Top Tips before you go...

Re-entry permits, visas, sending luggage, money, etc...

Re-entry permit:

BEFORE you leave Japan you MUST get a re-entry permit. Get it as soon as you can! You will need to go in school time so use any free time given in the summer wisely.
You need to buy a revenue stamp for your permits. One for a single re-entry permit costs 3,000 yen and is valid for one trip abroad; one for a multiple re-entry permit costs 6,000 yen and is valid for as many trips as you want to take, while your current visa is valid. You cannot buy these stamps at the Immigration Office - you need to buy them at a post office before you go.
Take your passport and your gaijin card. You have to fill out an application which you can download off the internet. Write it before you go and when you get there show it to the front desk. They will give you a form which you take to the post office. There you buy the stamps and receive a slip which you bring back to the immigration office and show the person at the front desk. They will give you a number and you wait until your number is called. Go at 9am and the process is pretty quick. Further details can be found in your ALT handbook and your 'bible' (JET diary).
http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-5-1.pdf for the application form.

Directions to Immigration Office (Nyukoku Kanrikyoku (入国管理局) in Sendai:

1. Take the SENSEKI line (仙石線) one stop east from Sendai station, to Tsutsujigaoka station (140 yen). (You can walk to Tsutsujigaoka station by going out of the east (i.e. back) exit of Sendai station and walking along Miyagino Dori avenue. It is the big street running directly out and away from the station past Yodabashi. Stay on the left-hand side of the road and Tsutsujigaoka station is about 10-15 minutes along.
2. Go out exit number 1 (to Miyagino Dori and Tsutsujigaoka park). This will put you on Miyagino Dori avenue.
3. Turn left (putting the street on your right and the subway exit on your left), and walk straight to the next intersection.
4. At the intersection, turn left. (There is a building near the intersection with the word "KOSE" on it, and the road slants upward.)
5. Walk up along this road. (Tsutsujigaoka park is to your immediate right. You can cut in to this park if you want, but be sure to keep moving in the same general direction as you were when you turned to walk up the street.)
6. When you arrive at the next street, turn right, and walk along it. (The park is still on your right, and other buildings are along the left, including a post office where you can buy your revenue stamp.)
7. At the next intersection there will be a greenish-colored footbridge. Turn left (over the footbridge) and go straight. (There is an NTT building on that corner, on your left side.)
8. Keep walking straight, and at the next intersection turn left. (Don't cross the street!)
9. The Immigration Bureau is in the first building on your left, on the first floor. The name of the building is the Sendai Dai Ni Houmu Goudou Chousha (仙台第二法務合同庁舎), and there are also signs that say "Immigration Bureau" (入国管理局). (Also, directly in front of the building there is a bus stop.)

Visa Information/Passports and Travel Advice:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391116 - the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office publish information online about what important information you should know before travelling to a particular country, including whether you should actually go at all. Much of this info is relevant to nationals of any country.
http://www.traveldocs.com/ - has loads of info for Americans travelling abroad - visas, passports and loads more.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html - international travel information for American citizens.
http://www.tsa.gov/index.shtm - home page for U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Very useful if you are planning to fly there (or back from there)
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/ - lots of official travel advice for Australian travellers but has links to sites for Canadians, Brits and Americans.
Visitor visa information is very easily available online. Check out the following site for a list of all countries and links to find out their visa requirements depending on visitor nationality: http://www.projectvisa.com/fullcountrylist.asp
Make sure you have enough pages in your passport for all your visas and stamps when travelling. Some places require five or six empty pages. Many countries can no longer get extra pages added. For US citizens check http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/add/add_850.html
http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7130g.html
Information for Canadian Passport holders on renewing - http://www.ppt.gc.ca
If you hold two passports (i.e. if you have dual nationality), always carry both - it can be very useful.

Note: If you get a new passport, you must get the re-entry permit swapped over. Take both your new and old passport to the immigration office to get this done for free while you wait.

