this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2024
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Privacy
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Seconded. I was just traveling to Japan from the States. While it was more or less painless, it was pretty invasive.
What are they doing these days that is invasive (I have been wanting to go back to visit friends)?
The only time I have visited Japan was back in 2012 and all I remember was just waiting in a line and handing over my passport to a customs/foreign visitors person. I also might have had a paper slip with my dates of arrival and departure, that I wasn't bringing in more than $9999.99 in cash, and the address I was officially planning to be staying for the bulk of the time there (and name of my friend that was already living there on work visa). I don't remember ever being stopped to check my bags or answer addition questions. Though I might have just been lucky to have not been picked for additional checks.
In addition to all that you get funneled through a thermal camera section for quarantine reasons, and then you have to stop at a machine where they simultaneously scan your passport, you put all your fingers on a reader and you look into the camera (without glasses) for biometric scanning. After that you go through passport and customs.
None of this was optional and everyone had to go through it (at least for foreigners).
That does sound like a pretty big difference, but I guess it makes sense given it has been so long since I went. The only other nation I have visited was Canada, and that was back when you just needed a valid US driver's license/state ID. I believe they now need a passport. Interesting to see how things like that change over time. Kind of like how we could go all the way into airport terminals to greet people you were waiting to arrive back in the 90s. The "war on terror" really pushed a lot of extra shit into travel.
I went to Japan earlier this year. Filled the travel related paperwork online in advance, and at the border they took fingerprints, compared face to passport (which I assume included a photo) and that was it. Not any different from any other developed country.
I imagine that most nations would have started doing that extra stuff. Still good to be aware of it since it isn't something I think about often. And since my friends over there have a different process and might not know off-hand to mention.