I guess this question would apply to a citizen of any country traveling to any other country.

When you fill out the Customs Declaration Form on the airplane, if you have more than $10,000 on your person (or any other currency) - my understanding is that there is no tax on this. It's simply to determine why you are carrying such an amount on you. But I haven't been able to find a clear cut answer on this.

I will be relocating to Japan from the USA, and I will have $20k on me. I want to answer honestly, but obviously don't want to be told at the Customs line that I now owe Y10000 for bring $20k with me.

I'm guessing it just opens me up to some personal questions, and that's it. Has anyone experienced this before?

I guess the question needs to be asked, why would you want to be put in a position of having to explain why you have that amount of money on you? When international banking is so easy nowadays, why not just set up money transfers to the country you are going to ?

Tick

I don't mind answering any questions posed to me by Japan Customs nor Japan Immigration. So my care is not based on being asked where the money came from nor why I am carrying that much on me. Simply if there is any taxes levied against the funds, which I don't think there are, but wanted to ask.

The rationale with regard to my own situation is a matter of convenience. I will retain a checking account with PNC Bank in the US, but can not open a bank account in Japan until I have gone to the local ward office where I will reside to do a certificate of alien registration. I need that certificate/card in order to open a bank account in Japan. Some (not all) banks in Japan require a minimum residency requirement before you can open a bank account, and I am not going to just dive in a choose any bank without determining which bank best meets my needs. Secondly, I am not going to blindly settle for whatever exchange rate my newly found Japanese bank offers, when I have more than one option. And when exchanging that amount of money, I could lose quite a bit depending on varying exchange rates. Third, PNC has not been so expeditious in past dealing I've had with them for International Wire Transfers, so I'm not willing to put all my financial eggs in their basket. And lastly, I have immediate plans for this money within 2 days of arrival (revolving around housing), and since I will be arriving there on a Friday, I'm not willing to be locked into the more limited banking schedule in Japan with virtually no access to cash.

I understand the ease of making one phone call and having the funds transferred. And once I am in Japan and fully established, I will take full advantage of this method. However, on this one particular occasion, it best serves me to have the cash on hand along with a copy of my bank statement to show that it is in deed from my account, a spouse visa in my passport which provides my reason for arriving with 5 suitcases and $20k cash as well as the one way ticket stub.