Yes.

In 1837, the merchantman Morrison traveled to Japan, ostensibly to return some Japanese sailors whose junk ran aground near the mouth of the Columbia River. Upon finding out the Morrison was unarmed, the ship was given warning shots from coastal batteries and returned to Macao with the Japanese sailors aboard.

This experience was not unique to Americans: Since the 17th century, this had been the pattern for Western countries. If they rescued Japanese sailors (or if the Japanese rescued their sailors), they'd send a merchantman to return the men and then use the opportunity to try to open trade. This inevitably failed. In the case of Russia, it failed bloodily.

In 1846, the U.S. government sent an expedition consisting of the Columbus (90 guns) and the corvette Vincennes. The ships stayed for 10 days, during which time they were blockaded by a fleet of Japanese guard boats, but no one from the American ships landed on shore, nor did the Japanese make much contact except to say that no trade could be allowed with any foreign nation but Holland.

Three years later, the Preble was dispatched from the U.S. Navy's Chinese squadron to Japan after receiving a report from Dutch Batavia that 16 American seamen had been shipwrecked on a Japanese island and were being kept prisoner. After arriving at Nagasaki, the Preble was surrounded by Japanese soldiers and guns, just as the Columbus and Vincennes had been. Commander James Glynn was no one to be intimidated, however, and he began negotiations for the return of the men.

When Japanese officials reacted with indifference, he pressed them hard with the "bluntness of a sailor," and said that if they didn't turn over the wrecked sailors, he would make them do so. The Japanese needed just two days to release the men.

After this, the next official American government trip was Perry's expedition.

Now, these are just the direct American government trips. They do not count the numerous American merchantmen who arrived or attempted to arrive in Japan. Because the Dutch operated the trading operation in Japan and the latter part of the 18th century was the era of the Napoleonic wars, the Dutch occasionally hired American ships to handle trade to and from Japan in order to keep that trade from being intercepted by the British. (Remember, Holland was occupied by France during this period and was a de facto part of the Napoleonic Empire.)

American ships were typically hired at Batavia, India or other equatorial ports, then dismissed once they completed their voyage to and from Japan. As the war went badly for France, so too did it go badly for the Dutch. Between 1808 and 1813, not a single Western ship arrived in Nagasaki, home to the Dutch trading mission. When ships finally arrived, they were British. To keep the Dutch trading post in operation, they had to pretend to not be British, and Dutch trade continued.

Perry's expedition was well publicized, so much so that a Russian squadron visited Nagasaki simultaneous to Perry's arrival at Tokyo. Soon after the Russians departed, a British squadron also visited. The Dutch, for their part, sent word to their emissaries and attempted to play both sides. They told the Japanese that they wanted to protect Japan, but after the United States got its treaty, the Dutch declared, "In fact, the Netherlands have always desired an opening of Japanese ports, in the general interest, and in favor of commerce."

If you're interested in learning more, Perry's journal is online.

Are there any good books about Perry and the opening of trade with Japan?