Do you intend to bring a gift as usual for friends when making your trip to Japan? Do you need to bring medicines, electronics, and other products in your luggage? In this article, we will see what is prohibited and allowed to take to Japan in your luggage.
It is worth remembering that each country has its own rules on what is allowed or not in your luggage. If you make a stopover in any other country, make sure you comply with all the rules.
You may have to fill out a form about your belongings before leaving Brazil or entering Japan. At the airport in Brazil, you will be warned about what is or is not allowed in your luggage.
You also need to be careful not to bring too many belongings of high value on your trip, simply because they might be taxed when returning to Brazil. Clothes and electronic equipment such as cameras, tablets, and celulares are exempt from taxes, but don't try to return to Brazil with 3 celulares in your luggage as it can be dangerous.
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What is prohibited to carry in luggage when traveling to Japan?
Let's start by citing the obvious, everyone should already know that under no circumstances can you take firearms, cold weapons, drugs and dangerous chemicals, money, cards and false documents. Don’t even think about things like lighters, scissors and pocketknives…
Although Japan is famous for the consumption of erotic games and manga, entering pornographic books, drawings and photos in a way that is exposed to the public is totally prohibited. Unauthorized plants and animals are also prohibited to prevent disease transmission.
Foods and processed meats like salami, calabrese sausage, cheese, fresh fruits, raw seeds, and any perishable food are prohibited. Chocolates, canned goods, dried fruits like plums are allowed. Always carry in the original packaging!
Aerosol (shaving cream and deodorant) can be taken, but the maximum size allowed by the airline must be observed. Medicines is recommended to take with the recipe in English to avoid problems.
Even though Japan is open to airsoft, you are not allowed to take them into Japan, let alone hunting swords or guns. Evitem to the maximum products that can be confused with drugs, poisons, explosives or harmful things, in order to avoid confusion and problems when entering Japan.
How not to be stopped at customs or taxed in Japan
Every country has a limit value for entering products without being taxed. Unfortunately we can only enter 500$ USD in products without being taxed, while Japan allows entry of up to 200,000 yen (2000$ USD) without being taxed.
Most should know that personal use products, clothes and some accessories are not included in this value of products to be taxed. In Japan, any product worth less than 10,000 yen does not count, but there is a limit where they can consider the huge amount as trade intent.
You can take without being taxed:
- 3 bottles of alcoholic drinks of 750ml each;
- 100 cigars and 400 cigarettes weighing up to 500g (half for Japanese);
- 2 bottles of perfume;
Each additional bottle of beverage can be taxed at approximately 200 to 500 yen. We recommend not taking anything in large quantities to avoid problems. The declared product tax rate is 15%.
Undeclared cash can get you into trouble, you must carry a maximum of $10,000 (1,000,000 yen) with you without having to declare it.
You must be more afraid when it comes to returning to Brazil than taking it to Japan, because the tax exemption limits in Brazil are a lot of crap.
Other important information for your trip to Japan
Japan does not require the international vaccination card like some countries, but be aware of the countries you stop in. Some other restrictions may be set by the airlines or countries involved.
If you plan to bring any animals or medication, you need to make sure of all the authorizations and documents to avoid any problems. I hope you have a good trip, and be careful not to take too much advantage of the Tax Free and get stopped at Brazilian customs exceeding the limit of 500$.
