What To Declare?

Photographers need help with perspective?

The other pharmaceutical no-no is anything with pseudo-ephedrine, such as decongestants or the pseudo-ephedrine-laced versions of cold, allergy, or sinus medicines.

They are no longer easy to obtain in the U.S., but they are freely available in many other countries.

As far as cameras are concerned, I bought a very nice SLR with interchangeable lenses when I was a student in Japan in the 1970s. While I never took any other equipment, I did take the camera back and forth to Japan several times until 1991, when pieces started falling off of it. Customs never even noticed.

You do seem a bit over-equipped for tourist photos, though.

You'll be okay unless there is something obviously suspicious in how you present and hold yourself. I'm sure not everyone with a fancy watch, Macbook Pro, or highend DSLR declares those when they're just going on a personal vacation.

Hopefully the customs officer will not see things that way. The only thing I'm guilty of loving to take photos

Definitely not leaving any of equipment in Japan. So I guess I have no worries about declaration of my items, or duties to pay. I'm still deciding whether or not to take all the gear I listed, for convenience now.

7 lenses doesn't sound outrageous to me but is does depend on what mirror less body you're talking about. If it's a Sony or a canon mirrorless then that might be pretty significant, if it's m43 then that's not too much at all IMO, especially if it's mainly primes (which I assume to be honest). My last trip to Japan I had a mirrorless body and 6 lenses.

To re-emphasize what someone else pointed out, the JPY200,000 limit applies to "market value," not what you paid for them. Unless they are new and in the original packaging, you need only consider their current value on the resale market.

You don't say what country you're from. Assuming it's the US, here's another Customs issue to think about, assuming you want to cover all angles or are paranoid: returning to the US. If US Customs gets the sense that any of your items were acquired abroad, they may require you to pay import duty when returning to the US. Purchase receipts would help in such a situation, but for the ultra-paranoid, the only sure thing is to register your items with Customs before you leave. You can do this at the airport at the port of exit from the US: you present your items to them, and they'll catalog them onto a form to establish that you had them with you before you left the US.

I do see where you're coming from with your original question. For those without country-specific experience, it's sometimes hard to tell which of the stated regulations are strictly enforced, and which are largely ignored. In many countries, low import duty limits for visitors get added at a time in history when there are high import duties in general, and thus a thriving black market involving people bringing in goods for resale. Then the economic situation changes, tariffs go away, and this is no longer a big concern, but the Customs rules including the declaration remain in place, but are just not enforced. How is one to know? I remember the first time I visited South Korea. The paperwork made it sound like they were very concerned about this, including items like expensive cameras and laptop computers. According to the rules, my laptop had to be declared (not for taxes, but so that it could be registered and then verified that I had it with me when I left, else there would be taxes at that point). Customs, at least at the time, was a Green Lane / Red Lane setup. Green Lane people were just waved through without inspection. They had to open up a Red Lane for me, as I was the only one trying to use it. When they saw that I was just declaring my laptop, they just kind of laughed and waved me through. But how was I to know? On my next visit, I knew what the real rules were, even if the form still technically directed me to the red lane for a laptop.

Some glass has better depth of field than other...


ahem.

Regarding prescription and OTC medications...

Do I have to declare any of the following medications?
Temazepam 30 mg tabs - for insomnia
Meclizine 12.5 mg tabs - for motion sickness
Ibuprofen 200 mg tabs - for pain
Docusate sodium 100 mg tabs - for constipation

I'm staying in Japan for 4 nights and will bring just a few tabs of each. I've read the info on the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as well as the US Embassy, and I believe that I do not have to declare these medications. Can someone confirm this? I'm a little paranoid as I do not want to be arrested on arrival.

ERQ

I carry usually about a week's supply of some of the same things plus BP medications & an anti-coagulant. Have had no problem or even any questions over the course of 5+ trips over the past few years.

As long as they are not banned stimulants etc you'll be fine.

The only priviso with prescription meds is that you don't carry more than what you need for your stay.

If you want to cover yourself make sure you carry them in original box / bottle with the prescription label and / or a copy of your prescription to show they have been prescribed by a physician but this should never normally be an issue just a *just in case* scenario.

None of the above are controlled substances, except for temazepam which is a benzo. However, it says here that you're allowed to bring in up to 900mg of temazepam without any special clarification or permit. So I wouldn't worry. Nothing to declare.


Well, officially speaking, it's not that simple.

As a general comment, customs in Japan is VERY lax. They almost never look through your stuff, as long as you check "no" to all the questions. In all my visits only once did they ask me to open the bag, and it was like the way security checks your stuff at a museum - open it up, quick peek in, and done. I wouldn't worry about it at all.