Japanese Customs (of the non-social variety)

April 26, 2010 6:06 AM

I may have to hand-carry 50 copies of an English-language business book into Japan next month. I will declare the books to the customs inspector at Narita. Does anyone have experience doing this? Does Japanese Customs only accept cash? Is my lack of Japanese likely to be a problem? Is this a one-stop process, or will I have to collect the books later? Thanks in advance!
posted by quidividi to Travel & Transportation around Japan (3 answers total)

Best answer: The one question I can answer with any certainty is the Japanese-language question: Your lack of Japanese will absolutely not be a problem while clearing customs. From what I've seen there, they will have at least one, and likely several, inspectors that are proficient in English, with a highly fluent translator available.

Also, you're likely to not pay any tax at all, according to this, which says that books are duty-free on import.
posted by deadmessenger at 8:07 AM on April 26, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks deadmessenger -- that's very helpful!
posted by quidividi at 3:03 PM on April 26, 2010

If you call a travel agent which specializes in travel to Japan, such as JTB (jtbusa.com), they could probably answer your question over the phone.
posted by twblalock at 9:10 PM on April 26, 2010