Journal Trip to Japan from the US, August 2022 - Thoughts and impressions

[Petaris]

This thread is for the general discussion of the journal entry Trip to Japan from the US, August 2022 - Thoughts and impressions. Please add to the discussion here.

 

[thomas]

Thank you for sharing your travel details! This is extremely helpful for all those travelling between the US and Japan.

Having read through your mind-boggling preparations, I realise I won't be travelling back to Europe soon. Or without a good reason. Anyhow, I am glad you had a nice trip!

 

[johnnyG]

My/our most common destination has been Chicago/ORD. ANA and United have some code share flights direct to NRT, and based on experience many, many years ago, ANA is the only real option. It's just soooo much better.

 

[Petaris]

My/our most common destination has been Chicago/ORD. ANA and United have some code share flights direct to NRT, and based on experience many, many years ago, ANA is the only real option. It's just soooo much better.

This was code-share as well. Booked via United with the flights between the US and Japan operated by United and the flights between Tokyo and Osaka operated by ANA. The last flight we took was on EVA, it was very affordable and the service was great. The only downside is it is a longer flight as you make a connection in Taipei, Taiwan.
Over the years we have also flown Northwest (now part of Delta), Delta, American Airlines code-share with JAL, Air Canada (connection via Vancouver), and directly with ANA.

ANA and EVA are excellent. Air Canada and JAL are pretty decent. Northwest, Delta, and American were OK. United is easily the worst I have flown unfortunately. This is really the first time flying United though so maybe it was just a bad experience?

It won't get you to Japan, but if you are flying regionally in the Chicago and Toronto area Porter (Canadian airline) is awesome. Their small Bombadier Q400 turboprop aircraft are just fun to fly in and the service is almost as good as the Asian airlines.

 

[Petaris]

Thank you for sharing your travel details! This is extremely helpful for all those travelling between the US and Japan.

Having read through your mind-boggling preparations, I realise I won't be travelling back to Europe soon. Or without a good reason. Anyhow, I am glad you had a nice trip!

I don't think you would need to get the same visa as I did, just a re-entry permit right? The rest kind of depends on what the European country you are flying to has in the way of rules and also what "color" Japan has assigned that country. It might not be too bad depending on what the rules turn out to be.

 

[Lothor]

Interesting and helpful account.
Two brief comments
1) As far as I know, you can only include information on your children up to the age of 12 on MySOS. I registered my 12-year-old son's information, but my 15-year-old son used his own smartphone and entered his own information.
2) I had problems with the MySOS app, not least because my smartphone wouldn't connect to the internet when I returned to Japan. I found the staff at Narita to be extremely helpful. They fired up a PC and entered the missing information there, and we were through the Covid part of immigration within about 15 minutes.

 

[Petaris]

Interesting and helpful account.
Two brief comments
1) As far as I know, you can only include information on your children up to the age of 12 on MySOS. I registered my 12-year-old son's information, but my 15-year-old son used his own smartphone and entered his own information.

Good to know. My eldest is going to turn 12 this fall. I'm really not sure a 13 or 14 year old should have a smartphone but maybe MySOS won't be needed by the that time.

 

[mdchachi]

Very helpful info. Didn't you also need some sore of guarantor/sponsor letter from someone in Japan?

 

[Yodobird]

Very helpful info, thank you!!
I am going to Osaka from Europe next weekend to visit my mother in law. My wife received the koseki within two days in Japan, and the consulate in my home country only expected a copy and no letter of invitation or sponsor.
Regarding the experiences within Japan: Can we travel to a town nearby and stay there overnight in a hotel (I am not a group tourist) ?
Or will they reject me when seeing the foreign passport?

 

[mdchachi]

Very helpful info, Thank You!!
I am going to Osaka from Europe next weekend to visit my mother in law. My wife received the koseki within two days in Japan and the consulate in my home country only expected a copy and no letter of invitation or sponsor.
Regarding the experiences within Japan: Can we travel to a town nearby and stay there overnight in a hotel (I am not a group tourist) ?
Or will they reject me when seeing the foreign passport?

I don't think this should be a problem. I've never of such problems occurring. Maybe somebody with direct recent experience will reply and confirm.

 

[thomas]

Regarding the experiences within Japan: Can we travel to a town nearby and stay there overnight in a hotel (I am not a group tourist) ?
Or will they reject me when seeing the foreign passport?

There are no travel restrictions for visiting family members of Japanese nationals and foreign residents.

https://www.visasjapan.com/news/travel-restrictions-to-enter-japan

 

[Petaris]

Very helpful info. Didn't you also need some sore of guarantor/sponsor letter from someone in Japan?

No, I didn't as I had to submit the koseki that showed my name. Maybe you only need that if you aren't visiting family?

 

[Petaris]

Very helpful info, thank you!!
I am going to Osaka from Europe next weekend to visit my mother in law. My wife received the koseki within two days in Japan, and the consulate in my home country only expected a copy and no letter of invitation or sponsor.
Regarding the experiences within Japan: Can we travel to a town nearby and stay there overnight in a hotel (I am not a group tourist) ?
Or will they reject me when seeing the foreign passport?

I would not expect it to be an issue. You could always just have your wife handle the hotel reservation.

 

[Yodobird]

Now I can report: we just made a one-day trip to a famous hotel in Kansai. There was one question in a questionnaire at the reception : 'is there a person in your party that is not eligible for residing in a hotel concerning the current corona regulations of the government?'. My wife ticked 'no', but I don't know, what happened, if she would have ticked 'yes'.

 

[Petaris]

Now I can report: we just made a one-day trip to a famous hotel in Kansai. There was one question in a questionnaire at the reception : 'is there a person in your party that is not eligible for residing in a hotel concerning the current corona regulations of the government?'. My wife ticked 'no', but I don't know, what happened, if she would have ticked 'yes'.

I would not be shocked if the employees at the hotel don't know either. Probably they would be hesitant and unsure of what to do and keep calling manager's further and further up the chain to find out. I feel like that is the norm with those types of bureaucratic paperwork, they just assume everyone will tick the option that makes life easy for everyone involved.

 

[mdchachi]

Now I can report: we just made a one-day trip to a famous hotel in Kansai. There was one question in a questionnaire at the reception : 'is there a person in your party that is not eligible for residing in a hotel concerning the current corona regulations of the government?'. My wife ticked 'no', but I don't know, what happened, if she would have ticked 'yes'.

Thanks for reporting back.