entering with a criminal record/general entry questions

I'm looking at coming to Japan next week (cheapest airfares I can find until at least march next year) however, if being perfectly honest, I'd have to tick "yes" to "have you ever been found guilty of a criminal offence?" - as I'd gotten into some trouble last year over a theft charge (it was due to "borrowing" milk crates to clean up my public housing flat after being threatened with eviction, though I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness, just showing that I'm not a violent/sexual/drug offender). I've heard from two people who have ticked yes on the card, and both were pulled aside by immigration and refused entry. An ex-pat has surmised that it would be next to impossible for immigration to get criminal history on someone coming in with a visa waiver in real-time, as it takes eight weeks to get a work visa - enough time for a background check. I guess if I were denied entry then, when returned on a flight, I could just go back via Hong Kong or something (where records aren't a problem) so it isn't a total waste of a plane ticket.

That forms my main question, if anyone could go to the trouble of answering my questions below, I'd appreciate it a lot:

This will be my first time overseas, so naturally I'm going to be nervous. What does the interview process involve after being fingerprinted and photographed? I plan to have, say, $1000 cash on me, and will have another $10,000 on a credit card (my savings, which I don't intend to completely spend of course) as proof of funds. I'm a little worried about I don't really want to book a hotel in advance, I was considering just heading to Shinjuku or Roppongi and looking at a couple of cheap backpackers (I assume that there'd be plenty of vacancies since it's getting towards winter over there).

The one last issue is prescription medications. I know I can't bring in painkillers with codeine in them, nor cold medicine with pseudoepherdrine, but what about non-opiate painkillers such as Tramadol, anti-psychotics (I'm not crazy, my doctor just prescribed them for insomnia), valium? The closest info I've been able to find (without ringing up the embassy) is that psychotropics (which anti-psychotics and valium would fall under) are fine if for personal use and only 1 month supply, however I'm not sure if Tramadol would fall under narcotics. I assume that I answer "yes" under the "are you bringing in drugs?" landing card form? I do intend to inform the embassy here in Aus about the medications, but it's a fairly extensive list, and for some reason none of the embassies in Aus have an email address.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice anyone could give me. I'm soft-spoken and polite, accepting or other cultures and customs (unlike some of the Australians that congregate in Bali or Phuket) and am well-presented (no tattoos, don't look dodgy, apart perhaps from being a little more pale than the average Caucasian).

Well I'm french and never been to Japan, so I'm not too used to these kind of questions asked in planes and all, as we travel freely in Europe.

As no one offered an advice yet, I'll tell you what I would do: first, I would keep a very low profile about the drugs: don't bring any, especially if you don't plan on staying for a long time: if it's only to avoid sleep problems, well you might try to resist for the duration of your stay don't you think ?

When I went to the States as a teenager, we had the same kind of form to answer to, and our guides told us that it's totally crazy to even think we can tick a checkbox and get away with it: it's basic filtration, if you answer yes to any of it, you'll be blocked or interrogated. They are utterly useless, and should be seen as a warning, not an honest interest in your habits. Maybe it was wrong, or very different from the Japanese one, but I would suggest you to avoid answering yes to any negative question ...

Also, since it's your first time, I'll tell you what I think about the interview process: I've been to Australia and the USA, and well... they just ask you what you intend to do, where you'll live and how long you plan on staying for. Don't worry it's very basic, at least it was 7 years ago in these countries, Japan might be a lot different.

What I try to say with this, is that if you're a plain tourist whose only intend is to visit some temples, you shouldn't worry too much, don't bring shady medicine (I had troubles at the french airport when they saw I was bringing french cheese as a gift for my hosts in the US so really, don't bring medicine unless it's vital ) and behave very calmly. They might try to scare you (when leaving the States, a big lady yelled at me because I was slow to understand I had to leave my shoes and put them in the scanner) to see how you react (and it was not so long after a french ***** made a joke in a plane's toilets saying he was "dropping a bomb" to the waitress asking him what he was doing for such a long time in there - I suspect they wanted to provoke us a bit after that ).

Anyway, sorry for the lack of concrete information about Japan, but since it's your first time overseas, maybe my advice can help you a little

good guide.

Three years old...