Japan · entry
Your entry rules come from the government, not a blog.
Start with the culture, then come here. This page leads to the ministry’s own pages. Japan admits many passports for short stays, and it refuses others. Read the page that names your nationality. We will not invent eligibility rules, fees or tricks for the landing card.
This page simply points to official sources. Read why Japan rewards attention before you let paperwork become the story. The page exists so you need not hunt for government websites in the middle of a city guide. It is not legal advice. If a video promises to explain your visa status, close it.
If a site does not belong to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Immigration Services Agency, treat any fee it charges as a private service charge.
Decide
Will Yomu tell me if I need a visa?
No. Eligibility depends on your passport, and the rules change. Start with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page, Exemption of Visa (Short-Term Stay), then the JAPAN eVISA overview if you are not exempt. We will not guess your status or invent a fee.
Is a blog’s country list good enough?
No. Lists go out of date. Third-party “visa services” add a markup and a logo. If a page does not belong to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Immigration Services Agency, treat it as a private service, not as the government’s rules.
Where are landing and residence questions answered?
Immigration Services Agency of Japan handles permission to land and status of residence. Read their English guide. Don’t rely on a forum answer at the airport.
Does this page replace first-days or the JR Pass tables?
No. This page only points you to official sources. Practical advice for arrival is in Japan first days, and rail prices are on the JR Pass page. We keep fares out of entry information.
How to read the official pages
Check the ministry first, then fly
Open the short-stay exemption list
mofa.go.jp: Exemption of Visa (Short-Term Stay). Find your passport. If your country is not listed, you are not exempt, whatever a friend was told. Lengths of stay and conditions are on that page, not here.
If you are not exempt, open JAPAN eVISA
For an overview and who the online application is for, see mofa.go.jp: JAPAN eVISA. Apply only through the government process that page describes. We will not invent processing times or fees.
Landing and residence: the Immigration Services Agency
Permission to land, status of residence and the related forms: isa.go.jp: applications guide. Check again the week you fly, because rules change.
After you land
The hard parts of the first forty-eight hours are rarely the paperwork. They are the bag on the stairs, the reservation you skipped and the polite no. Read Japan first days. Bases: Tokyo · Osaka · Kyoto. If the week has room: Hiroshima · Kanazawa.
Continuing to Korea? See the Japan and Korea route. Korea’s official portal is visa.go.kr, also not a blog. The kits stay free, and we still will not guess your status.