Fortunately for most of our tour guests, Americans, Canadians, and Australians do not need a visa to visit Japan. All you need is a valid passport (make sure it doesn’t expire before the end of your trip!), and you do not need to prepare anything ahead of time.
Whether you are ultimately heading to Okinawa, Osaka, or elsewhere in Japan, you will likely connect via one of the two main Tokyo airports. You’ll go through customs and immigration and collect your bags in Tokyo, and then re-check in for your connection.
However, you can fill out your customs and immigration forms ahead of time via Japan Travel Web. This process takes about 15 minutes and will expedite the airport arrival process. For guidance on the form, watch this video. Make sure you opt to do the customs declaration at this point to. Upon completion, you’ll get a unique QR code to be presented to both immigration and customs officials; save it on your phone (or print it).
Or, you can fill out the paper forms on the plane to Japan or upon arrival. On the form, and sometimes by customs officers, you’ll be asked why you’re in Japan. Your purpose is “tourism.” If you need to elaborate, you can say “watching baseball.”
On the e-form or paper form, list our hotel as the place where you’ll stay in Japan:
(For our Okinawa Spring Training Tour)
Cococius Monpa Hotel
Mihama, Chatan-cho, Nakagami-gun
Okinawa 904-0115
Phone: +81 98-923-3388
(For our mainland NPB tours that pass through Tokyo)
Hotel Metropolitan Edmont
10-8, Iidabashi-3chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
102-8130, Japan
Phone: +81 3-3237-1111
Upon Landing in Japan
You’ll first go to immigration after exiting the plane. If you filled out the forms online, have your QR code ready and scan it at the Electronic Declaration Gate.
After getting your passport stamped, retrieve your luggage. Go through a final checkpoint where you offer them your passport, the same QR code (or customs form), and luggage for inspection.
Go into the public area of the terminal. You’ll find restrooms, shops, and currency exchange windows. This is a good time to exchange currency for yen if you haven’t already. The exchanges may be closed if you have a later arrival, but ATMs will be open.
If you have a connecting flight, follow the signage or go to the arrivals hall help desk to find your gate. You will likely have to find your way to a different terminal. You will check in again for your final leg.
Airport Transportation – Okinawa
Retrieve your luggage and enter the arrivals hall. You have two options for getting to the hotel: taxi or bus. The first bus departs Naha airport at 11:10 AM, and the last departs at 5:40 PM, so if you have a particularly early or late arrival, then you will need to take a taxi.
To take a taxi, find the taxi stand and ask the driver to take you to the Cococious Monpa Hotel (Google Maps link here). The drive time can vary greatly depending on traffic – anywhere from 30-90 minutes. The approximate price from Naha Airport to our hotel is ￥7,000 ($45) or ￥10,000 ($65) after 10:00 PM.
If you prefer the cheaper and more economical bus route, find the two bus company counters: Okinawa Bus and Karry Kanko. The Okinawa Bus price is ￥810 ($5) and Karry Kanko is ￥960 ($6). If you are using Okinawa Bus, purchase your ticket at the counter; for Karry Kanko, make sure you have cash and pay on the bus.
Note that neither of these buses stops directly at our hotel, Cococious Monpa; rather, they stop at the hotel next door, La’gent Hotel Chatan. You will choose which bus company depending on your timing. See the schedule table below.
| Departure from OKA Airport | Arrival to La’gent Hotel Chatan (next to our hotel) | Bus Company | Cost |
| 11:10 AM | 12:16 PM | Karry Kanko | ￥960 (pay cash on bus) |
| 11:20 AM | 12:42 PM | Okinawa Bus | ￥810 |
| 1:30 PM | 2:52 PM | Okinawa Bus | ￥810 |
| 3:12 PM | 4:18 PM | Karry Kanko | ￥960 (pay cash on bus) |
| 4:40 PM | 6:02 PM | Okinawa Bus | ￥810 |
| 5:40 PM | 7:03 PM | Okinawa Bus | ￥810 |
