I’m leaving for Japan next week and a having a hard time coming up with gift ideas for my Japanese relatives. My husband makes great beef jerky but I came across an article that they won’t allow meat into the country. Does anyone know? They will be individually wrapped and air sealed.
Or if you all have any other ideas, I’d appreciate your feedback. I have 6-8 gifts I need, which I plan on all being the same. I already bought small huckleberry jam from Montana, but want to accompany them with something else.
3 comments
Local craft beer from your hometown and for the people that don’t drink snacks unique to your country that’s not meat you made and packed yourself.
I’ve never tried bringing anything like that into Japan myself, but I can tell you that the Japanese airports are as zealous as ever on their meat-import ban. Posters all over the hallways, and last year I even saw a cop with a Beagle, who I assume was tasked with sniffing out contraband (I can’t remember which airport though).
Like most things customs-related it only matters if you get caught, but assuming you do, I’m not sure they’d be any more lenient just because the meat happens to be dried and shrink wrapped. Saying your husband made it himself (rather than store bought) would probably land you in even hotter water. I’d say jerky is a coin flip, I’d recommend going with something prepackaged or leave meat-products out of the question entirely. I’ll defer to any other travelers who have more recent experience or more specific advice for ya.
https://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/product/import.html
> Any type of meat / organ (such as raw, processed product, refrigerated, frozen, cooked, etc.) is subject to animal quarantine.
>Examples of processed products: Jerky, ham, sausages, bacon, meat buns, etc.