What to expect in Japan?
 

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...

I won't be the one to provide an exhaustive list of what pharmaceuticals aren't/are allowed. You're aware that pseudoephedrine isn't permitted and are considering taking a version of sudafed that contains Phenylephrine HCl instead. In the very unlikely event that your medicines are queried this seems like an entirely sensible explanation to me. Worse that can happen is that it gets confiscated and that you'll need to go to a chemist and get a Japanese decongestant for the week. I can't really see that happening though.
I'm not one to take pills and potions around with me and the only medicine I've taken in Japan has been what I've purchased there. I'm more likely to bring back cough sweets from Japan than take anything with me. If you're that bunged up whilst you're there you can show your cultural sensitivity by wearing a surgical mask (the tip from guidebooks about blowing your nose being taboo is baloney, just show the same restraint you'd like others blowing their nose in your proximity to show towards you).

I've never used KIX just Nagoya and Narita. The level of questioning has always felt appropriate, search dogs are common so I would resist the urge to take explosives and recreational narcotics or drugs that don't conform to an expected amount for a 6 day trip. Only time I felt the questioning was intrusive was past Customs one time when I was helping out a gormless ex workmate of my husband who happened to be on the same flight as me, because of her I ended up hanging around the airport much longer than I usually would.

Too cold in January?

It might snow, then again it might not. The biggest dilemma is which shoes to pack. Something sensible that can deal with icy slush but that you can take off easily as shoes need to be removed in a great many places. Watch out with synthetic clothes as the air is dry and static shocks are common at this time of the year. And take clean pairs of socks everywhere in case the ones you're wearing get wet or smelly. (Oh yes, most deodorant in Japan is ineffectual, don't forget to pack some)

Carry on only? You could but you'd need to stay away from mountainous rural areas. I've been to Mt Takao on the outskirts of Tokyo on New Years day where it started off fine only to snow a great deal while we were up there. And we'd thought all those people in heavy hiking gear were over dressed on the way up, we realised we were horribly under dressed on the way down. So, no. If you want to venture out of the cities, carry on only isn't enough.

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.

Highs in both Kyoto and Tokyo are likely to be in the 40s Fahrenheit, with snow possible but not likely. (It snows only every few years.)

For a Minnesotan like me, this means a wool coat or a lightly padded jacket, a hat for windy days, and lightweight leather gloves. No snowshoes, ski pants, face masks, or other Arctic survival gear required. I don't switch to my next level of warmth unless the high for the day is below about 20°F (-5°C). Daytime highs of less than 0°F (That's about -20°C--yes, it happens in Minnesota) require a whole new level of gear, but I can guarantee that you will not find such temperatures in either Kyoto or Tokyo.

My one piece of advice is to wear thick socks. You have to take off your shoes to go inside temples, and I once made the mistake of wearing thin socks to visit a temple in February. I was chilled through and could not warm up until I got into the bath that evening.

That's not been my experience.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/6407771.stm
2007 was an oddity (and it did actually snow in parts of Tokyo that year) and I think the snow may have come late in 2009, but "snow only every few years" doesn't seem to be correct, not for Tokyo.

Perhaps "snow that accumulates every few years" is more accurate. Most snowfall in Tokyo melts on contact with the ground, and the snow that does stick almost all melts within two days.

(1) Customs is generally pretty easy. The only major caveat is their broad definition of stimulants and narcotics, which you have already apparently heard about.

I have only been stopped at customs once, and that was coming in from a few days in China with a small bag, which I guess might have triggered a smuggling profile somehow. I have never been stopped when coming in from the US.

One of my co-workers came back from South Africa carrying several pounds of meat and was stopped -- the customs inspector looked at the meat inside the suitcase, asked "Is this food?" and after he said "Yes," waved him right through. :p

(2) Probably OK if you're sticking to cities. You should have no trouble finding extra clothes, etc. if necessary, though it may be a challenge if you are particularly tall or big-boned.

