After my 4 nights 5 days vacation to Taiwan, I need to return to home: Japan.
As of Nov 2022, my status is below:
- Japanese passport holder living in Japan
- 4 shots (the latest was Aug 2022), and with vailed Vaccine Passport (3 shots)
- Returning from Taiwan
- Haneda Airport (羽田空港), Tokyo
Before telling about my coming back to Japan, I have to tell you the ground staff of China Airline (for check-in counter for Japan Airlines) in Songshan Airport, Taipei, asked me to show her my Vaccine Passport. I am not sure what would be happen when I could not show her my vailed Vaccine Passport.
Visit Japan Web and Haneda Airport, Tokyo
I strongly recommend to prepare “Visit Japan Web” on your smartphone, which is not an application, but a browser.
In Haneda Airport, we are required to show “Visit Japan Web” is already turning to “Blue”, just after getting off from the airplane. There are no lines, there were some agents classify us with checking color. There were no trouble to go to returning routine.
I also saw many were jammed on the gate, seemed some are Japanese elders not easy to handle “Visit Japan Web”, and Taiwanese (my flight was from Taiwan) and others not easy to handle “Visit Japan Web” or without network.
I am a Japanese, I turned on my Japanese regular SIM just after they announced as “now you can turn on your mobile network”, and when I left from the airplane, it was already wired.
As I’d heard it took 3-4 hours to turning to Blue in “Visit Japan Web”, I was already checked it was turned to Blue, before leaving Taiwan.
QR code for the Customs
In Visit Japan Web, there is a QR code. It is for the Customs.
I’ve heard it is quicker that submitting by paper card as past than QR code. I get the Customs submission card in the airplane, and described.
The agent of the Customs found I have both QR code and the paper card, she got the paper card.
We Japanese say it is a useless QR code…
Network
You should better to prepare Visit Japan Web with offline. (I showed it with online, I have a mobile network in Japan, by the way.)
In Haneda Airport, there are several WiFi are running, but I was arrived at a satellite I am not sure whether you can catch free but secured WiFi, because I don’t use WiFi in any of airports for security.
There are some several secured WiFi in Japan by Docomo, KDDI, and Softbank, but generally they are for people contracted (it is not always required contracted SIM) with them. They are not for tourists, I am sure.
I strongly recommend to prepare internet networks before your leaving at airport. They checked me JUST AFTER LANDING at the airport. There are no place to purchase Japanese SIMs.
My 1st suggestion is purchasing eSIMs. My 2nd suggestion is roaming by your regular SIM. My 3rd suggestion is rent a pocket WiFi in your country. Or…spent hours and hours in the airport.
You can purchase some eSIMs for Japan in KKday.
>> KKday Japan 5/8/30-day eSIM
It can be different steps to turn it Blue between Japanese passport holder and others, I suppose you should check the manual carefully.
https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/manual/main/visitjapanweb_manual_en.pdf
Travel Insurance
When I travel abroad, I always purchase Travel Insurance from AIG.
Not a few Japanese including me are considering Travel Insurance should be required to enter Japan.
Why don’t you purchase Overseas Travel Insurance? It is not only for your treatment, but also for arrangement your reschedule.
