Travel to Japan (First Timers)

You are travelling to Japan first time, your parents are traveling to Japan with no prior overseas travel experience. Then you should know some of the important points. IndoJapanPulse consolidated important points that you should surely consider for your travel. This post is more focused on elderly travel.

Plan your travel well:

You need to book your ticket well in advance to block rights seats with proper leg space
Meal selection is important especially if you do not eat meat/fish
Requesting for assistant is very important especially when elderly travel with need for someone to assist
Generally airport has long walk from checkin to gates, important to request for wheel chair in advance. Certain flights demand notification and confirmation for wheelchair/assistant few hours prior to boarding. Better you check all such conditions while reserving fight ticket.
Travel insurance is important. Carry it when you travel and purchase good policy to suite your requirements. Various insurance are available, you can search on google.

Useful video in English:

Useful video in Hindi:

While you enter Airport in India

Airport at India demand printed air tickets in addition to passport. Always ensure that you carry such printout with you while you enter airport.
Few flights have auto check-in in case all the needed information is filled in online, else you do manual check-in to avoid any seat related issue. Ensure that your demanded seat can be confirmed at the time of check-in
Ensure to carry printed boarding pass if you opt for prior online check-in option or you can receive from counter of respective airline at the airport.
For assistant request, before elderly passenger enter airport visit airline counter (outside of airport) to seek/confirm assistant. If such counter does not exist, you can request for assistant at the airline counter while you check-in luggage and opt for boarding pass.
Don`t forget to carry invitation letter. It can be useful during immigration if officer is not speaking English or having limited English competency.

When you enter airport:

Go to the respective airline desk to receive boarding pass and check-in your baggage
Ensure all the information is correct on boarding pass as well as baggage tag is attached properly
In India carry on bag demands “luggage checked stamp”, so ensure that you received tag from the airline to be attached to your carry on luggage
If you opted for assistant/wheelchair, assistant will guide you through the process. You should receive assistant during check-in process at airline counter.
You need to go through security check first where you and your carry on luggage will be checked. Once security check is done ensure that security person has stamped your carry on luggage tag. This is important otherwise you may face tough time boarding the aircraft. May have to come back to security check again.
After security check you need to fill in departure form to be submitted at immigration. Go through the immigration process. For elderly passenger be clear on your purpose of visit and convey clearly to immigration officer if they ask questions.
If you opted for assistant, your assistant has to ensure that you board the airplane. Ensure you carry your passport and boarding pass with you all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ieClyqZndQ

While you are in airplane after takeoff you may need to know couple of things or in any case you are not aware being first timer.

How to use seat belt:

Using toilet (tips):

Communicating while boarding:

After landing at the overseas airport

If you have opted for assistant, your assistant will be waiting for you once you come out of airplane. You may find them with placard waiting for you at airplane exit door.
In case of assistant, you will be straight taken to the immigration. However remember, before your appear to the immigration you need to fill in immigration form (arrival form) and keep customs form as well ready. you can find samples below. Do not not forget to write all the needed information.
If you are travelling first time and unaware of how to fill in form, use these sample forms to keep your information ready (these form are subject to change with respect to airport and country)
Immigration officer may ask you few questions, answer them confidently. You can also share invitation letter them. Better to carry contact details of your invitee as sometime immigration may seek to talk to them or confirm information that you share.
Once you finish immigration you need to move to exit gate via customs. You need to submit your custom filled document where you may be asked few basic question. You need to make proper declaration of all your items in case you are asked.

Arrival form customer declaration