Strange incident at Immigration
Declan Murphy
It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only 37
minutes after entering (my record, also at Nagoya, still stands at 4
hours 17 minutes). My number was called (after being in a queue of all
of five) only 8 minutes or so after taking the ticket. I had a seat!
Strolled up to the counter, handed over my docs and konnichiwaed the
bloke, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the fat bastard smiles.
Less paperwork required than any previous visa renewal too.
--
"All sepponians are loud, round, overweight, fat bastards who think
their opinions are facts" (except the Raj, who seems to be having an
identity crisis). All good Germans like beer. The Koreans are the French
of Asia. Pommies are good at rugby" - Me
"And I'll tell ya something, mate. Anti-wrinkle cream there may be, but
anti-fat-bastard cream, there is none." The Full Monty
Scott Reynolds
> It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only 37
> minutes after entering (my record, also at Nagoya, still stands at 4
> hours 17 minutes). My number was called (after being in a queue of all
> of five) only 8 minutes or so after taking the ticket. I had a seat!
> Strolled up to the counter, handed over my docs and konnichiwaed the
> bloke, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the fat bastard smiles.
I wonder if this qualifies as kindness to a stranger.
Are you sure you're not making this story up, Declan. I mean, quick
service at the immigration counter and an act of gratuitous kindness as
well? Perhaps this was something you experienced in a dream, or made up
out of whole cloth?
--
_______________________________________________________________
Scott Reynolds s...@gol.com
Declan Murphy
> On 12/1/2003 2:15 PM, Declan Murphy wrote:
>
>> It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only
>> 37 minutes after entering (my record, also at Nagoya, still stands at
>> 4 hours 17 minutes). My number was called (after being in a queue of
>> all of five) only 8 minutes or so after taking the ticket. I had a
>> seat! Strolled up to the counter, handed over my docs and konnichiwaed
>> the bloke, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the fat bastard
>> smiles.
>
> I wonder if this qualifies as kindness to a stranger.
LOL. Perhaps the konnichiwaing and the nature of the documents I was
submitting had something to do with it. It would have been fairly clear
to him within 10 seconds or so that he wasn't going to need to explain
anything etc. I showed him one of their checklists (picked up the
previous week), and going through it with him just plonked out the docs
one by one.
> Are you sure you're not making this story up, Declan. I mean, quick
> service at the immigration counter and an act of gratuitous kindness as
> well? Perhaps this was something you experienced in a dream, or made up
> out of whole cloth?
I pinched myself at least once, so no dream or hallucination. At that
particular time of the day I was also cold stone sober. What I can't
work out is....
1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
dude in black suit and shades, 2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins,
about 15-20 depressed looking south merkins, and moi. The previous week
I had popped in to find out exactly what I needed for renewal
(toushi/keiei) since my previous visit had been for change of status -
and the placed had been absolutely jam packed.
2) Speed - the place appears to have become a lot more wired up than a
year ago. But all the documents are still submitted analog. Why so much
faster? The kessansho and zaishokushoumeisho of course just disappear
into the void. They made a photocopy of my gensen thingee, then handed
it back with passport and gaigin card (and smiled again - the cagey buggers)
Scott Reynolds
> 1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
> there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
> dude in black suit and shades, 2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins,
> about 15-20 depressed looking south merkins, and moi. The previous week
> I had popped in to find out exactly what I needed for renewal
> (toushi/keiei) since my previous visit had been for change of status -
> and the placed had been absolutely jam packed.
Hmmm, it sounds like someone purloined the several dozen (non-Japanese)
Asians who were supposed to be there, waiting to go up to the counter
and get yelled at by the immigration people.
That would explain why there were so few people there and also why
everyone behind the counter was so friendly.
Anyhow, I hope this newfound efficiency is a general thing, not
something limited to your local immigration office.
The 2-Belo
[...]
>I pinched myself at least once, so no dream or hallucination. At that
>particular time of the day I was also cold stone sober. What I can't
>work out is....
>
>1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
>there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
>dude in black suit and shades
He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
>2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I visited
the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery room, right?
>about 15-20 depressed looking south merkins, and moi. The previous week
>I had popped in to find out exactly what I needed for renewal
>(toushi/keiei) since my previous visit had been for change of status -
>and the placed had been absolutely jam packed.
>
>2) Speed - the place appears to have become a lot more wired up than a
>year ago. But all the documents are still submitted analog. Why so much
>faster? The kessansho and zaishokushoumeisho of course just disappear
>into the void. They made a photocopy of my gensen thingee, then handed
>it back with passport and gaigin card (and smiled again - the cagey buggers)
I dunno. OCR technology getting better?
--
The 2-Belo
the2belo[AT]msd[DOT]biglobe[DOT]ne[DOT]jp
news:alt.alien.vampire.flonk.flonk.flonk (mhm21x20)
news:alt.fan.karl-malden.nose (Meow.)
http://www.godhatesjanks.org/ (God Hates Janks!)
Processing failed. Hit any user to continue.
Declan Murphy
> On 12/1/2003 3:04 PM, Declan Murphy wrote:
>
>> 1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
>> there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
>> dude in black suit and shades, 2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type
>> gaigins, about 15-20 depressed looking south merkins, and moi. The
>> previous week I had popped in to find out exactly what I needed for
>> renewal (toushi/keiei) since my previous visit had been for change of
>> status - and the placed had been absolutely jam packed.
>
> Hmmm, it sounds like someone purloined the several dozen (non-Japanese)
> Asians who were supposed to be there, waiting to go up to the counter
> and get yelled at by the immigration people.
Immigration Bureau as Marie Celeste?
> That would explain why there were so few people there and also why
> everyone behind the counter was so friendly.
Don't know about "so friendly", just not up to the usual standards to
which I have become accustomed. Unless I get hit by a truck or
something, I'm going to apply for permanent residency as soon as I'm
eligible next year. Less time I have to spend in that gawdforsaken
beerless place the better.
> Anyhow, I hope this newfound efficiency is a general thing, not
> something limited to your local immigration office.
Relax. I'm sure its one of those lightning can't strike twice thingees.
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>
> [...]
>
>>I pinched myself at least once, so no dream or hallucination. At that
>>particular time of the day I was also cold stone sober. What I can't
>>work out is....
>>
>>1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
>>there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
>>dude in black suit and shades
>
> He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
Certainly someone's handler.
>>2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
>
> I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I visited
> the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery room, right?
Yeah, or in front of the mysteriously appearing/disappearing tv with
bloody cnn on it.
> I dunno. OCR technology getting better?
ditto dunno. Don't know much about OCR to be honest.
Louise Bremner
> >1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
> >there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
> >dude in black suit and shades
>
> He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
...especially if he was holding a stack of passports (and why does the
Immigration never comment on the way that the owners of said passports
don't get to present them themselves?).
>
> >2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
>
> I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I
> visited the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery
> room, right?
The exit isn't marked in English?
________________________________________________________________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!
Declan Murphy
> The 2-Belo <the2...@msd.biPOKPOKglobe.ne.jp> wrote:
>
>>>1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
>>>there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
>>>dude in black suit and shades
>>
>>He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
>
> ...especially if he was holding a stack of passports (and why does the
> Immigration never comment on the way that the owners of said passports
> don't get to present them themselves?).
Technically, the owners of said passports aren't required to be there or
present the application themselves. I've applied for a number of visas
for staff without dragging them in there.
I suspect the dodgy looking Japanese dude wasn't the handler of the 20
cute Filipino girls (he should be so lucky). Some other non-descript
would have.
>>>2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
>>
>>I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I
>>visited the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery
>>room, right?
>
> The exit isn't marked in English?
Marked? Wouldn't every gaigin know the fastest way outtathere by
instinct? Secret lives of quiet desperation etc.
