joejones

Anecdotally, it seems like customs is more likely to stop people coming in from China (including HKG) and less likely to stop people coming in from the US or Europe. At least based on my experiences and those of a few of my friends.

jamar

I might as well chime in with my KIX experience.

I've only had my bags searched twice. Once was KIX- first, the Customs person asked me if I spoke any Japanese. I said kind of, and then she asked me why I was in transit on a PVG-KIX/ITM-NRT-YVR itinerary instead of flying PVG-NRT and cutting out the airport change and overnight in the middle (award ticket, you just have to make do sometimes). Asked me what I was doing in Shanghai (family lives there), asked me what I planned on doing in Vancouver (getting on the bus to SEA to board my AS flight back to where I went to school). Looked through one of my bags, sent me on my way.

The other time was KMQ. Asked me why I was flying into KMQ when my destination was Osaka (wanted to ride most of the length of the Thunderbird train), looked through my bags, sent me on my way.

But back to KIX, one of the many times up until then I wrote down the "real" address of the hotels I was staying at, I was stopped on arrival there and asked "Is this a friend's place? Or a hotel?" I said "Hotel" and he said "Next time, just the hotel name." So I've been doing that since.

Also, KIX was the first time I tried to enter with my TTP card + passport... it failed pretty badly, and I ended up with six Immigration people standing around me trying to figure out why it kept complaining of a "System Error".

armagebedar

Incidentally, there has a been a push by Customs to intercept gold smugglers (the number of incidents has skyrocketed in the past two years), with a focus on travelers from China, Hong Kong, and Korea. So don't be surprised if you get stopped more often, especially based on your travel patterns.

evergrn

I've heard that. Maybe Pickles always flies in from China. I've actually flown into NRT from HKG many times over the past 10 years, but I'm fairly certain I've never had my bags searched by customs on any of those occasions. Then again I have a Japanese name and speak native Japanese (although US passport), so maybe that helps.

jphripjah

I am at KIX now. Just stood in a twenty minute line to go through departure security at South Wing gates. There was no line at North Wing security. Could I have just gone through there? They do prominently display the gate numbers corresponding to North and South but once clearing security and immigration all gates seem to be connected. Would they have shoo'd me away if I had walked into North Wing security with a boarding pass with a south Wing gate number?

Pickles

No. As Dean Martin said, good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.

jphripjah

Another point about departing from KIX. The priority pass app lists the Korean Airlines Lounge (landside, 3rd floor) as a Priority Pass Lounge. I went there and saw a large banner/sign by the door saying due to crowding, the lounge could not accept Priority Pass members and other partner members. It was unclear to me if this was a permanent policy change for this lounge or if they just cart out the big sign during times of high occupancy.

I walked in any way and handed over my Priority Pass card and boarding pass and the agent let me in no problem.

codex57

I don't recall which Japan airport I went to cuz I was a kid so I can't say how the airports are, but I'm from LA and grew up flying out of LAX but now live near and fly out of SFO. I fly into and out of both, routinely.

As I understand it, a regular leisure traveler taking the bullet train is going to take either the Hikari or Kodama trains. So, 3-4 hours.

I'm sorry, but nobody is going to fly into SFO just to avoid LAX. That's just stupid. Yes, LAX is worse, but it would be moronic to fly into the other side of the state just to avoid the "badness" of LAX. The same essentially is true of flying 3-4 hours out of the way just because one place made you write out and address (that's what, maybe a 100 or so characters max and an extra 20 seconds) and maybe look through your bag, which can happen anywhere as that is the IO's job. There's no way that will cost you 3-4 hours in the case of Osaka/Toky or 5-6 hours in the case of SFO/LAX.

codex57

That's probably a big reason. My aunt and uncle never get stopped. They have HKG and US passports, but I think they use US passports usually when going to Japan and at least my aunt speaks Japan somewhat fluently.

Pickles

The last thing you want to do at Japanese immigration and customs is to let on you speak Japanese if you don't live in the country and are just visiting. That's just an invitation for the white glove treatment.

jphripjah

Why, what do they expect Japanese speaking visitors to be up to?

5khours

I've been through Japanese customs at least 500 times and not to tempt fate, but I have never once had my bags inspected. Last week they were checking everyone. At least 20 people in front of me in my line and adjacent lines all got checked, and when they got to me, they just waved me through.

You're probably wearing a suit and look suspicious. On the other hand, they just naturally trust those of us with dreads to our waist and a bong hanging off our backpack.

jib71

They expect that they'll have an easier time persuading them to submit to the white glove treatment.
It's not so bad, really. You put your bags on the counter. They ask you to open them. They politely nose around a bit. And then you're free to go.

abmj-jr

No really sure but that has been my experience as well. If I talk to the agents in Japanese, they get interested. If I stay in my "clueless American grandpa" mode, the don't even look in my roller/carry-on. I never check bags so I look like I can't have much they care about, anyway. The usually comment is "Is that all you have?" When I nod, they wave me through.

mrploddy

LOL thats tame compared to what I had - I had my complete bag emptied then x-rayed and had a pat down.

But that was the year after I did a trip to China and back in a week.

Pretty sure I raised a flag with that travel pattern.

Sonce then been with my Japanese wife going through the airport and always got waved through