Departure/Airport Tax:

Don't forget to save some money as many countries charge a departure tax at the airport after you have checked in. You can't leave the country without paying it! You usually pay in local currency or US$ but it has to be cash. Here are some examples:
New Zealand - 20-25 NZ$. Can take about 15 minutes just to pay it.
Thailand - 500 Baht(about $17 USD)
Cambodia -$25 USD

Sending your luggage to the airport:

For those of you too lazy to carry your cases, you can send it ahead. Just don't forget to give yourself time to pick it up! You can arrange this through many convenience stores. There are a few companies. The price varies between companies and how close you are to the airport. Be aware that if your luggage gets to the airport the day before you do you may have to pay for storage - possibly up to 2000￥ per piece. Check it out first!
ABC - (possibly Yamagata based) - pick up bags a minimum of two days before your flight for 2100￥. Pay on pick up, show your receipt at the desk to collect. 012-091-9120 (some English spoken).
NPS 03-3590-1919 - also speak English
Black Cat (Kuroneko) - Usually you have to send 2 days ahead unless you are at further places like Hokkaido or Okinawa and it costs ￥1500-2000.
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/kuukou/kuukou.html (Japanese only) is the page specifically for sending to airports. Halfway down is a pink form that shows you how to fill out for it to be sent to Narita Airport Terminal 2. Just change the information to fit your situation. You also have to write down your airline and departure time. You can print out this page if you need help. Those pink forms should be available at your school's office. There is a discount if you plan to have stuff to send back to your home after your trip. For this you need the Round-Trip form. You pay for both trips at once. Cost depends on location, size, and weight. To get a cost estimate - http://partner.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/estimate/air_est.html - enter departure location, airport destination and size/weight. The price will show up, the first is single trip, the second is round trip.
For the time required for delivery - http://date.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/date/service.html -you need the post code of departure and destination, but in general it is 2 days.
You can also get the number from Yellow Pages and call Kuroneku. Call at least 1 day in advance. They will ask for your flight number/time and which terminal (and North or South) you are leaving from. They'll give you a receipt which you will need to pick it up.
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/english/index.html
http://www.nittsu.co.jp/pelican/service/air/index.html - similar service offered by Pelican (site in Japanese only)
Conbini - 7-11 will take luggage and send it through Kuroneku. Drop it off at least 48 hours before your flight time, remembering they only do pick-ups up to 8pm. You'll need to give the same details as above.
To obtain details about Narita Terminal deliveries - http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_05_t1.html (terminal 1) http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_05_t2.html

Note: - luggage allowances are gradually changing. They will eventually even out to around 23kg per person, wherever you are going. Find out before you send your bags! For example, Northwest Airlines charge 3,000yen for 23-30kg, 22,000yen for over 30kg.

Returning (sending luggage ahead in Japan):

When you come out of the departure gate at Narita, turn right (walking past the staircase that goes down to the trains) & keep going until you see people on the left holding the black cat sign. (Alternatively `Yamato wa doko desuka?' works too) At the desk, they'll weigh your bag & show you which form to fill out. Show them your address in kanji and they should write it in for you!. Then choose what time you want it delivered the next day, pay at the till and return home without the hassle of dragging your bag around. Example price: over 25kilos cost 1,690Yen.
Here is the link in English for ABC and other delivery services at Narita. http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_05.html

Money:

If you don't want to carry wads of cash with you there are a variety of options. Check out they will work in the country you're going to by asking at the bank/post office or checking the website.