Brett Robson
>
>On 12/1/2003 2:15 PM, Declan Murphy wrote:
>
>> It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only 37
>> minutes after entering (my record, also at Nagoya, still stands at 4
>> hours 17 minutes). My number was called (after being in a queue of all
>> of five) only 8 minutes or so after taking the ticket. I had a seat!
>> Strolled up to the counter, handed over my docs and konnichiwaed the
>> bloke, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the fat bastard smiles.
>
>I wonder if this qualifies as kindness to a stranger.
>
>Are you sure you're not making this story up, Declan. I mean, quick
>service at the immigration counter and an act of gratuitous kindness as
>well? Perhaps this was something you experienced in a dream, or made up
>out of whole cloth?
>
Declan might get big shock when the manager of McDonalds in Sakae phones him and
asks why he has left his immigration forms and passport there.
.
----
"You don't bang it at 11:00pm but on the other hand, you don't play tribal house
when you're headlining a tech-house party"
DJ Mike McKenna talking shit
Declan Murphy
> Declan might get big shock when the manager of McDonalds in Sakae phones him and
> asks why he has left his immigration forms and passport there.
I would laugh, except that leaving my passport/pc/cashbox/something
similar, is going to happen sooner rather than later. I left my laptop
on the chair next to me at a restaurant in Taipei on my last visit
(remembered next day), left my digital camera in a tourist info bureau
thingee in Nagano (didn't miss it until back in Okazaki) and regularly
have to call my keitai in order to find it. At least once a month I get
home and realise that I've left the apartments keys in the office.
My mind is as sharp as a beach ball and leaks like a sieve. The bride to
be dragged me along to a 'Winnie the Pooh' exhibition yesterday. I found
myself identifying too closely for comfort with the bear of little brain.
Michael Cash
<declan...@hotmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going
with:
>Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled at me.
I got that at Takasaki the last time I was there. I think part of it
may have been due to their having been moved from the dismal dump they
used to occupy and into a very nicely appointed set of offices in
another building.
>
>It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only 37
>minutes after entering
I think I was there only about 15 minutes total the last time. The
only (other) odd thing was that Mr. Immigration seemed surprised that
I had ventured to Immigration all alone.
Michael Cash
belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>On 12/1/2003 2:15 PM, Declan Murphy wrote:
>
>> It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only 37
>> minutes after entering (my record, also at Nagoya, still stands at 4
>> hours 17 minutes). My number was called (after being in a queue of all
>> of five) only 8 minutes or so after taking the ticket. I had a seat!
>> Strolled up to the counter, handed over my docs and konnichiwaed the
>> bloke, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the fat bastard smiles.
>
>I wonder if this qualifies as kindness to a stranger.
>
>Are you sure you're not making this story up, Declan. I mean, quick
>service at the immigration counter and an act of gratuitous kindness as
>well? Perhaps this was something you experienced in a dream, or made up
>out of whole cloth?
Hey, it isn't that hard to imagine. Even Immigration guys get laid
every once in a while.
Haluk Skywalker
yazdi:3FCACE88...@hotmail.com...
> Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled at
me.
>
He must have been embarrased...
The 2-Belo
>The 2-Belo wrote:
>> Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>>I pinched myself at least once, so no dream or hallucination. At that
>>>particular time of the day I was also cold stone sober. What I can't
>>>work out is....
>>>
>>>1) Why was there almost nobody around? In the work/employment section
>>>there was only about 20 cute Filipino girls, a dodgy looking Japanese
>>>dude in black suit and shades
>>
>> He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
>
>Certainly someone's handler.
I suddenly have the urge, when I go there next month to renew my reentry permit
(*coughcough*GAIGIN TAX*mumblecough*), to dress myself up in full Secret Service
splendor, complete with Frankenstein earphone radio. See if they smile *then*.
Ha. Haha. Wahahaahahahahahhaa.
>>>2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
>>
>> I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I visited
>> the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery room, right?
>
>Yeah, or in front of the mysteriously appearing/disappearing tv with
>bloody cnn on it.
Hmm. They always had NHK ("Programming with No Sharp Edges") on when I was
there. I want to see them blasting Fox News one time. That would be a sight to
see.
>> I dunno. OCR technology getting better?
>
>ditto dunno. Don't know much about OCR to be honest.
Optical Character Recognition. Maybe the computer's reading that chicken scratch
you're turning in on your forms.
The 2-Belo
>Brett Robson wrote:
>> Declan might get big shock when the manager of McDonalds in Sakae phones him and
>> asks why he has left his immigration forms and passport there.
>
>I would laugh, except that leaving my passport/pc/cashbox/something
>similar, is going to happen sooner rather than later. I left my laptop
>on the chair next to me at a restaurant in Taipei on my last visit
>(remembered next day), left my digital camera in a tourist info bureau
>thingee in Nagano (didn't miss it until back in Okazaki) and regularly
>have to call my keitai in order to find it. At least once a month I get
>home and realise that I've left the apartments keys in the office.
>
>My mind is as sharp as a beach ball and leaks like a sieve. The bride to
>be dragged me along to a 'Winnie the Pooh' exhibition yesterday. I found
>myself identifying too closely for comfort with the bear of little brain.
Last year when I was in Hawaii with the wife attending a wedding I left our only
camera in the back seat of a taxicab and had to call all around Honolulu to
catch up with it again. It's a good thing we finally found the car in question
and got the camera back, because otherwise my wife would have mopped the floor
with my ass. I barely made it out of the wedding alive as it was.
The 2-Belo
>I suspect the dodgy looking Japanese dude wasn't the handler of the 20
>cute Filipino girls (he should be so lucky).
He -- and you -- can have them. Call me back when they stop wearing 1970s
American disco slut clothing.
The 2-Belo
>Don't know about "so friendly", just not up to the usual standards to
>which I have become accustomed. Unless I get hit by a truck or
>something,
Don't tempt Mike. You know Ol' Leadfoot wouldn't let such an opportunity pass
him by.
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>
<snippity>
>>>He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
>>
>>Certainly someone's handler.
>
> I suddenly have the urge, when I go there next month to renew my reentry permit
> (*coughcough*GAIGIN TAX*mumblecough*), to dress myself up in full Secret Service
> splendor, complete with Frankenstein earphone radio. See if they smile *then*.
Smile? Pffffffft. If they had any sense they'd laugh at you.
BTW if your last visit there was '99, and you are going in for a
re-entry-thingee, how long was it for? You have a PR visa?
>>>>2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
>>>
>>>I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I visited
>>>the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery room, right?
>>
>>Yeah, or in front of the mysteriously appearing/disappearing tv with
>>bloody cnn on it.
>
> Hmm. They always had NHK ("Programming with No Sharp Edges") on when I was
> there. I want to see them blasting Fox News one time. That would be a sight to
> see.
Come to think of it, I don't remember noticing the TV this time. I
wasn't there long enuff for my laptop battery to cark it on me, and it
took a fair bit of time to confirm that the 20 cute Filipinos were all
in fact cute and Filipino. Last time I went in was a few months earlier
getting a visa for a Hong Kong graphic designer now working for me. I
had a flat battery. He was frustrated as hell - so I practically made
him watch tv.
>>>I dunno. OCR technology getting better?
>>
>>ditto dunno. Don't know much about OCR to be honest.
>
> Optical Character Recognition. Maybe the computer's reading that chicken scratch
> you're turning in on your forms.
Yes yes yes. I know OCR is Optical Character Recognition and that it can
(sometimes) read the scratchings of a deranged chook that passes for my
handwriting. What I don't know is if its getting any better. (The OCR
that is)
Michael Cash
<the2...@msd.biPOKPOKglobe.ne.jp> belched the alphabet and kept on
going with:
>Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>
>>Don't know about "so friendly", just not up to the usual standards to
>>which I have become accustomed. Unless I get hit by a truck or
>>something,
>
>Don't tempt Mike. You know Ol' Leadfoot wouldn't let such an opportunity pass
>him by.
