I've found the customs lines can vary, and have been asking for a customs form on the plane to prefill these days. I'll then choose the line that seems faster. Luckily, the VJW customs line has been pretty short and I've mostly spent less time going through that process than waiting for my bags.

Funn just saw a report by Impress (https://travel.watch.impress.co.jp/d...s/1482285.html) that Minister for Digital Transformation Kono-san tweeted a few days ago that people will be able to go through customs in several ways with the same QR code:

1. scan the QR code, register with the kiosk, then go through un-attended gate (via facial recognition)
2. skip the kiosk, scan the QR code at attended gate
3. forget about the QR code, just pass the paper form at the attended gate

If anyone is visiting Japan soon, you may have another option depending on which line are shorter.

Only change would be #1 being unattended, I went through in November with the kiosk to an attended gate with facial rec, but didn't talk to the agent aside from a hi, when I came back through in December, I went through the normal gate with paper forms due to lost luggage.

Are there actually unattended gates with facial recognitions and no agents? I thought the automated gates with facial recognitions ARE the un-attended gates, albit with agents nearby in case of gate malfunctions. I didn't pay too much attention to different ones though.

I thought #2 is the new change where currently regular/attended gates with agents taking the paper forms will allow for scaning the QR codes, though without needing to fill out the paper forms.

Although from the same report, by May Japanese nationals will not even have the option to fill out the paper forms, but I might be reading it wrong, not like my Japanese is that great.

I didn't see any in November, they were QR code and face rec, but had an agent at the open gates, there were also normal gates to go through if you didn't have a QR code. When I went through in late December, I had to go through the manual gates with paper, not sure if they took QR codes, but I would assume so since immigration was set up to take the disembarkation QR code. I've never seen usable unmanned gates.

Entered Japan today and there was no pink paper offered.. but it was also a bit busy, with another 2 long haul flights landing at the same time.
So, YMMV. Basic idea still holds -- just keep showing the blue screen all the way to the immigration line.

Hey G,
How long in town?
M :)

Thanks. I am having that problem. Switched to iphone and it worked.

Can someone verify my understanding of the process:

1) There is no app anymore,
2) What people are showing is
a) the visit japan website, logged in, showing blue box or
b) a screen shot of the above?

Also, I thought a passport upload would be needed, but I didn't see that. Did I miss it?
Thanks in advance!

ETA - I see that there is a button "screen shot" that is there - pressed it on my iphone and it downloaded a screenshot to my files. So my remaining question is did I miss needing to upload my passport photo page? Or just the passport number is suffiicent?

Step 1. Security by the gate at SIN, showing passport and proof of vacations. A gate agent looked at my wife’s CDC vacations in her iPhone wallet off the California vaccination records website. You have four vaccinations? Five actually, my wife said showing the fifth (the least recent). The agent then worked on her computer intensely for several minutes. Same procedure for me.

Step 2. Quarantine after deplaning at HND. Rather than getting involved with staff that can register you, the trick was find a person who can simply read and accept the registration you already filed online. This was not easy given the many travellers and how overly quickly you got pushed through by the line staff. Once accepted, you were pointed to get in line for immigration.

Step 3. Immigration. We were pointed to a line, which turned out to be two lines, one of several for visitors and another of several for residents. That’s how packed it was, not uncommon for people to wind up in the wrong line. Once we we were front of the resident line, a staff person put us in front of the adjacent visitor line. Showed the agent the passport and immigration QR code, facial picture and finger print. All good.

Step 4. Picking up our suitcases.

Step 5. Scanning customs QR code along with passport. The QR code we had on paper was too big, so we used our iPhone to take a picture of it and having the staff scan that. Exited the customs area.

No pink slip at any time or mention of vaccination at HND. The whole thing took not much more than an hour.

Do you have to upload vaccine cards and info etc all again if you have already entered Japan using VJW and entered all that on a previous trip? I would think you would not need to reupload vaccine cards for example 4 months after already uploading them and getting blue screens on everything.

Yes, you'll have to create a new trip, it won't require you to enter your passport again, but your vax info and everything else will need to be reentered for every person.

Thanks. What a bunch of idiotic nonsense. I would have thought the Japanese of all people would have had a more efficient way to handle this but I guess not. You would think the same person with all the same info on the same login with previously approved info wouldn't have to upload the same exact thing again but oh well.

Big deal, just save a picture of the card and reuse it each time.
What's the nonsense?

It's a 5 minute process and 2 hours max to get validated if you're within 2 weeks of your trip. Could be worse, the borders could still be closed.