U.S. transit visa
A cautionary tale from Omar, who several weeks ago went to Narita to take a flight back to Mexico City via the U.S. Having spent most of his remaining yen, he was told he could not leave without a transit visa under the Visa Waiver Program from the U.S. Embassy.
It was not just having to fill in the form to apply for the visa that was the problem -- it was having to wait for an interview.
It seems that since last August, certain nationalities must now offer themselves up at the embassy to be interviewed for even the shortest transit via any American airport. This seems to apply especially where Mexico and Canada are involved.