More like Ol' Heliumfoot since we got digital tachographs installed in
our trucks. Most days the fastest I go is about 57kmh. My top speed on
non-expressways in October was 59kmh. Tops I've been on expressways is
about 77kmh.
Declan Murphy
Both speeds would still more than sufficient to flatten me. Fortunately
if 77km/hr is the hip flask looter's top speed, I'd notice his absence
from posting long before he got close to BF declanville.
And for the record, 77km/hr on an expressway must be as frustrating as hell.
another fool
ago it took me longer to walk upstairs and get the revenue stamp then
it took for them to give me back my passport with the reentry permit
attached.
Now I did get several odd questions about why my wife and kid weren't
applying for one from the one officeworker who spoke english well
enough that they didn't need to hand me a form letter. Seemed a bit
odd to him that I already had a Japanese wife and kid before moving
here.
Declan Murphy
> Hmm - don't know - when I went to get my reentry permit about 4 months
> ago it took me longer to walk upstairs and get the revenue stamp then
> it took for them to give me back my passport with the reentry permit
> attached.
An entry permit is always quick and easy. Same with when you go in to
get a passport stamped after receiving the postcard notifying approval.
There is almost nothing for them to actually check.
I don't begrudge paying a small fee for the processing of a certificate
of eligibility, visa extension or change of status, but the re-entry
permit charge is a bit of a scam.
Eric Takabayashi
> Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled at me.
>
> It was one of a sequence of odd and unusual events. I walked out only 37
> minutes after entering (my record, also at Nagoya, still stands at 4
> hours 17 minutes). My number was called (after being in a queue of all
> of five) only 8 minutes or so after taking the ticket. I had a seat!
> Strolled up to the counter, handed over my docs and konnichiwaed the
> bloke, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the fat bastard smiles.
>
> Less paperwork required than any previous visa renewal too.
Another benefit of living in a smaller place. It's true that despite having at
least three men in uniform or suits, plus at least one woman who is a clerk,
only two men max are processing documents at any one time. They also have to
process all the ships coming into port.
But I have never seen more than four or five people awaiting processing (even
if it means one person holding visas for ten Chinese laborers) at any one
time. They'll get to me within 20 minutes. Immigration (and Customs) are also
within 5km of me, one of the most distant of my infrequent needs.
Not like the horror stories I read about Tokyo Immigration, with up to 500
people waiting around, with a long drive out.
> --
> "All sepponians are loud, round, overweight, fat bastards who think
> their opinions are facts" (except the Raj, who seems to be having an
> identity crisis). All good Germans like beer. The Koreans are the French
> of Asia. Pommies are good at rugby" - Me
>
> "And I'll tell ya something, mate. Anti-wrinkle cream there may be, but
> anti-fat-bastard cream, there is none." The Full Monty
--
"I want to meet my father and say, your sperm became me."
Eric Takabayashi
> I have never seen more than four or five people awaiting processing (even
> if it means one person holding visas for ten Chinese laborers) at any one
> time.
I mean 30 Chinese.
Haluk Skywalker
> another fool wrote:
> > Hmm - don't know - when I went to get my reentry permit about 4 months
> > ago it took me longer to walk upstairs and get the revenue stamp then
> > it took for them to give me back my passport with the reentry permit
> > attached.
>
> An entry permit is always quick and easy. Same with when you go in to
> get a passport stamped after receiving the postcard notifying approval.
> There is almost nothing for them to actually check.
>
> I don't begrudge paying a small fee for the processing of a certificate
> of eligibility, visa extension or change of status, but the re-entry
> permit charge is a bit of a scam.
If you were in a zoo, wouldn't they charge you for getting out and getting
back in days later? Same thing here.
The 2-Belo
>Michael Cash wrote:
>> On Mon, 01 Dec 2003 19:59:19 +0900, The 2-Belo
>> <the2...@msd.biPOKPOKglobe.ne.jp> belched the alphabet and kept on
>> going with:
>>
>>>Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>>>
>>>>Don't know about "so friendly", just not up to the usual standards to
>>>>which I have become accustomed. Unless I get hit by a truck or
>>>>something,
>>>
>>>Don't tempt Mike. You know Ol' Leadfoot wouldn't let such an opportunity pass
>>>him by.
>>
>> More like Ol' Heliumfoot since we got digital tachographs installed in
>> our trucks. Most days the fastest I go is about 57kmh. My top speed on
>> non-expressways in October was 59kmh. Tops I've been on expressways is
>> about 77kmh.
>
>Both speeds would still more than sufficient to flatten me. Fortunately
>if 77km/hr is the hip flask looter's top speed, I'd notice his absence
>from posting long before he got close to BF declanville.
>
>And for the record, 77km/hr on an expressway must be as frustrating as hell.
I think many people hit 77 km/h looking for parking spaces in the service areas.
The 2-Belo
>The 2-Belo wrote:
>> Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>>
>>>The 2-Belo wrote:
><snippity>
>>>>He was, no doubt, the Filipino chicks' handler.
>>>
>>>Certainly someone's handler.
>>
>> I suddenly have the urge, when I go there next month to renew my reentry permit
>> (*coughcough*GAIGIN TAX*mumblecough*), to dress myself up in full Secret Service
>> splendor, complete with Frankenstein earphone radio. See if they smile *then*.
>
>Smile? Pffffffft. If they had any sense they'd laugh at you.
It would certainly be a change of pace for them, though, wud'nit?
>BTW if your last visit there was '99, and you are going in for a
>re-entry-thingee, how long was it for? You have a PR visa?
Yeah. I received my life sentence in 1999. At the same time I got one of those
new three-year multiple-reentry permits, and it lapsed last autumn; I'll have to
go back in the spring to get another one.
Nowadays it's not a big deal, since I work in Nagoya just down the road from the
bureau. I could walk over there now.
Aside (or was this the original topic?): The bureau's a lot better than its
original state in 1992-3 when I first applied for a working visa. The old office
(on the 4th floor of the same building, if I remember right) was a cramped,
crowded, FUCKING MADHOUSE. And the staff was decidedly nastier back then, so
maybe it's the surroundings, and the very fact that traffic was light that day
that caused the staff to be hospitable to you.
>>>>>2 or 3 lost looking eikaiwa type gaigins
>>>>
>>>>I think they're all the same two or three who were there the last time I visited
>>>>the place in 1999. They like to hang around that little nursery room, right?
>>>
>>>Yeah, or in front of the mysteriously appearing/disappearing tv with
>>>bloody cnn on it.
>>
>> Hmm. They always had NHK ("Programming with No Sharp Edges") on when I was
>> there. I want to see them blasting Fox News one time. That would be a sight to
>> see.
>
>Come to think of it, I don't remember noticing the TV this time. I
>wasn't there long enuff for my laptop battery to cark it on me, and it
>took a fair bit of time to confirm that the 20 cute Filipinos were all
>in fact cute and Filipino. Last time I went in was a few months earlier
>getting a visa for a Hong Kong graphic designer now working for me. I
>had a flat battery. He was frustrated as hell - so I practically made
>him watch tv.
Hmm. I'm usually just chain-smoking and drinking canned coffee. I don't have a
laptop. I'll have to correct that.
The 2-Belo
What if you were one of the actual animals?
I can even understand, somewhat, the payment of a reentry fee for those with
business or other types of visas. But permanent residency? You've given me
permission to live here for the rest of my life without supervision, and I still
have to grease your palm to get back in?
Like I said before. Gaigin tax.
Declan Murphy
> Another benefit of living in a smaller place.
I think Ed was saying something similar about Nagano. Mike regarding
Takisaki as well.
> Not like the horror stories I read about Tokyo Immigration, with up to 500
> people waiting around, with a long drive out.
I heard that the Tokyo office has moved recently and isn't such a chore
(comparatively) as it used to be... ?
