Aside from the fully refundable ticket, I can't think of a way. When you arrive at NRT, you have only two choices: make a connection or proceed through immigration. You must make this choice about 50 feet after stepping into the terminal. There is no place to loiter before making the choice.

If you are a connecting passenger, security will rescreen you immediately, and as the previous post said, they will require a boarding pass.

If you are an arriving passenger, you are marched downstairs to stand in the immigration queue (and "stand" is the operative word here).