If your (home country) cash card has the Cirrus Maestro or Visa symbol on it you can use it to withdraw cash from ATMs in many countries. NOTE: Cambiodia has no ATMs. Check for details before you go: http://www.mastercard.com/cardholderservices/atm/ http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp
In many parts of Asia and Southeast Asia Japanese yen in cash and traveller's cheques are accepted widely. You save on the exchange both times and getting yen traveller's cheques at a Japanese bank or post office is quite easy.
Citibank also has something called World Cash. You set up this account, put as much cash as you want in to it, then they give you a bank card. You can use this at major banks' ATMs in many countries and withdraw local currency directly. It works under the Cirrus system.
If you take travellers' cheques keep in mind that the fee to cash them is often a flat fee per cheque not a percentage of the value, so you may want to buy larger denominations. When buying them, the Post Office usually give the best rate. You can also buy some currency cheques at Mitsubishi Bank at Tokyo Narita (T1 9am-3pm, T2 9am-7pm). http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/index.html
If you apply for a credit card through your postal savings account, which effectively replaces your ATM card, you should be able to use it anywhere to get money. In Seoul you may have to use CITIBank's ATMs.
Use this HSBC service to get cash delivered to your door. http://www.hsbc.co.jp/jp/index.htm
Change a minimal amount at the airport before you leave and accept that the rate isn't very favorable in exchange for the convenience. When arriving at wherever you're going find a better place to change the rest. Since at that point you're exchanging INTO the local currency, it usually isn't an issue to find a place that can do this and you can shop around for the best rate.
Travellers cheques in US Dollars can be useful too as many countries will take them like cash, so long as you are in the main tourist areas.
Don't take loads of cash with you - it just isn't safe. If you have to, keep it in a few different places so you don't lose it all at once.
This site shows how much you get when you exchange at Narita airport. There's also a calculator that lets you enter exact amounts. http://www.narita-airport.or.jp/exchange_e/index.html . To contrast it go to http://www.xe.com/ and check the actual exchange rates. (Granted you never get those rates, but you can see how far off some are.)
Wherever you go be sure to contact your bank/credit card company and let them know you are going to be in that foreign country. That way if you use your ATM/credit card, it won't be flagged as suspicious.

Electricity/Adaptors

There isn't really a standard plug type. You may get the feeling that they just used whatever they could get hold of during the construction of the buildings. Check this link: http://kropla.com/electric2.htm
More important is to make sure the device you're planning to use can handle 230v and 50Hz. In Japan they use 100v and 50 or 60 Hz and American devices use 120V and 60Hz. Check the voltage and the frequency on the back of your device where the cable enters or check the plug itself or the square box between the device and the plug. Not using an adaptor could ruin the battery in your digital camera.
Cambodia - 230V - 50 Hz
Vietnam - 127/220V* - 50 Hz
Japan - 100V - 50/60 Hz
USA - 120V - 60 Hz
Really really check out if you can use your mobile phone in a country before you go (with the mobile company) as no one seems to agree on this point. You will certainly need an adaptor and a trasformer. Most 3G phones have Global Roaming capabilities. Check their websites.

If the worst should happen...

Before you go, scan all you travel documents and identification (passport/other IDs) and send the electronic copies to your own email account. If (or when) you lose your belongings or get your bag stolen you can access a copy of all your documents from any Internet cafe. If you merely photocopy them, then its likely the photocopy may also get lost/stolen. You will usually need these copies to get replacements.
Always check the small print on tickets and documents. If your bus or flight is cancelled due to snow or other bad weather, this is classed as natural disaster and you are unlikely to get a refund or replacement flight.
Write your gaijin card number on the final departure card that was stapled in your passport when you first arrived incase you lose your card at some point. This should help you get back in the country.

Be Ethical

It's very difficult to stay ethical when you travel or know 'the right thing to do'. Here is one ALTs useful advice -
"DO NOT GIVE ANYTHING TO CHILDREN! As a veteran of travel in many developing countries, two time volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and former Peace Corps Volunteer, I can`t stress this enough. It helps no one - not the kids, not their parents, not us. Only if you are a member of a volunteer organization - and sometimes not even then - should you give anything to children.
Children should think that their parents provide for their needs. If they know they can get things from tourists - money or food, or even little things like pens, they start believing that tourists are the source of what they need. They lose respect for parents, while teaching them to beg more.
Tourists are hit with gangs of children asking for pens or stickers. These kids got something from other tourists in the past, or heard about others getting things. Some tourists respond to these requests with anger. It makes the tourist feel bad, and it makes the kids feel bad too.
If you want to help, give to an established group instead. There are lots in the area. For example, there is a store that sells crafts made by land mine victims. You can buy your omiyage there. It`s located on the way to Bantay Srei. There is also a shop on the south side of Old Market. They sell student`s artwork. 100% of the proceeds goes to the students themselves.

Also - remember that the more you frequent local stores, the more money goes directly into local pockets. Unfortunately, most hotels are foreign run, but the people who work there appreciate tips for good service. 100% of those tips goes to them. Be generous with your driver and wait staff too. Know the prices beforehand, and don`t bargain too hard. A dollar to them is worth so much more than a dollar to you. Keep your dollars in local
hands."

JET holiday info