Declan Murphy
> Aside (or was this the original topic?): The bureau's a lot better than its
> original state in 1992-3 when I first applied for a working visa. The old office
> (on the 4th floor of the same building, if I remember right) was a cramped,
> crowded, FUCKING MADHOUSE. And the staff was decidedly nastier back then, so
> maybe it's the surroundings, and the very fact that traffic was light that day
> that caused the staff to be hospitable to you.
They've been in their current surroundings a fair while though, at least
7 or 8 years. I can't recall what floor it was on the first time I went
there (extending a trainee visa in August or September 92 I guess). Next
time I used Nagoya wasn't until I moved back to Aichi. My guess is a
combination of light traffic, my docs, and Mike's theory.
> Hmm. I'm usually just chain-smoking and drinking canned coffee. I don't have a
> laptop. I'll have to correct that.
Its either that or read the news on the keitai. With the laptop I can
get some work done on the bloody trains/subways.
The 2-Belo
>Next time I used Nagoya
And forever after, you found that Nagoya ended up using *you*.
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:
>
>>Next time I used Nagoya
>
> And forever after, you found that Nagoya ended up using *you*.
Shit happens.
Raj Feridun
panties) wrote:
>On Mon, 01 Dec 2003 14:15:52 +0900, Declan Murphy
><declan...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled at me.
>
>Funny, the last guy smiled at me too, in a Kenichi Ozawa kind of way.
Are you sure you don't mean Kenichi Mikawa?
Or is it this guy you're referring to?
Declan Murphy
> Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled at me.
<snip>
> Less paperwork required than any previous visa renewal too.
Crikey! Another strange incident. The postcard approving the extension
has arrived already. Stamped the day after I submitted my application,
and received next day. And no Scott, I'm not dreaming it, and haven't
had a beer since breakfast.
--
"Beyond the Euphrates began for us the land of mirage and danger, the
sands where one helplessly sank, and the roads which ended in nothing.
The slightest reversal would have resulted in a jolt to our prestige
giving rise to all kinds of catastrophe; the problem was not only to
conquer but to conquer again and again, perpetually; our forces would be
drained off in the attempt." - Emperor Hadrian AD 117-138
Declan Murphy
> Btw, I'm back.
okaerinasai
> I have not had sex with a turkey, joined the Black-Bus party,
> or become a roadie for the band Peanuts.
>
> But I'd like to.
With a live turkey or a deep fried one ala Crunch Buttsteak?
> Tschus,
> -osgo
>
> Is Sigi still around?
Think so. May have just popped out for a stroll.
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy wrote:
>
>> Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled
>> at me.
<snip>
> has arrived already. Stamped the day after I submitted my application,
> and received next day.
Went in and got my visa stamp. I'm pleased to report that the normal
"service with a snarl" is back, 1 hour 50 minutes duration, with not a
hint of a smile anywhere. Somehow I'm finding the normalcy comforting.
Ian J Cottee
> Went in and got my visa stamp. I'm pleased to report that the normal
> "service with a snarl" is back, 1 hour 50 minutes duration, with not a
> hint of a smile anywhere. Somehow I'm finding the normalcy comforting.
But something is in the air in officialdom. I got my UK driving licence
converted to a Japanese one a few months back and was expecting a rough
ride. Especially as my UK licence is currently in two pieces. After the
policeman behind the counter had patiently explained that they did not
accept ripped or torn licences he then spent five minutes minutely
examing it - eventually telling us they would accept it this time. Maybe
it was my six month old son grinning at him the whole time which won him
over. I also got my UK licence back at the end of the process, which I
was not expecting.
Back to the point, I have to say that I find the immigration officials
in Japan 100 times friendlier than the ones in the UK my wife and I had
to deal with when we got married.
--
Ian J Cottee
Nagoya, Japan
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy <declan...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>>Went in and got my visa stamp. I'm pleased to report that the normal
>>"service with a snarl" is back, 1 hour 50 minutes duration, with not a
>>hint of a smile anywhere. Somehow I'm finding the normalcy comforting.
>
> But something is in the air in officialdom. I got my UK driving licence
> converted to a Japanese one a few months back and was expecting a rough
> ride. Especially as my UK licence is currently in two pieces. After the
> policeman behind the counter had patiently explained that they did not
> accept ripped or torn licences he then spent five minutes minutely
> examing it - eventually telling us they would accept it this time.
Nice! Why is it in two pieces though? Cut in two by a pommie bobby, or
are UK licences still made of paper?
> it was my six month old son grinning at him the whole time which won him
> over. I also got my UK licence back at the end of the process, which I
> was not expecting.
I'm not sure what the deal is. I managed to keep my Oz licence when I
first obtained the Japanese one at Hirabari, but last time I was in
Dublin I was told I'd need to surrender the Japanese one in order to
obtain an Irish licence. Some kind of bilateral setup perhaps.
> Back to the point, I have to say that I find the immigration officials
> in Japan 100 times friendlier than the ones in the UK my wife and I had
> to deal with when we got married.
A hospitable British immigration service would be a contradiction in terms.
Michael Cash
the alphabet and kept on going with:
>Declan Murphy <declan...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>> Went in and got my visa stamp. I'm pleased to report that the normal
>> "service with a snarl" is back, 1 hour 50 minutes duration, with not a
>> hint of a smile anywhere. Somehow I'm finding the normalcy comforting.
>
>But something is in the air in officialdom. I got my UK driving licence
>converted to a Japanese one a few months back and was expecting a rough
>ride. Especially as my UK licence is currently in two pieces. After the
>policeman behind the counter had patiently explained that they did not
>accept ripped or torn licences he then spent five minutes minutely
>examing it - eventually telling us they would accept it this time. Maybe
>it was my six month old son grinning at him the whole time which won him
>over. I also got my UK licence back at the end of the process, which I
>was not expecting.
They can't take your UK license. It isn't their property. In fact,
they can't even take your Japanese license without either your consent
or a court order. There are certain traffic violations where it is
routine procedure to confiscate the license and issue a receipt for
it, but if you stand firm and refuse to give it to them, they can't
take it from you absent an order from a judge.
Ian J Cottee
> Nice! Why is it in two pieces though? Cut in two by a pommie bobby, or
> are UK licences still made of paper?
My one is paper and has just been folded too many times. I guess I had
better replace it soon as the new ones are plastic I think.
> > it was my six month old son grinning at him the whole time which won him
> > over. I also got my UK licence back at the end of the process, which I
> > was not expecting.
>
> I'm not sure what the deal is. I managed to keep my Oz licence when I
> first obtained the Japanese one at Hirabari, but last time I was in
> Dublin I was told I'd need to surrender the Japanese one in order to
> obtain an Irish licence. Some kind of bilateral setup perhaps.
Not sure either. I had been assured it would be taken from me. But it
wasn't and I wasn't going to say anything. Now if only I didn't have to
use those 'new driver' plates for the next year ...
Ian J Cottee
> They can't take your UK license. It isn't their property. In fact,
> they can't even take your Japanese license without either your consent
> or a court order. There are certain traffic violations where it is
> routine procedure to confiscate the license and issue a receipt for
> it, but if you stand firm and refuse to give it to them, they can't
> take it from you absent an order from a judge.
Interesting and thanks, I didn't know that.
Eric Takabayashi
> On Thu, 04 Dec 2003 19:12:11 +0900, Michael Cash
> <mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> wrote:
>
> >They can't take your UK license. It isn't their property. In fact,
> >they can't even take your Japanese license without either your consent
> >or a court order. There are certain traffic violations where it is
> >routine procedure to confiscate the license and issue a receipt for
> >it, but if you stand firm and refuse to give it to them, they can't
> >take it from you absent an order from a judge.
>
> I *always* use an Int'l lic. after having a Japanese one taken away in
> the 80's for driving too fast.
Can't you get a Japanese license back? Take a class and retest, or
something?
> That is...if u can get away every year...
If you can get away for more than 93 days, every year.
> if not, order it over the Internet. Now I realize that prof.
> drivers can't do this, but after all, any driver in Japan is
> considered professional.
>
> Saves time, hassles, and many problems, as essentially they can't or
> don't know
I find road checks in the darndest places, such as pulling over *every*
car going up the road from the biggest local shopping center, coming out
of tunnels, or in the literal middle of nowhere in the dark in the dead of
night, in all such cases with no chance of escape.
> what they hell to do with 'ya when you inevitably get
> pulled over.
Fine you for 200,000 yen if they ever find you, for driving without a
valid Japanese license. There is a guy I met last week in Hiroshima who
has encountered police at least three times while driving without a
license. Twice he pretended to have forgotten his Japanese driver's
license, was told to go to the station to show it to them the next day,
ignored them, and the police never called back nor came for him.
The third time was when he hit a bus. A foreign coworker of his also had
an accident without a Japanese license.
Bad news. Insurance also may not cover drivers without valid licenses.
> My two shekels.
> -osgo
>
> -
> *osgo* -- really is johndoe
> USA-JAPAN-ASIA-ISRAEL-GERMANY-INDIA-ISRAEL-JAPAN (world tour so far...)
> Grew up with smelly hippies, reading Hunter S. again.
> Traveling the world -- sure tastes like garlic!
> http://ns.propel.ne.jp/~johndoe/
>
> PGPkey E4 12 35 50 F0 AA E7 7B CA 70 08 1A 64 2E B1 1A
--
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http://www.mercycorps.org/items/1398/
http://www.mercycorps.org/mercykits.php
Mercy Corps' goal in Iraq is to work with conflict-affected communities to
meet their
urgent needs while also providing a firm foundation for the future
development of
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Efficiency
Over 92% of our resources go directly to humanitarian programs.
Excellence
Worth Magazine named Mercy Corps one of America's best charities.
High-Value
Every dollar you give helps us secure $12.71 in donated food and other
supplies.
Raj Feridun
<os...@panties.hotmail.com (remove panties)> wrote:
>On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 14:02:08 +0900, Raj Feridun
><rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> wrote:
>>>>Very strange happening at Immigration (Nagoya) - the official smiled at me.
>>>Funny, the last guy smiled at me too, in a Kenichi Ozawa kind of way.
>>Are you sure you don't mean Kenichi Mikawa?
>>Or is it this guy you're referring to?
>No, not the old guy...no, sorry, I was really, really stoned when I
>saw this rendition of the song "YMCA", performed with girls in sailor
>suits and all.
>Ten years l8tr, I still have the clip on my PC...it's that awful. I
>show it to everyone that wants to know the real Japan. That and old
>Mothra flicks.
>All I can say is he was straight-away industrial strength Okama, and
>yes, I stand corrected, it *is* Mikawa...crikes, the longer I stay
>here the more I forget.
>Is it the water, Raj? Or is it just me?
These episodes might be imprinted in your DNA and triggered by
serotonergic mechanisms or they could possibly just be chemically
induced hallucinations. I think the water is OK.
Scott Reynolds
Are you talking about the "aoba mark" that new drivers are supposed to
put on their cars? I thought you were exempted from that if you switched
over from a foreign license. Check on the back of your new Japanese
license. There should be a notation to that effect.
--
_______________________________________________________________
Scott Reynolds s...@gol.com
Raj Feridun
<os...@panties.hotmail.com (remove panties)> wrote:
>On Thu, 04 Dec 2003 19:12:11 +0900, Michael Cash
><mike...@sunfield.ne.jp> wrote:
>
>
>>They can't take your UK license. It isn't their property. In fact,
>>they can't even take your Japanese license without either your consent
>>or a court order. There are certain traffic violations where it is
>>routine procedure to confiscate the license and issue a receipt for
>>it, but if you stand firm and refuse to give it to them, they can't
>>take it from you absent an order from a judge.
>
>I *always* use an Int'l lic. after having a Japanese one taken away in
>the 80's for driving too fast. That is...if u can get away every
>year...if not, order it over the Internet. Now I realize that prof.
>drivers can't do this, but after all, any driver in Japan is
>considered professional.
I used an international license for the first 9 years living in Japan.
I hope you are aware of the new laws barring their repetitive use over
here. They are cracking down and now every cop seems to know the new
procedures. In the past when I got stopped they'd just oftentimes look
at my permit, shake their heads and say get lost not wanting to even
bother with it. This is not the case any longer though. The following
is from the U.S. Consular Information sheet on Japan:
http://travel.state.gov/japan.html
==============================================================
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMITS (IDP): An international driving permit
issued in the United States by the American Automobile Association
(AAA) or the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) is required
of short-term visitors who drive in Japan. International driving
permits are not issued by the U.S. Embassy or by its Consulates, and
must be obtained prior to arriving in Japan.
"Residents," however, are expected to convert to or obtain a Japanese
drivers license. Persons using an international drivers license who
are resident in Japan can be subject to fines or arrest. The exact
boundary between "resident" and "non-resident" is unclear. In practice
it seems to involve more than simply visa status or length of stay in
Japan and is determined by the police. In short, an international
license is not a permanent or expedient substitute for a valid
Japanese license.
Japan requires American citizens to take not only a written but also a
road test in order to obtain a Japanese driver's license.
We have heard from several Americans who were told by the police that
it is illegal to use an International Driver's License for more than a
year from the date of their first entry to Japan (even if one leaves
and reenters Japan within 3 months, the first entry date is still
considered the date of entry for the one-year period), or if they have
a Japanese Alien Registration Card, or if they are planning to stay
more than 90 days, or to use one after exiting and then returning to
Japan, or when residing in Japan, or to use an International Driver's
License obtained by mail while you are in Japan. In such
circumstances, Americans have been charged with driving without a
license, a serious offense. Driving without a legal license may also
void insurance coverage.
===============================================================
Now from personal experience when I first came to Japan I attempted to
switch my U.S. license to a Japanese one but because of a stupid rule
that you have show proof in your passport that you resided in your
home country for 3 months after the issue of your license I was denied
even applying. I WAS in America for 3 months after my U.S. license was
issued but in that 3 month period I took a trip to the U.K. When I
returned home as was often the case in those days they just waved
large groups of us through customs and did not stamp my passport. So
my passport showed I entered England but not that I had returned to
the US. They said I could have gotten a fake license in the UK or
something and that pretty much I could fuck off since there was no way
they were going to allow me to apply. I have NEVER seen such a
rock-headed, procedure-loving bunch of idiots as the retired police
force that run the Menkyo-Centers in Japan.
Meanwhile, I was stopped for speeding about 2 years ago and I was
driving on an expired International Permit. My home state of New
Jersey allows mail in applications for International driving permits
so I sent away for one and then took a short weekend excursion over to
Pusan, South Korea so I could have a brand new reentry stamp into
Japan to coincide with the new permit.
Well, as luck would have it I got nabbed for speeding again and even
though I had a valid permit and I had come back into Japan less than a
year before they weren't going for it. They took me downtown and
pretty much threatened to make my life a living hell if I didn't go
out and get my Japanese license. They were talking about arresting me
and/or shipping my ass back to the states if they caught me driving
again on any International Permit.
So I went back to the Menkyo-Center again and they told me if I got
all sorts of tax records and an official letter from the New Jersey
Department of Motor Vehicles translated they could CONSIDER allowing
me to apply. It took weeks but I finally put together enough for them
and I applied, aced the simple written test on the first try and
passed the incredibly difficult driving test on the second.
>Saves time, hassles, and many problems, as essentially they can't or
>don't know what they hell to do with 'ya when you inevitably get
>pulled over.
>My two shekels.
>-osgo
That's what I always thought. Beware, the laws are changing.
Raj
Ian J Cottee
> Are you talking about the "aoba mark" that new drivers are supposed to
> put on their cars? I thought you were exempted from that if you switched
> over from a foreign license. Check on the back of your new Japanese
> license. There should be a notation to that effect.
On the back of my licence is sweet fa to be honest. However, the point
was made by the guy behind the counter to my wife and there was also a
sign on the desk regarding it.
I shall now say, in all honesty, that it doesn't bother me too
much. When I started driving in Japan I actually enjoyed the fact that I
was cut a little slack. And as I'm driving one of those new Toyota
Sienta's my vehicle is hardly a babe magnet ;-).
Ian J Cottee
> Japan requires American citizens to take not only a written but also a
> road test in order to obtain a Japanese driver's license.
And boy am I glad (as a UK citizen) that I didn't have to do that.
Raj Feridun
>Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> writes:
>
>> Japan requires American citizens to take not only a written but also a
>> road test in order to obtain a Japanese driver's license.
>
>And boy am I glad (as a UK citizen) that I didn't have to do that.
You should be. What a pain in the ASS! They have you drive down these
narrow winding lanes in their government issue, boat-sized sedans and
if you should so much as SLIGHTLY rub a curb you're done. I was more
lucky than anything else when I made it through on my second try.
I guess the whole reasoning behind the UK drivers not needing to take
a road test is the driving on the left deal. I've driven in the UK and
I can tell you aside from that fact driving in Japan bears NO
resemblance.
Raj
Louise Bremner
> I guess the whole reasoning behind the UK drivers not needing to take a
> road test is the driving on the left deal. I've driven in the UK and I can
> tell you aside from that fact driving in Japan bears NO resemblance.
Back when I was first learning Japanese in London, one of the other
students in the class was a driving instructor. He was seeing a steady
stream of Japanese learners in London on a package "holiday"--a full
month of lessons at his school, with a couple of tests booked at the
end. Even after paying for airfares, hotel costs, and minders, it was
still cheaper than learning to drive in Japan, and at that time the
successful passers of the British test could simply return to Japan and
use the UK licence to get a Japanese one. (But that loophole has now
been closed).)
The instructor was worried about the interpreter sitting in the back--he
wanted to be able to communicate with his students directly.
________________________________________________________________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!
Haluk Skywalker
yazdi:ha90tvcgj2ic2ibqa...@4ax.com...
> On 05 Dec 2003 12:47:17 +0900, Ian J Cottee <i...@cottee.org> wrote:
>
> >Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> writes:
> >
>
> I guess the whole reasoning behind the UK drivers not needing to take
> a road test is the driving on the left deal.
That, and getting a driver's license in states is too easy. Even my ex was
able to get one, although she made a left turn (at the time it was easier
for her) when she was asked to make a right turn. She than turns to
inspector, smiles and says "Eh! Migi, migi to iuttetano ne? Refuto?" (she is
fluent in English btw...)
Scott Reynolds
> You should be. What a pain in the ASS! They have you drive down these
> narrow winding lanes in their government issue, boat-sized sedans and
> if you should so much as SLIGHTLY rub a curb you're done. I was more
> lucky than anything else when I made it through on my second try.
A lot seems to depend on where you take the test and the attitude of the
examiner. You seem to have been unlucky. My experience was much more
favorable than yours (which was a good thing, because I waited until my
Illinois license was just about to expire before doing the switchover).
> I guess the whole reasoning behind the UK drivers not needing to take
> a road test is the driving on the left deal. I've driven in the UK and
> I can tell you aside from that fact driving in Japan bears NO
> resemblance.
That has nothing to do with it, as a matter of fact. People with
licenses from just about any EU country can switch to a J license
without having to take the road test. I think it has more to do with
whether or not the country has a reciprocal setup with Japan (whereby
they let people with a Japanese license obtain a local one without
having the take a road test).
Michael Cash
the alphabet and kept on going with:
>Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> writes:
>
>> Japan requires American citizens to take not only a written but also a
>> road test in order to obtain a Japanese driver's license.
>
>And boy am I glad (as a UK citizen) that I didn't have to do that.
I'm Sepponian, and I didn't do any of that shit when I changed my U.S.
license over.
Rodney Webster
Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> wrote:
> Now from personal experience when I first came to Japan I attempted to
> switch my U.S. license to a Japanese one but because of a stupid rule
> that you have show proof in your passport that you resided in your
> home country for 3 months after the issue of your license I was denied
> even applying...
On what grounds do you base your claim that the rule is "stupid"?
FYI, the rule is not stupid, it is there for a valid reason, and that is
to stop people (Japanese, or foreigners) from simply going to a country
where it is easy to get a license, coming back to Japan and then
converting that license to a Japanese drivers license (such as Louise
mentioned in a later post).
Apparently it used to be common for Japanese to go to the Philipines,
get a license there, and then come back to Japan and have it converted
to a Japanese one. This "stupid" rule was put into place to stop such
practices.
> ...I WAS in America for 3 months after my U.S. license was
> issued but in that 3 month period I took a trip to the U.K. When I
> returned home as was often the case in those days they just waved
> large groups of us through customs and did not stamp my passport. So
> my passport showed I entered England but not that I had returned to
> the US...
So the problem is obviously with the stupid U.S. "customs" (I assume you
actually mean immigration, unless in the U.S. the customs have been
given control over visas) who did not follow the correct procedure. I
can't recall customs stamping my passport when I have visited the U.S.,
but that may be failing memory due to old age.
In this post-911 world such slack work on the part of immigration would
cause an uproar, and could get you into trouble if you were found in the
States with a passport but no entry stamp.
> ...They said I could have gotten a fake license in the UK or
> something and that pretty much I could fuck off since there was no way
> they were going to allow me to apply. I have NEVER seen such a
> rock-headed, procedure-loving bunch of idiots as the retired police
> force that run the Menkyo-Centers in Japan.
So there is something wrong with obeying rules? Why do you think they
should have bent or ignored the regulations just for you? What makes
you feel entitled to special treatment?
--
Rodney Webster
http://knot.mine.nu/
Raj Feridun
<rgw_n...@knot.mine.nu> wrote:
>In article <pehvsvcaq9vroa2go...@4ax.com>,
> Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> wrote:
>
>> Now from personal experience when I first came to Japan I attempted to
>> switch my U.S. license to a Japanese one but because of a stupid rule
>> that you have show proof in your passport that you resided in your
>> home country for 3 months after the issue of your license I was denied
>> even applying...
>On what grounds do you base your claim that the rule is "stupid"?
On the grounds that the local license center bureaucrats used this
"rule" to deny me even the privilege of APPLYING for a license
conversion based not on the fact that I entered Japan earlier than 3
months after the issue of my American license (it was actually 3 years
after) but that a stamp showed I had entered the UK within the 3 month
period but not that I had been stamped BACK into the USA. Nevermind
the fact that there were various other entry and reentry stamps into
the USA following the UK one that clearly showed I was in the USA.
How about the rule is not as stupid and unfair as the idiotic way in
which they choose to use it?
>> ...I WAS in America for 3 months after my U.S. license was
>> issued but in that 3 month period I took a trip to the U.K. When I
>> returned home as was often the case in those days they just waved
>> large groups of us through customs and did not stamp my passport. So
>> my passport showed I entered England but not that I had returned to
>> the US...
>So the problem is obviously with the stupid U.S. "customs" (I assume you
>actually mean immigration, unless in the U.S. the customs have been
>given control over visas) who did not follow the correct procedure. I
>can't recall customs stamping my passport when I have visited the U.S.,
>but that may be failing memory due to old age.
Actually it is called the U.S. Customs and Immigration Facility at
Newark International Airport Terminal C. Yes, they were stupid to be
so lax but I am a U.S. citizen and in those pre-9/11 days it was quite
common for large groups of US Citizens to be cursorily visually
inspected and passed through in groups without so much as a check of
the luggage or a stamp in the passport.
>In this post-911 world such slack work on the part of immigration would
>cause an uproar, and could get you into trouble if you were found in the
>States with a passport but no entry stamp.
In this post-9/11 world such laxity no longer exists I hope. I have
not been back to the USA since 9/11 but I am assuming from what I hear
from those who have that it indeed has changed.
The incident in question for me was 12 years ago in August of 1991.
>> ...They said I could have gotten a fake license in the UK or
>> something and that pretty much I could fuck off since there was no way
>> they were going to allow me to apply. I have NEVER seen such a
>> rock-headed, procedure-loving bunch of idiots as the retired police
>> force that run the Menkyo-Centers in Japan.
>So there is something wrong with obeying rules? Why do you think they
>should have bent or ignored the regulations just for you? What makes
>you feel entitled to special treatment?
I do not feel entitled to one bit of special treatment. I objected to
what I considered an overly literal interpretation of the law. They
seemed to be inventing ways for me not to be able to succeed in
switching my license over. I might also mention that at the time they
denied me application they also informed me that they did not
personally think Americans should be afforded the right to switch
licenses over at all under any circumstances.
Raj
Raj Feridun
Shaken is a total ripoff and the costs for driving schools and
gasoline are insane. (Yes, I understand why gasoline costs are high.)
Furthermore I say anyone who can successfully learn to drive in the UK
with those drivers and on those turnabout things in London SHOULD
automatically qualify for driving in Japan.
Raj Feridun
It depends on the state, Haluk. Every state is different and separate
in that regard. Even the legal ages for driving (and drinking for that
matter) are state-dependent. What state did your ex take the test in?
Raj Feridun
wrote:
>On 12/5/2003 3:29 PM, Raj Feridun wrote:
>
>> You should be. What a pain in the ASS! They have you drive down these
>> narrow winding lanes in their government issue, boat-sized sedans and
>> if you should so much as SLIGHTLY rub a curb you're done. I was more
>> lucky than anything else when I made it through on my second try.
>
>A lot seems to depend on where you take the test and the attitude of the
>examiner. You seem to have been unlucky. My experience was much more
>favorable than yours (which was a good thing, because I waited until my
>Illinois license was just about to expire before doing the switchover).
I've heard the same thing from a friend who lives in Yokohama. I think
in the case of license centers the large urban areas that are much
busier end up benefitting the applicants. Down here they may see a
dozen foreign applicants in a week and they are strict as hell.
>> I guess the whole reasoning behind the UK drivers not needing to take
>> a road test is the driving on the left deal. I've driven in the UK and
>> I can tell you aside from that fact driving in Japan bears NO
>> resemblance.
>That has nothing to do with it, as a matter of fact. People with
>licenses from just about any EU country can switch to a J license
>without having to take the road test. I think it has more to do with
>whether or not the country has a reciprocal setup with Japan (whereby
>they let people with a Japanese license obtain a local one without
>having the take a road test).
OK, thanks for filling me in.
Raj Feridun
wrote:
>On 12/5/2003 3:29 PM, Raj Feridun wrote:
>
>> You should be. What a pain in the ASS! They have you drive down these
>> narrow winding lanes in their government issue, boat-sized sedans and
>> if you should so much as SLIGHTLY rub a curb you're done. I was more
>> lucky than anything else when I made it through on my second try.
>
>A lot seems to depend on where you take the test and the attitude of the
>examiner. You seem to have been unlucky. My experience was much more
>favorable than yours (which was a good thing, because I waited until my
>Illinois license was just about to expire before doing the switchover).
I've heard the same thing from a friend who lives in Yokohama. I think
in the case of license centers the large urban areas that are much
busier end up benefitting the applicants. Down here they may see a
dozen foreign applicants in a week and they are strict as hell.
>> I guess the whole reasoning behind the UK drivers not needing to take
>> a road test is the driving on the left deal. I've driven in the UK and
>> I can tell you aside from that fact driving in Japan bears NO
>> resemblance.
>That has nothing to do with it, as a matter of fact. People with
>licenses from just about any EU country can switch to a J license
>without having to take the road test. I think it has more to do with
>whether or not the country has a reciprocal setup with Japan (whereby
>they let people with a Japanese license obtain a local one without
>having the take a road test).
OK, thanks for filling me in.
Fabian
> I think the whole driving experience in Japan is overpriced period.
> Shaken is a total ripoff and the costs for driving schools and
> gasoline are insane. (Yes, I understand why gasoline costs are high.)
Gasoline is expensive in Japan? Not compared to the UK it isn't.
--
--
Fabian
Visit my website often and for long periods!
http://www.lajzar.co.uk
Rodney Webster
Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> wrote:
> On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 01:36:24 +0900, Rodney Webster
> <rgw_n...@knot.mine.nu> wrote:
>
> >On what grounds do you base your claim that the rule is "stupid"?
>
> On the grounds that the local license center bureaucrats used this
> "rule" to deny me even the privilege of APPLYING for a license
> conversion based not on the fact that I entered Japan earlier than 3
> months after the issue of my American license (it was actually 3 years
> after) but that a stamp showed I had entered the UK within the 3 month
> period but not that I had been stamped BACK into the USA. Nevermind
> the fact that there were various other entry and reentry stamps into
> the USA following the UK one that clearly showed I was in the USA.
You seem to misunderstand the rule. It is not concerned with how soon
you enter Japan after getting the license, but how long you have been in
your country after getting the license. The intent, obviously, being to
weed out people who have just got their license and do not have a lot of
driving experience, or people who go overseas just to get a drivers
license, and then convert it to a Japanese one.
I did a search on the internet, and there are various sites (including
Japanese police homepages) that state that you have to have been in the
country the license was issued in for a *total* of three months after it
was issued. This means that your trip to England would not disqualify
you if, for example, you travelled to England one month after getting
you license, and then after returning to the US were there for two more
months, making a total of three months. This naturally assumes that the
total length of your time in England was verifiable via your passport.
Your original post, and this last one, also, do not make clear whether
you were in the US for a total of three months after getting your
license, and whether this was verifiable even without the missing stamp.
> How about the rule is not as stupid and unfair as the idiotic way in
> which they choose to use it?
The rule clearly states the conditions required, so it is not a question
of how it is applied. Either your passport showed proof that you were
in the US for a total of three months after your passport was issued,
and they were wrong, or it did not show proof and they were right.
If it was the former case then it was an all too common case of the
Japanese authorities not knowing the rules they are meant to uphold.
> Actually it is called the U.S. Customs and Immigration Facility at
> Newark International Airport Terminal C. Yes, they were stupid to be
> so lax but I am a U.S. citizen and in those pre-9/11 days it was quite
> common for large groups of US Citizens to be cursorily visually
> inspected and passed through in groups without so much as a check of
> the luggage or a stamp in the passport.
Thank you, I did not know that. But it is the immigration authorities
that stamp your passport, regardless of what the building is called, is
it not?
> >In this post-911 world such slack work on the part of immigration would
> >cause an uproar, and could get you into trouble if you were found in the
> >States with a passport but no entry stamp.
>
> In this post-9/11 world such laxity no longer exists I hope. I have
> not been back to the USA since 9/11 but I am assuming from what I hear
> from those who have that it indeed has changed.
I have been to the US a couple of times since 9/11, and I can assure you
that all the airport security now have a shoe fetish.
Declan Murphy
> Raj Feridun hu kiteb:
>
>>I think the whole driving experience in Japan is overpriced period.
>>Shaken is a total ripoff and the costs for driving schools and
>>gasoline are insane. (Yes, I understand why gasoline costs are high.)
>
> Gasoline is expensive in Japan? Not compared to the UK it isn't.
I drive a lot (about 50K+kms a year) in largish vehicles that while not
exactly gas guzzlers still use a fair bit of fuel. Petrol prices seem
fine to me, in fact I wouldn't object to paying around 140-180 yen per
litre if it would ease the congestion a bit.
Declan Murphy
> In article <pehvsvcaq9vroa2go...@4ax.com>,
> Raj Feridun <rfe...@NOSPAMyahoo.co.jp> wrote:
>>...I WAS in America for 3 months after my U.S. license was
>>issued but in that 3 month period I took a trip to the U.K. When I
>>returned home as was often the case in those days they just waved
>>large groups of us through customs and did not stamp my passport. So
>>my passport showed I entered England but not that I had returned to
>>the US...
