Can I take sports balls on a plane in Japan?

What the rule says

Japan follows the international rules on dangerous goods, set out by the Civil Aviation Bureau.

Before you get to the checkpoint

• Airlines can be stricter than the national rule. If it matters to your trip, check your airline's own page.
• If an item is refused at the checkpoint you cannot go back and check it in — you lose it.
• Japanese security staff will ask before opening your bag, and most speak enough English for this.

Why the rule is what it is

It is neither dangerous goods nor something that could be used as a weapon, so neither rule applies to it.

If it is refused

You cannot go back and check it in once you are at the screening point. It is taken from you and disposed of, and there is no compensation. Some Japanese airports have a post counter before security where you can mail it to yourself.

Who decides

The officer at the checkpoint, applying the national rules and your airline's own conditions. Where the airline is stricter, the airline wins.

You can buy this in Japan

Where to buy it

Sports shops and hundred-yen shops

Worth weighing against the space it takes in your bag. Most of this is cheaper in Japan than the excess baggage fee, and hundred-yen shops carry the everyday version of almost everything.

Sports gear and Japanese luggage delivery

Almost all of it goes in the hold — and there is a well-used way to avoid carrying it at all.

• Anything that could be swung as a club goes in the hold: bats, clubs, poles, rackets.
• Airlines usually count a golf bag or a ski bag as one piece of checked baggage.
• Japanese luggage delivery (takkyubin) will send your bag from the airport to a resort or hotel, usually for 2,000–3,000 yen per item, arriving next day.
• Ski areas and golf courses rent full sets, which is often cheaper than the excess baggage fee.

Related items

• Golf clubs
• Bats and rackets
• Fishing rods
• Tripods and monopods
• Skis and snowboards
• Ski and snowboard wax