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[Sweetsee]

Went to pick up my permission & re-entry stamp today in less than 20 minutes. Busted, deported, blacklisted, illegal entry, provisional release, one year spouse visa, extension and then without asking today I received a 3 year visa; fully blew me away. Plus, they conveniently reduced the sizes of the stamps to fit in the stamp spaces of your passport.

Telling you, they have really come a long way. The folks down there are really friendly and helpful these days, that and I enjoy meeting people there, met an insurance executive from Germany today in line.

Maybe it's just my luck. How about you?

[Gordon]

Fraulein, was that you I met?

[Sweetsee]

Doubtful, you German?

[Sweetsee]

Hold on they had your passport, never heard of that.

Yeah, seems as though they are finally waking up to the idea of the need for an immigrant work force and are stepping out of the dark ages.

I was taken aback by the enthusiasim of the person handing out the numbers before opening, so gracious and smiling. Sure is a far cry from the days of Otemachi.

Here's a tip for anyone going to the Shinagawa bureau: get there before 9 o'clock and you will be out before 9:30. Wasn't long ago I remember getting there on a friday at mid-morning and being there until six, just before a vacation exodus though.


Enjoy yourselves,
s

[kendoman1]

Sorry if Im reading your post wrong,but you can't turn in your extention paperwork and receive your visa the same day. You have to wait for your postcard to arrive and then go back and pick up your visa.

[Sweetsee]

That's right. I had waited over a month and then called them a couple times asking them to get on it as I need to bail to Canada next week.

Yeah, I had my postcard. I probably wasn't clear there, sorry. So, in the end it took over 6 weeks. They said they were swamped and that higher priority people were waiting up to 3 months.

So, bear that in mind if you are heading down there.

[Sweetsee]

Whoa Aclark,

That's awesome, guess the efficiency begins in the north and travels south.


Lucky you,
s

[Sweetsee]

What up EC,

That is so unbelievably believable! Reading your post I had an image flash across my mind of like an immigration bureau resembling a village post office, rice growing all over and a guy standing with one of those round farmer's hats, sort of like at 10 o'clock in front of me partially blocking the sun, the brim of his hat nearly covering the top of his right eye, he is chewing on a reed, a huge smile, sort of grinning at me. I'm about twice as tall as he, yet I feel half his size--'It is chance encounters like these with strangers that interest us from the first moment, before a word is spoken'.

It's weird about that but I am a lot more open to meeting other non-Japanese than everybody else, totally. Like at immigration yesterday, always meeting people there. When I got there I was up and downstairs literally four times, geeking out with all the forms and stamps and what not. So, I was like third in line, then like eigth or something but there was one person I thought, hmmm, maybe same me. But it was like he wasn't at all into, say, anything in the way of a nod, smile, nothing. Even so that our positions in the que nearly had us standing facing eachother. I mean this guy was really working at it to, keep to himself, almost in fear he seemed. It's cool though. So used to it now, city life and all I suppose.

Yeah, I let him be. I was to busy getting along famously with Hans Jurgen from Munchen, what a cool customer he was. It was as I was standing there tripping on having lost my place in line, and Mr. Unfriendly, that Hans & Co. pulled up behind me. He had a the V.I.P. treatment happening with Ms. didn't-quite-catch her name, but she ran to do what she does and I said, "word up." I was hoping he was a tennis player but no such luck.

Honestly, couldn't remember what this thread was about there. Sorry to babble, but hey let me ask you, do you do any skateboarding up there? And have a great weekend.


It's all good,
s

[shuize]

Not entirely on topic, but in the spirit of unexpected efficiency:

I went to a U.S. consulate here in Japan recently to register my daughter's birth and get her a U.S. passport. I was expecting a huge delay when the consulate official told me that they don't make the passports anymore and would have to send all the information back to the U.S. to start the process. Well, with the crackdown on suspect passports these days -- not to mention typical government inefficiency -- I figured that was to be expected.

Imagine my surprise, however, when we received my daughter's shiny new U.S. passport in the mail just 10 -- that's right, ten -- days after we applied. Not even counting the time it was in transit, I doubt I could've got it done faster in the U.S. had I bribed the head of Homeland Security.

Up until now, I always sort of figured we were safe from government for no other reason than its sheer incompetency. Faced with such unexpected efficiency, I've realized it actually makes me kind of nervous. It's as if they turned my whole worldview upside down by saying: "No, we can do things right ... if we so choose." Yikes.

[guest of Japan]

Yep, the US embassy put me in shock last week. I went for a notorization and was out the door 5 minutes after arriving, and it was free. It took much longer to go through all the metal detectors.