Bringing a camping knife to Japan
And before you ask, YES, it is for camping.
I have travelled to Japan a couple times and enjoyed it. I know Japan law allows knifes of a certain size (under 6cm the last time I checked, but I'll look it up again).
My concern is immigration. Being non-asian, I always get searched and rooted through by customs (From my current homebase, almost everyone on my flights are Asian and they always pull me out of the line). I'll happily let them know I am bringing in a knife as it isn't a weapon, but I am concerned about it being confiscated at customs. Has anyone ever brought a camping knife into the country? If I must, I'll buy one there, but I don't want to lose my favorite tool. I rather like my camping knife and it has been with me a while.
Best Answer
While this question is specific to Japan, there really is one answer that fits all.
If you are even slightly in doubt, don't.
Even if you are following the law, to the letter and have measured your knife to make sure it complies, you run the risk of:
A custom's agent having a bad day. If he says "This isn't allowed" and you argue with him, things could go badly for you. You might not be arrested or detained, but you might also not get let into the country.
The person who answers your question might be incorrect or have outdated information. This applies even when asking someone who works there. People do make mistakes. Don't make someone else's mistake, especially when a weapon is involved.
Subjecting yourself to additional scrutiny over an object that you could easily purchase once there.
When it comes to immigration, customs, laws about what you can and can't bring in or out of the country, etc - always err on the side of caution. I visit several new countries in Asia every year, when I pack - I pack to make sure that nothing on or about me attracts the attention of anyone who has the authority to make my day go rather badly. I don't even bring my Swiss Army knife key chain, for instance, because you really never know the mood or disposition of the person who has the job of letting you into the destination country.
If you really want to bring it with you, ship it to someone there who can keep it for you, then ship it home before you leave. Either way sounds like a bit of a gamble to take with something that obviously means a lot to you.
Pictures about "Bringing a camping knife to Japan"
Can you bring a knife into Japan?
are legal to carry around as long as the blade is shorter than 6 cm. Anything longer and you will need the same kind of permission from the prefectural public safety commission\u2026 UNLESS the blade exceeds 8 cm in length, in which case it is banned outright.Can I bring kitchen knives to Japan?
Re: Bringing knives into JapanIt would be no problem to bring your cooking knives to Japan. The prohibition is on carrying knives in public without reason, so transporting them in luggage from the airport to your apartment/hotel/etc would be no problem.Can you take a knife camping?
You Need It for Food Preparation while Camping ' is because they know a blade is an essential tool in the wilderness. In most situations, an average kitchen knife should suffice for food preparation, and so long as you have a tent, you can demonstrate that it's for camping and food prep.Can knives go through customs?
Can You Bring Knives in Checked Luggage? According to the TSA, you can bring any type of knife in your checked luggage, including death stars, swiss army knives, and even swords. TSA doesn't limit the blade length, curved blades, concealed blades, or anything of that kind.Don’t bring this to Japan (Why?) | Pocket Knife
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Images: Lum3n, Rachel Claire, Lum3n, mali maeder