Originally Posted by SQFreak
You will need a letter signed by both parents and notarized stating that you have their permission to travel to Japan and any countries through which you plan to transit in order to get to Japan.
That should be no problem, and sounds like good advice.
It may help for the letter to state that they are funding your trip.
Well, that would be a lie. I'm paying for the entire trip with money I've saved up over a couple of years for this trip.
I don't believe the airlines will consider a 16-year-old an unaccompanied minor. (I think NW, US, AA, and UA all cut off around 14.)
Yeah, I knew that. I was just using the term mainly to mean "someone under 18 travelling without parents." I knew from personal experience that I wouldn't be hasselled on a domestic flight, but didn't know if the procedures would be different for an international one.
Thanks for the input!