Japan and the U.S. have a reciprocal visa agreement for tourism and visiting family in Japan. No official visa is required if you are staying 90 days or less.
If you wish to stay longer than your originally allotted time, apply at one of the immigration offices in Japan before the visa expires. You will be able to remain while your request is processed even if your original visa expires. To complete the application you will need the following information: length and reason for extension, names of family members being visited (relationship, date of birth, nationality, place of employment or school and alien registration number, if applicable).
Each traveler completes a landing card when entering Japan for a visit. The card gives the immigration authorities information for determining your eligibility for landing. This includes your full name (as listed on your passport), home address, nationality, passport number, address while in Japan, length of stay, arriving airline name and flight number. If approved, landing permission is stamped in the passport which authorizes your stay in Japan and gives the entry date and latest possible departure date 90 days later. The landing card is stapled in the passport.
Four to six weeks before the trip, check to see if your immunizations are current or if the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has posted any special travel notices for the part of Japan you will visit. Japan does not require special immunizations except for visitors traveling to rural farming areas. Japanese encephalitis is recommended if you will be staying for an extended time on a farm. Carry your yellow International Certificate of Vaccination by the World Health Organization with you.
You will be directed to the immigration area for processing and admittance to the country. There will be lines for those with Japanese passports, lines for all others. Have your passport, International Certificate of Vaccination by the World Health Organization and completed landing card ready for presentation. Attendants will direct you to the proper line as you approach the immigration officers. Each traveler will be fingerprinted and photographed at the entry counter. Couples and families are processed together. Otherwise, wait until beckoned forward by the officer.
Flight attendants will distribute customs declarations prior to landing. You only need to complete one declaration per family. After passing through the immigration lines, you have one final step to complete before you can leave the airport. Pick up your baggage and select the appropriate customs line (no declaration or declaration).
