So you've take the plunge and bought your ticket. You've got you 3 bottles of duty free grog (big mistake - see right)You're on the plane and the pilot has just come on the PA and says to fasten your seatbelts as you are on final approach. Now the fun starts.

90% of visitors to Japan arrive at Japan's 4 main international airports, Tokyo's Narita and Haneda, Osaka's Kansai, and Nagoya's Chubu airports), so odds are you'll be joining these crowds. In Japan, inbound and outbound passengers are kept separate, so there is almost not inbound duty free sales.

On getting off the plane you may have a bit of a hike to immigration, and in places like Kansai or Narita, you may even need to take a short train ride. If there has been a outbreak of an infectious disease (SARS, Swine Flu), then you'll pass through quarantine, which may or may not have scanners checking for people with high temperatures.

Next step is to line up for immigration processing. There are 3 different lines. The first is for Japanese returning to Japan, the 2nd is for foreign residents of Japan returning to Japan with a re-entry permit, and the 3rd is the line for those travelling with non-Japanese passports. If you are reading this, then odds are you'll be in the 3rd line.

Many countries still need visas to enter Japan, so make sure you find out your status before you leave home. To enter Japan you need to fill out a entry card and hand the card + your passport to the immigration officer. Be warned that if you have a criminal record, you may be refused entry. This happened several times during the 2010-11 winter season. So if you have some dark little incident in your past, check with the local Japanese embassy in your home country first, and get a green light from them.

Once you have cleared immigration, you need to claim your luggage. Unless there is larger number of flights coming in at the same time, there is usually only a few minutes wait for your luggage. Then all that is left is customs.

As in most countries there are red and green lanes. Most people head to the green lanes unless you are carrying goods for commercial sale, or have unaccompanied baggage arriving later. You may be asked the purpose of your visit to Japan, and where are you are staying (see hints on right).  A ski vacation is a very good reason to be entering Japan, as it says to the customs official that you'll be here for a limited time only, be spending lots of money in Japan, and are not much of an overstay risk.

And that's pretty much it. You're now in Japan and hopefully on your way to Hakuba.