SirJibAlot 0 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Yea, I was surprised about that - I was the only one in the re-entry line and both J and Foreign lines were blocks long. I may need to keep my alien card for a bit longer just to avoid the queue when visiting! Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 not if you register the whole family before you leave Serreche. Then you can all go thru the same queue. Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Thanks for the info BP, I'll look into that. Link to post Share on other sites
SirJibAlot 0 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 What is involved in 'registrering'? Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 nothing more than getting your fingerprints and photos in the system at immigration on your way out of the country (at the airport) apparently. It was talked about earlier in this thread. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Will you be here to enjoy the snow, SirJib? (Sorry off topic) Link to post Share on other sites
SirJibAlot 0 Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Originally Posted By: rach Will you be here to enjoy the snow, SirJib? (Sorry off topic) Nope not this time... BP, sorry I must have missed it above. I thought registering would be a much more tedious process. Something involving getting your koseki, jumin shomeisho, inkan, and 3 copies of your Shibo Todoke Kisai Jiko Shomeisho. Glad to hear it's much simpler.... Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Shibo Todoke Kisai Jiko Shomeisho - what is that by the way? Link to post Share on other sites
projectsplat 0 Posted December 10, 2007 Author Share Posted December 10, 2007 Does anyone have any updates on delays caused by this yet? Cheers Al Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 On the news just now, "all foreigners entering the USA form 2008 will have to register ALL of their hand fingers fingerprints at the airport". what's next, take off our shoes and register the tows too? Link to post Share on other sites
tripitaka 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Originally Posted By: projectsplat Does anyone have any updates on delays caused by this yet? Cheers Al -- There was a letter in the local Japan Times newspaper this morning. The writer said that pre-registered entrants (resident foreigners who have given their prints and photos beforehand) were moving through faster than anyone (the shortest queue of tourists, Japanese). The letter said the foreigners queue was similar to the Japanese. Link to post Share on other sites
projectsplat 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 Originally Posted By: tripitaka -- There was a letter in the local Japan Times newspaper this morning. The writer said that pre-registered entrants (resident foreigners who have given their prints and photos beforehand) were moving through faster than anyone (the shortest queue of tourists, Japanese). The letter said the foreigners queue was similar to the Japanese. oh well. I guess I will figure it out soon enough. we fly in on the weekend. Link to post Share on other sites
tripitaka 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Originally Posted By: projectsplat Originally Posted By: tripitaka -- There was a letter in the local Japan Times newspaper this morning. The writer said that pre-registered entrants (resident foreigners who have given their prints and photos beforehand) were moving through faster than anyone (the shortest queue of tourists, Japanese). The letter said the foreigners queue was similar to the Japanese. oh well. I guess I will figure it out soon enough. we fly in on the weekend. I don't think it will be a big deal at Narita. Even if you have to wait 30 mins, so what? Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 again Im not going to fight at the airport but... This is not to stop crime this is to make a database. This government messed up or lost 50million pension records and you expect them to not mess this up. This government is corrupt and people inside will more than likely sell this information to some company. Every month or so someone goes down from corruption and you want me to trust the government with very sensitive data? This data will be used in the next gen security or already is, do you trust a data base, held by a corrupt government to safely keep it? Watch some TV, read the news please and stop living in fear. If someone wants to get in it isnt hard this wont stop crime! Link to post Share on other sites
projectsplat 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 Originally Posted By: tripitaka I don't think it will be a big deal at Narita. Even if you have to wait 30 mins, so what? talking to a friend in Japan the other week, she was telling me - "oh the lines at Kansai airport took nearly no time at all. it was only the queues at Narita that were taking up to an hour and a half....." I have just shy of 2 hours to get baggage, clear customs, and then check in for the connecting to Sapporo that night to then catch the connecting bus to Niseko. If it is a 30 second process - hey - no worries. If I get lobbed with 1hr 30 mins standing in line to get my photo taken, then I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be heading towards pretty stuffed. then again, if there are a heap of people on my plane in the same situation, then there is a chance that they will hold the connecting flight for us - but I don't like to rely on things like that. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Wooooohhh!!! That is tight - if the plane is late taking off from Aus, hits bad weather and is late getting in to Tokyo, if your bags are the last off the carousel, and if the queues are long because of printing - could all add up to drama. But there is not much you can about it is there? Do you have a back up plan so that in case the worst happens you don't melt down? I love the back up plan. Hubby and I travel with 4 kids - and we always take 'hiccups' in our stride - we are never rushed, screaming, or reduced to tears - no point really. But I have SEEN it happen to other people time and time again. Personally we did not want to be pushed for time, and we wanted to see a bit of Tokyo, so we have NO connecting flights. We are staying in Tokyo on the way there and the way back - just makes for a more relaxed journey for us. Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 FT, I agree this is not about fighting crime in any way. And also I don't trust this government to handle anything responsibly. But doing this at the airport is not really giving them anything new they don't already have on you elsewhere in Japan. They got that info and more when you applied for your visa. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Here's a link about pre-registering if you want to use the automatic departure and arrival gates. http://www.moj.go.jp/NYUKAN/nyukan63-9.pdf Here's the form. http://www.moj.go.jp/NYUKAN/nyukan63-11.pdf Link to post Share on other sites
projectsplat 0 Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Wooooohhh!!! That is tight - if the plane is late taking off from Aus, hits bad weather and is late getting in to Tokyo, if your bags are the last off the carousel, and if the queues are long because of printing - could all add up to drama. But there is not much you can about it is there? Do you have a back up plan so that in case the worst happens you don't melt down? I love the back up plan. Hubby and I travel with 4 kids - and we always take 'hiccups' in our stride - we are never rushed, screaming, or reduced to tears - no point really. But I have SEEN it happen to other people time and time again. Personally we did not want to be pushed for time, and we wanted to see a bit of Tokyo, so we have NO connecting flights. We are staying in Tokyo on the way there and the way back - just makes for a more relaxed journey for us. Yeah - tell me about it. Unfortunately, we are doing this as part of a package (first and last time), so there is little that can be done about it. Truth be told, I am not really that stressed about it - it is an annoyance more than anything (and yes, I am not stoked about being fingerprinted like a criminal.....) I tend to be fatalistic about this sort of stuff. If it all goes south at Narita and we miss our connection - oh well..... we will just trek into Tokyo for a day or so and then head up to Sapporo on the Monday. No big stress. I am sure the girlfriend will be happy to see a bit more of Tokyo! well, not long now. bags are packed, weighed and ready to go. i will be sure to post back here once we go through and let you know how we went. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Good luck Projectsplat! I still have a couple of weeks - so apart from buying a few extra items to take with us, I have not packed, checked the gear is clean OR fixed the delam in my kids board!!! AAHHHHHh!! Better get on to it! As for packages, our travel agent booked us into Thredbo in July (just me and Hubby) on a "package" - not a specific package, just went through the wholesaler - and it was trouble and extra expense from go to whoa. But we learnt enough that I spent about 5 hours on-line booking flights, cars, accomodation, lessons etc when we got home and had a FANTASTIC run when we went back with the bearcubs in August. I thought using an agent and a package would make life so much easier, but I was constantly on the phone - and running in there to pay urgent deposits and final payments. It was SO much easier booking on-line from home. And we GOT exactly what we wanted. Not easy when it is your first time somewhere - but next time you will know Niseko better and you will be able to do more of it yourself. ENJOY THE POW!! Link to post Share on other sites
projectsplat 0 Posted December 13, 2007 Author Share Posted December 13, 2007 Cheers for that Mamabear. i am just hoping that the temperature plummets over the next 24 hours, so that this awful rain they are talking about on the reports turns into beautiful, beautiful snow. *fingers crossed* Link to post Share on other sites
projectsplat 0 Posted December 16, 2007 Author Share Posted December 16, 2007 well, we went through the gauntlet a few hours ago. we scored by getting a free upgrade to business for the Bris->Tokyo leg, so it meant we were close to first out of the plane. we also then power walked all the way to the shuttle between the terminals, so we were first in. walked in, fingers down, click, smile here please, click and we were on our way. as we headed down the escalators, I looked back to see a mass of about 200 people settling into the lines.... phew. thing i learnt: get off the plane quickly, walk quickly, and you will avoid the queue. other thing I learnt: it all counts for squat if they lose your bag on you. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I ALWAYS run - fast - from the plane to customs to try and get as near to the top of the queue as possible. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Not so easy to run with small children... And we are often one of the last off planes coz they put all the kids near the back most often! <grr> But we are pretty seasoned at queues, and we have no deadlines - so we will be fine letting all you impatient young DINKS run for the top of the queue while the families with tired kids stand in line for hours... <slight tongue in cheek there> SOMEONE has to be at the back of the queue don't they? Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I'm usually running to catch a train and I hate queues, and I'm so happy to get off the plane as well - so more than happy to make a mad rush! Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts