dvs7310

Post #2271 mentions overnight stops in HKG and NRT, so you should be able to engineer something similar on your outbound. With NRT you could get NH or CA flights, HKG though you'll be stuck with KA.

I'm not nearly as comfortable as 110pgl pushing the issue on the 3rd country transit rule, but then again I usually posses a 1 year multiple entry visa for China anyway since I tend to go there on long weekends a few times a year. There are conflicting reports on that and certainly some FTers have been told they need a visa to turn around to the same country. You're at the mercy of the check in agent and/or supervisor, if they say no, then you're not going anywhere. Now once you get there, it won't be an issue anymore, I've never had the transit counter immigration in any Chinese airport ask where I came from... all they care is that I have an onward boarding pass out of China and then put the hexagon stamp in my passport.

Only 3 countries are exempt for China visa for tourist visits up to 15 days: Japan, Singapore, and Brunei. All other countries need a visa for a regular visit. Many countries are exempt if in transit, that rule varies depending on your passport and which airport.