Ouch! I take it was much more expensive than usual economy tickets.

What if you planned to buy a train ticket to leave? I don't know about HK but in China it's a mess since it can only be done a few weeks before the travel date and might not even have been possible to do prior to entering the country.

Actually, I didn't have to buy a ticket to leave immediately, I just had to prove I had a return ticket. I just bought the cheapest one close to the date when my tourist visa would expire. I think it was around $600.

There is no train that connects Japan to another country that I know of.

Sorry, I confused your post with crdoconnor's and he had mentioned Hong Kong.

Thanks for the info. Very usefull since I was thinking of going to Japan and had this lingering in the back of my mind.

You can get the boat to South Korea which would be a decent alternative.