jpatokal

I'm not hugely concerned, but in my experience at NRT (mostly involving arriving on flights arriving with lots of non-J pax), the non-J line tends to take significantly longer, esp. after they started the fingerprinting nonsense. And this is FlyerTalk after all -- the faster the better

jib71

As I mentioned up-thread, I'd love you to try it and report back. But if I were you, I probably wouldn't risk it because there's nothing slower than standing in the fast queue and then being sent to the back of the slow one. Mrs. jib went through this ordeal at LHR a couple of years ago, thanks to my bad advice, and I think she might be getting ready to think about the conditions under which she might consider embarking on the process for forgiving me.

hailstorm

If you're checking in luggage, then you'll probably still end up waiting for it after Immigration anyway.

jpatokal

Yup, this is why I asked instead of just trying my luck. I think I'll play it safe and queue in the non-J line, but ask the Immigration guy what to do in the future.

jib71

Sensible. I would be willing to bet that the immigration guy will tell you to continue using the non-j line.

gnaget

The immigration officers don't care. The only obstacle are the busybody floorwalker seniors who herd the foreigners. They are usually pre-occupied with checking that the gaijin have filled in the back of the immigration form.

The funniest scene was the old-timer who was obsessed about hotel name on the immigration form. He inspected their forms and engaged some young US soldiers: "Hotel! Hotel!" Response: "Sir, we are reporting to base." Response: "Hotel! Hotel!"

ainternational

I just waited 45 min in the gaijin line at Narita - today.

All of the resident and diplomatic lanes I could see had identical finger print scanners and cameras to the gaijin lines.

Note the Japanese line was near empty.

armagebedar

Geez. I would complain to ANA, NAA (the airport authority) and copy the Immigration Bureau. It shouldn't be a surprise that there are a lot of flights arriving and departing at that time of day, and they should do something about it.

Taiwaned

After some delays finally headed back through KIX yesterday.

I went through the J line, no issues.

They had finger print readers at all terminals.

Mind you, there was NO line up at ANY line when I went through.

Noticed that the one person who was getting into the line for permanent residents ended up seeing the same guy that saw me in the J lineup.

joejones

When flying into NRT earlier this month, I went through the Japanese line with my family. The immigration officer chided me for doing so and said we should have used the re-entry line instead, but processed me anyway.

I was told that the issue is not equipment -- they have exactly the same equipment at each desk -- but rather keeping the lines moving at a similar pace. There is a separate line for each desk and they don't want to keep a line of Japanese people waiting for a desk that is processing a foreigner, which takes longer because of the fingerprints and photo.

In the US, my non-citizen wife always goes through the citizen line with me and the officials are fine with it. The difference there is that there is a single line feeding all of the desks, so it doesn't matter if one desk is taking longer to process someone.

gnaget

It's the same as at many airports in the US, i.e. there is a long line and then at the end of the line one or two people line up by a station. Usually someone directs people to line up.

At NRT the tourists are fed over to the orange re-entry (resident) stations.

p.s. Any American should do themselves a favor and get Global Entry. I got it while living in Japan.

joejones

My wife doesn't qualify, and I almost always travel to the US with her, so almost zero benefit for me.

If only she were Korean, Dutch or Mexican.

Wait, not really.

gnaget

Interesting that S. Korea is eligible. Appears that they instituted reciprocity. Fat chance that the Japanese will do the same.

5khours

If she has a green card she can get GE.

joejones

Having to file a US tax return would more than outweigh the benefits of GE.