ride home not the traveller. wow Sangestsu , so what happened to your friend? they stuck her on the next plane back? what a pain in the ass. and waste of cash!
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01-18-2011, 08:59 PM
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The first time there, I was stopped at customs because, from what I think, I had pretty much a shaved head.... I guess I looked like a headbanger and trouble.... 15 minutes later, I was on the Airport Limousine bus to my hotel, so no problem.... This last time, leaving Narita, I was given a full body patdown for 20 minutes. The attractive 20-something year old was very thorough. She looked and felt everywhere except the immediate genitalia-and I mean EVERYWHERE.... It was somewhat disconcerting and exhilarating at the same time. I had this done simply because I refused going through the metal detector because of my pacemaker....
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Japan Trip -
01-19-2011, 12:01 AM
I just returned from a month long trip and a lot of the information I had been told was not the most accurate. A lot has been answered but to quickly recap some of your questions.
Passport only needed for Japan I paid 800 roundtrip out of LAX with United. 12-14 hour flight Narita is extremely quick for customs, I flew in on a Friday at 5pm. $500+credit card should be plenty if its 1-2 weeks. Japan may not be super credit friendly but Tokyo is. You mainly need cash for food and if you go to the nice places they take CC. I don't think I found a shop to buy stuff at that didn't take CC. Only one street vendor I bought some artwork at was cash only. Akihabara-Credit Friendly, Hotels-Credit, Nice restaurants-credit, Karaoke-credit. Don't know what Japan most people here have been to but credit card was everywhere. I brought $3,000usd, changed $2,000 to yen...400 was stolen, and I still left Japan with $1,300 blowing the remaining $300 in yen at the airport on trinkets. I also traveled from Tokyo all the way down to Kyushu region and back. I did a ton of things and CC was pretty much everywhere. SHORT ANSWER: Street vendors and small restaurants are Cash. Where to stay....HOSTEL!! I had originally booked hotels cause I figured I had the money and hostels were for people on a budget. I stayed my first night in a Hostel cause I figured I would be arriving late and just sleeping(I also wanted to stay at each type of place) figured one night wouldnt kill me. It was a great place, super clean, modern, and the staff was super helpful. I then stayed at my fancy hotel...staff was much more limited in their English. When I asked about places to see or do I was pointed to the canned tours. In comparison the hostel staff was younger, cuter  , and more in touch with the cool things to see and do. Plus at the hostel you meet tons of other cool travelers, many solo as well, giving you the option to hang out if you want to have company.I canceled many of my hotel stays and opted for hostels not because they were $30 a night compared to my $300 but because they were the better experience. Japan hostels are not like US or Euro ones...clean and people are pretty respectful at them. Ninja Khaosan in Asakusa even has the "cabin" style...pretty much like a capsule, so you have decent privacy. Thats my two cents...oh yea and eat at Ippudo for ramen (no one ever says it) I found that place to be the best for ramen about $10us
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01-19-2011, 01:48 AM
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Thank you again for this advice. It is fully detailed. Background on myself: -1st time traveler to Japan -Going with girlfriend -Plan on staying for about a week-week and a half -Planning to stay at Tokyo Things that I have gotten out of this thread: -No Visa required, but 90day visa is recommended. -$3,000/person is more than enough for a 1-1.5week stay -Passport My question is, will i survive on my own or should my first visit to japan be on a TOUR of some sort, where i wont get lost. I get scared when im lost, and getting lost in Japan seems to be a nightmare for me. Again, I am new to this forum, and this thread was the first that i have read. (I have alot of more research to do until I finalize everything) Thank you again! 
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01-20-2011, 01:12 AM
November--great time. I had originally planned October for the weather supposedly around the 70's but was too busy at work and postponed it to Nov. The weather was beautiful, it is one of Japan's least rainy months. During my entire month it only rained 5 times tops lasting only about 5-10 min and was was more of a sprinkle. One night while wandering in Ginza it rained for a hour, but I had a hood and it still wasn't super heavy. That didn't stop the girl from the pachinko parlor running out to give me an umbrella as a gift...things like this will happen in Japan.
It was usually sunny and around the 60's I got by simply wearing thermals on the colder nights. I did not pack a heavy jacket nor found a need for one. Do not pack too much, make use of layers if it is needed at all. *Visa is not needed...your Passport grants you 90 days by default as a temp visitor. *you could easily get by at $500/person +CC when possible. Tokyo is not that expensive (I am from Socal so that may skew my perception) New york in my opinion costs way more. Most things(especially as a first timer) cost very little or are free as you are just amazed with walking down Takeshita dori. *YOU WILL GET LOST. However, Japan is probably the least scary place you will ever visit. Never once did I feel unsafe wandering around at night(one of the few places I would even tell my sister, its ok to go solo). Tokyo seems to always be busy with lots of people no matter what hour of night. Just know how to say, "Sumimasen, <Place> wa doko des kaw?(spelled how it sounds) this will usually get you a point in the right direction or if you look really lost a guided walk to your destination. Bring a compass it is invaluable just to know which direction you are facing so you can quickly orient yourself to the maps(tons of maps available once in Japan). Tokyo is a maze, even the locals can rarely figure out where a place is by an address...so you can forget trying to make sense of an address. So again you will get lost but it's not like LA where its a really bad thing to be lost. The people are super helpful and nothing a compass and a tourist map cant help remedy. I recommend the Ninja Khaosan hostel its close to the trains and Asakusa is a great part of Tokyo.. easy walk or train ride to Akihabara and easy to get to Chuo line to hit the other side of Tokyo. If you want more privacy you can get a room at the Shinjuku Sunroute plaza for about $100 usd a night if you stay 7+ nights it is in a great location and is really nice for the price. If you have any other questions just ask...
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