A visa is NOT necessary for US passport holders visiting Japan for a short-term stay of less than 90 days with the purpose of tourism and business.
*Please note that the visa waiver arrangement with the United States does NOT apply to U.S. individuals wishing to travel to Japan for news media related activities, attending depositions taken by U.S. Consul, or for U.S. Federal Government employees on official business or transit to/from official mission.
In general, a visa is only valid for one entry. A visa is valid for 3 months from the day of issuance. Therefore, entry into Japan should occur within this time frame. A Multiple entry visa is valid for 1 to 5 years. Multiple entry visas can be issued to citizens of countries that Japan has bilateral agreements with and to visitors with business purposes. A Double-Entry Transit visa is valid for 4 months and can be used twice (once on the way to your destination and once on the return trip) to complete a round trip.
		
		
		
		
		Application Form 
		and Necessary Documents
		Embassy/Consulate General of Japan will not make copies. If you need 
		original documents, please bring the original plus one copy.
Passport with sufficient validity date (An alien travel document must have 6 months or more validity)
		
		
		Visa application 
		form
		
		
		
		
		Visa Application Form [PDF]
		
		
		
		Sample [PDF]
		Photo (passport size, attached to the visa application form)
Additional Forms
		
		Guarantee Letter
		
		
		Japanese [PDF]
		
		
		English [PDF]
		
		Invitation 
		Letter/Reason for Invitation
		
		
		
		Japanese [PDF]
		
		
		English [PDF]
		Please note the information above is just for your reference. For the 
		detailed information, please check with local embassy in your country or 
		visit http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/index.html.