CUSTOMS, TIPS and GOING HOME

How's Shopping?"

Not really different. But if you wear fairly large sized clothes/shoes, you'd better bring all you'll need with you. Large-sized goods in Japan are scarce, or very expensive, or make you look like a dork. Mail-order shopping is also growing in popularity, but the customs hassles can make it more expensive than you might imagine. Make sure you know ALL the costs your purchase will entail. Having family/friends send it to you might be better.

There is also no custom of tipping in Japan -- people do not tip waitresses, taxi-drivers, etc. Before you come to Japan, getting a credit card would also be a good idea. Getting one in Japan can be very frustrating, with more trouble of finding a guarantor, $100 annuals, etc. Many people are stunned when they see the prices in Japan.


The following are some typical prices :

*Rice: 300-400 yen/kg
*Bread (approx 1/3 loaf) 150-200 yen
*Coca-cola (12oz) 120 yen/can
*Gasoline 125 yen/liter
*Milk: 150-200 yen/ltr
*Domestic Beer (12oz) 225 yen/can
*Regular aspirin (100 tab) 1800 yen
*Contac (10cap) 1350 yen
*Movie 1800 yen
*Doritos (7oz) 400 yen
*Maybelline Lipstick 1500 yen
*Taxi - 2km 660 yen, then 90 yen/200m
*Pizza (10 inch; home delivery) 3000 yen
*Coffee 400g 400-800 yen
*Honeydew melon 400-10,000 yen each (no, that's not a typo)
Bringing in your own vitamins, herbs, cosmetics, aspirin, suntan lotion, cold medicines, etc. would be a smart choice. But BEWARE -- in the US lately many illegal methamphetamine labs have bought up mass-amounts of psuedoephidrine type cold pills (Sudafed, et.al.) to convert to illegal speed. Japanese Customs is aware of this and on the look out for anyone coming in with Sudafed, Vicks inhalers, and so on. Before you buy all those pills for those future colds, consider what you purchase.

There are a few other noteworthy aspects -- you can buy virtually ANYTHING from vending machines, which are everywhere. (They turn themselves off at 11PM for alcohol; however these days there are many convenience stores that also sell liquor 24 hours a day). There are no "last calls for alcohol" by law in Japan either, and it's perfectly legal to be totally drunk on the street, in parks, and on the beach. And nobody ever cards you. Now that's freedom! Fireworks are also thankfully very legal, but on sale only in the summer months. If you want to light some up for New Year's, you'll need to buy them before August ends. It's still very rare for families to do so, but that may slowly be changing too.

If you plan to buy any electronics at major shops like Yodobashi, Bic Camera, etc., be sure to sign up for a free point card before making any purchases (they'll require a phone number or address...just give your hotel or something). A point card will allow you to get points for free stuff or a price cut for future purchases; the points you receive often being 10% or more of your initial purchase.

When leaving Japan, you are permitted to take up to 1 million yen with you without declaration. But if you enter the US you are required to file a form with Customs if you are carrying more than $10,000 (regardless of currency, travelers checks, bonds, etc.). Failure to do so may result in seizure of your assets, DEA scrutiny, and maybe even an IRS audit. You are allowed to take with you up to $800 of goods duty free into the US.
Moving back is also very expensive. Whatever is not critical should either be sold or trashed since the moving costs might well cost more than the item itself. Besides, unless there is a specific international warranty, warranties are invalid outside of Japan, and even if you have something made by a big name multi-national, they'll often be unable or unwilling to fix it. If you do take it home though, there are several moving companies, all of which are expensive. A cheaper option is shipping by consolidated cargo. For sea freight, volume is a much bigger issue than weight, and units are usually done by cubic meter. Three boxes the size of 100cm (39") by 50cm (20") by 66cm (26") make up about one cargo cubic meter. You may need to pick up your things at your home country's harbor unless aditional transort is contracted to get it to your home. Another option is the Japanese post office. Yet there might be one more choice if you're up to it -- stuff your suitcases, handcarry and backpack to the max, go to Guam or Korea, and mail your stuff there. From Guam you can use the US postal service, which costs about one-third that of sea-mail from Japan -- and your stuff will arrive in 2-5 days if you're sending it to the States. To calculate exact costs, go to the USPS site and find the cost from Agana, Guam to your destination.

* This is obvious, but

Quote :

NEVER SURRENDER YOUR PASSPORT TO ANYONE

except the legal government authorities. Many people have been blackmailed to stay in their jobs by shady types who took them "for safekeeping". If they ask why, tell them the truth -- that you trust them about as far as you can throw--, well, maybe not that. But say that it's not even your property to give them -- it's your government's, which is also true. Stay away from such places -- you wouldn't be working there long anyway.