Originally Posted by
ainternational
Wow, very surprised by this. I guess US Customs has "no issue" but the Japanese government isn't excited about a sharpened blade being on board.
Being on board isn't the concern, I think. They don't want it in the airport. This whole business of security when entering the airport is left over from some farmers who didn't want their land taken when NRT was being built, something like 25+ years ago. It survives, unnecessarily, to this day -- and isn't done at either HND or KIX AFAIK (as well as probably not at any other Japanese airport either, I just haven't been to any others). Maybe someone else can confirm that (or confirm that my memory is faulty)?