(3) Given the fact that it could trip you up at customs, and that the public rules are not very clear, I wouldn't bring any potentially troublesome medication to Japan unless you need it in order to survive. Based on what I have read online, you CAN get deported or even end up in jail for possession of the wrong kind of Sudafed -- and if you have a cold or another condition, you can get OTC medicine from a drug store when you get here. That said, Tylenol is definitely OK (they sell it here, same brand name and everything).

(4) Comments on weather above are generally spot on. Kyoto is a bit colder and snowier than Tokyo IME. One thing to keep in mind is that you'll want warm inner wear as well as warm outer wear, because Japanese buildings can often have really crappy insulation.

I never take more than a rollaboard plus a small laptop backpack for up to 3 weeks in Japan. To make that work, I book at least one hotel during the trip that has a coin laundry on site. For 6 days, I'd think you could rinse out a few things in the sink if no laundromat is available. The one kicker here is that you are traveling in the dead of winter and will likely need heavier clothing. Check hotels for laundry facilities and plan on a laundry night and you will be fine.

In addition to prescription meds, I always take small quantities of cold-related OTC medications and have never been questioned. Perhaps I just look trustworthy but in many trips to Japan, I have never even had my luggage opened for inspection. They just wave me through. Of course, I look like someone's grandfather and it might be a bit different for college aged girls but probably not much. However it goes, they will be polite. Expect more unpleasantness from the US folks when you return.

It will likely be colder in Kyoto than Tokyo but neither will be arctic. Whoever has been telling you "unbelievably cold" has been exaggerating.

Thank you for the responses! Yes, being from SoCal my idea of "cold" is 60 degrees, so it might be better to pack a little more and not need it rather than have the opposite situation...

I bought some thicker boot socks and some wool blend socks, so thanks for this advice! I didn't think about removing shoes in the temple.

Thank you for all these tips. I can get by without cold OTC, I just like to bring it "just in case." I definitely do need to bring my allergy medicine, which is basically just chlorpheniramine maleate and Phenylephrine HCl, hopefully neither of those substances are illegal.

Thanks! The hotel we are staying at in Tokyo does in fact have a laundry on site.

Being college aged girls, that was my concern. I read somewhere else that this fits a "drug profile" that they may be looking for which is why I was/am concerned about customs.

To summarize, what I am planning on taking in terms of medicine:
- Tylenol
- Allergy medicine (generic Sudafed, which has phenylephrine HCl and chlorpheniramine maleate)
- either Airborne or Emergen-C

Hopefully none of these are anything that would trigger customs!

Heck, I've bought 200mg Ibuprofen tablets over the counter at drugstores in Tokyo. Can't imagine it's banned anymore, if it ever was.

If you dress nicely, probably no bags will be opened at all.

Seems like a sensible plan. However, if you do find yourself in need of an extra layer, it's not as if you're half way up a mountain without some vital kit. You can get thermals, fleece etc. quite inexpensively at any Uniqlo store in the places you're planning to visit.

Thanks. I do dress fairly nicely so hopefully it will not be an issue. The hotel we are staying at in Tokyo has a convenience store located at the bottom, I don't know if these sorts of medicines are available there or if I have to go to a dedicated pharmacy/drugstore.

Thanks for this suggestion!

Some convenience stores now offer a limited selection of drugs and dietary supplements but there are pharmacies all over the place that offer a full range of medicines and many of them open late.

I get stopped by customs often when I didn't go through NRT. That includes KIX. But that probably has something to do with me being male travelling alone, and coming from SE Asia.

The customs people were extremely(or shockingly) polite and courteous, on par with Japanese department store clerks.

I was asked politely (as opposed to a challenging tone in other countries) "Is it OK if we X-ray your suitcase?". Can I really decline? Things were removed from the suitcase, X-rayed, then items meticulously re-packed by the officer. Compare that to Canadian Customs, where the law says it's the traveler's own responsibility to re-pack.

I was asked to take off my shoes. A chair and a shoe horn were provided, and I got to stand on a nice floor mat. Very Japanese.

Granted, that was al done in public view.