Originally Posted by
Often1
OP's rant is not about long lines, efficiency or the immigration process in general. Rather, he was subjected to a specifically rigorous immigration & customs experience which may have been caused by:
1. random selection
2. targeted selection due to attitude, observations, unwillingness to answer simple questions such as the address at which he was staying)
3. targeted selection of people who meet a general description because border authorities are looking for such a person and need to verify that OP isn't that person.
This happens at pretty much every border in the world. You can enter NRT 100 times and on the 101st, they are looking for a 5'10" male with brown hair and all of those people get a bit more attention.
If you don't know your cousin's address or the address of the hotel at which you will be staying, it is adviseable to obtain this before departure.
I think there are others who have flown through NRT multiple times without ever having immigration/customs issues. Sure, you can say you never know why, but it seems to happen more at KIX. My guess is this different mentality (I would call it small-town, sort of like how you get more hassle with TSA at a smaller airport than a major one).
When you say it is adviseable to obtain the address, why? You mean for the purpose of immigration? It is absolutely meaningless to have the address in Japan, as my cousin will pick me up, or you just tell a cab the hotel name. Addresses don't help foreigners find locations in Japan, as their scheme is completely foreign to us.