Originally Posted by
airportairplane
Hello all, I am traveling to Japan for the first time with my friend. We are both female college students. I am nervous because I don't know what to expect!!
The trip is:
- leave LAX on Asiana Airlines (connect in Seoul)
- arrive at KIX
- spend 2 days in Kyoto
- Shinkansen to Tokyo
- 4 days in Tokyo
- Leave NRT to LAX
I guess my questions are:
1) how are customs at KIX? Should I be prepared for a lot of questions?
2) is a carry on enough for 6 days in Japan?
3) As far as medicines, what is and isn't allowed? Are acetaminophen and ibuprofen allowed? It seems that medicine including pseudoephidrine or other "stimulants" isn't allowed (e.g. Sudafed, Vicks Inhalers), however if I bring the Sudafed that doesn't have pseudoephedrine (it has Phenylephrine HCl), is it going to be an issue because it still says Sudafed on the front?
4) is the weather that cold in Kyoto and Tokyo? I have jackets, layers, wool socks, boots etc but people are telling me it is going to be unbelievably cold. Does it snow in January?
Thanks for any help and sorry for the possibly ridiculous questions...
Re: #1
IME, Immigration and Customs are on par with other places in the region so you probably won't have any issue beyond the normal processes. However, on one trip, one of my friends got the business from both Immigration and Customs. We figured that it might be related to the fact that he is Korean but we have no proof of that. That instance only added about 20 minutes to our journey.
Re: #2
I had only a carry-on for 15 days in Japan though it wasn't weighed down by souvenirs and jackets or extra shoes. I had to do laundry half-way through but that wasn't an issue for me.
Re: #3
Can't help you there but I suspect that Japan has something OTC for your ailments that would suit your needs.
Re: #4
It can snow but you should be fine with your normal winter garb unless you just can't handle the chill. I went to Hokkaido 2 years ago and there were Japanese women in mini skirts and heels on snow-covered streets. It all depends on your comfort level. Living in SoCal probably won't help you in that regard, so you may be wise to have and not need than need and not have.