Citizens of Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay and the USA can also stay for up to ninety days without a visa, though this is unextendable and you are required to possess a return airline ticket. Anyone wishing to stay longer will have to leave the country, then re-enter.

All other nationalities must apply for a visa in advance from the Japanese embassy or consulate in their own country. These are usually free, though in certain circumstances you may be charged a fee of around A?3000 for a single-entry visa. The rules on visas do change from time to time, so check first with your embassy or consulate, or on the Japanese Foreign Ministry Web site ( www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html ), for the current situation.