>
> So the problem is obviously with the stupid U.S. "customs" (I assume you
> actually mean immigration, unless in the U.S. the customs have been
> given control over visas) who did not follow the correct procedure. I
> can't recall customs stamping my passport when I have visited the U.S.,
> but that may be failing memory due to old age.
Just flicked through my passports now. In both the Aust & Irish
passports there are US entry stamps for all visits, but no exit stamps.
All of the other countries (except Oz with Oz passport, EU with Irish
passport) have both entry and exit stamps. Oz has entry stamps, but from
the mid-90s onwards no exit stamps. For the EU there are no stamps for
entering or exiting at all. I don't know what EU member immigration
desks do since I haven't entered the EU except with the Irish one.
> In this post-911 world such slack work on the part of immigration would
> cause an uproar, and could get you into trouble if you were found in the
> States with a passport but no entry stamp.
That would only be the case though for foreign nationals surely. If Raj
was "found" in the US with a passport the general reaction would be more
along the lines of "wow! you've gotta passport! what for dude?" etc.
The 2-Belo
I had to (1994). But what's the big deal? Unless they give different tests to
people depending on the region you're in, I got the impression that anyone with
an accelerator toe and three working synapses could pass the halfhearted test
they give out. The answers to the written test were so sock-you-in-the-jaw
obvious it was almost laughable. And all you had to do during the written test
was sit upright, look determined, and be comically overcautious to the slightest
movement of cars on the opposite end of the course, and you're in. I got a
perfect score.
--
The 2-Belo
the2belo[AT]msd[DOT]biglobe[DOT]ne[DOT]jp
news:alt.alien.vampire.flonk.flonk.flonk (mhm21x20)
news:alt.fan.karl-malden.nose (Meow.)
http://www.godhatesjanks.org/ (God Hates Janks!)
Processing failed. Hit any user to continue.
Fabian
>> Gasoline is expensive in Japan? Not compared to the UK it isn't.
>
> I drive a lot (about 50K+kms a year) in largish vehicles that while
> not exactly gas guzzlers still use a fair bit of fuel. Petrol prices
> seem fine to me, in fact I wouldn't object to paying around 140-180
> yen per litre if it would ease the congestion a bit.
Petrol prices in Britain top that. Current guesstimate is 225 yen a
litre, based on
186 yen/gbp (www,currencyconverter.co.uk)
5.50 gbp a gallon ( http://www.evuk.co.uk/hotwires/jim/art2.html )
Tell me, would you object to paying that much?
Raj Feridun
wrote:
>Declan Murphy hu kiteb:
>
>>> Gasoline is expensive in Japan? Not compared to the UK it isn't.
>>
>> I drive a lot (about 50K+kms a year) in largish vehicles that while
>> not exactly gas guzzlers still use a fair bit of fuel. Petrol prices
>> seem fine to me, in fact I wouldn't object to paying around 140-180
>> yen per litre if it would ease the congestion a bit.
>
>Petrol prices in Britain top that. Current guesstimate is 225 yen a
>litre, based on
>
>186 yen/gbp (www,currencyconverter.co.uk)
>5.50 gbp a gallon ( http://www.evuk.co.uk/hotwires/jim/art2.html )
>
>Tell me, would you object to paying that much?
Back home in good old New Jersey the last I checked it was about
$1.47/gallon of regular which is 41.8 yen/liter. I did notice that the
octanes of gasoline in the UK (and Japan) are WAY higher than what
passes for gas in the USA.
Raj
Scott Reynolds
> I had to (1994). But what's the big deal? Unless they give different tests to
> people depending on the region you're in, I got the impression that anyone with
> an accelerator toe and three working synapses could pass the halfhearted test
> they give out. The answers to the written test were so sock-you-in-the-jaw
> obvious it was almost laughable. And all you had to do during the written test
> was sit upright, look determined, and be comically overcautious to the slightest
> movement of cars on the opposite end of the course, and you're in. I got a
> perfect score.
From the way Raj described it, they may indeed give different versions
of the test in different parts of Japan.
Raj Feridun
wrote:
>On 12/8/2003 11:59 AM, The 2-Belo wrote:
>
>> I had to (1994). But what's the big deal? Unless they give different tests to
>> people depending on the region you're in, I got the impression that anyone with
>> an accelerator toe and three working synapses could pass the halfhearted test
>> they give out. The answers to the written test were so sock-you-in-the-jaw
>> obvious it was almost laughable. And all you had to do during the written test
>> was sit upright, look determined, and be comically overcautious to the slightest
>> movement of cars on the opposite end of the course, and you're in. I got a
>> perfect score.
>
> From the way Raj described it, they may indeed give different versions
>of the test in different parts of Japan.
I took the test in May, 2002 and the written part was as Declan
declared it. It was ridiculously simple. They gave you 10 giant
flashcards with pictures on them and 4 multiple choice answers for
each one. You had to get 7 to pass. I would have been ashamed had I
not gotten them all correct.
The road test was a different matter altogether. On my first attempt
they failed me because at one point I almost imperceptibly scraped a
curb in one of the very tight turns they have on the course. At least
down here they informed that anything less than 100% is failure. I
felt lucky to pass it on the second try.
Raj Feridun
<rgw_n...@knot.mine.nu> wrote:
>I did a search on the internet, and there are various sites (including
>Japanese police homepages) that state that you have to have been in the
>country the license was issued in for a *total* of three months after it
>was issued. This means that your trip to England would not disqualify
>you if, for example, you travelled to England one month after getting
>you license, and then after returning to the US were there for two more
>months, making a total of three months. This naturally assumes that the
>total length of your time in England was verifiable via your passport.
>Your original post, and this last one, also, do not make clear whether
>you were in the US for a total of three months after getting your
>license, and whether this was verifiable even without the missing stamp.
Yes, I was in the USA for 3 years after my license issue with several
international departures and returns so I had well more than the
necessary 3 months in total. The only problem was the one trip to the
UK at 2 months after the license when the US immigrations officer did
not stamp my passport on my return. This one event caused all
subsequent evidence in my passport of residency to be null and void
according to the local menkyo center.
>> How about the rule is not as stupid and unfair as the idiotic way in
>> which they choose to use it?
>The rule clearly states the conditions required, so it is not a question
>of how it is applied. Either your passport showed proof that you were
>in the US for a total of three months after your passport was issued,
>and they were wrong, or it did not show proof and they were right.
It did show proof in the form of subsequent departures (and returns
all clearly stamped). But they interpreted the law so literally that
they deemed my proof moot since it was based on events that occurred
AFTER the missing stamp. I contend that a certain amount of
compassionate (not to mention common sense) judiciousness could have
been applied here.
>If it was the former case then it was an all too common case of the
>Japanese authorities not knowing the rules they are meant to uphold.
I think it was a case of them applying the rules for the sake of the
rules and not for the people who they are designed to protect.
>> Actually it is called the U.S. Customs and Immigration Facility at
>> Newark International Airport Terminal C. Yes, they were stupid to be
>> so lax but I am a U.S. citizen and in those pre-9/11 days it was quite
>> common for large groups of US Citizens to be cursorily visually
>> inspected and passed through in groups without so much as a check of
>> the luggage or a stamp in the passport.
>Thank you, I did not know that. But it is the immigration authorities
>that stamp your passport, regardless of what the building is called, is
>it not?
Yes, it is.
>I have been to the US a couple of times since 9/11, and I can assure you
>that all the airport security now have a shoe fetish.
I'll bet.
Raj
The 2-Belo
There's the other variable: not all courses are built the same. The one I tested
on was tight, of course, but it mimicked the real world well enough that I
didn't have any problem with it.
another fool
I`ve been dreading this - a co-worker finally passed his test after 6
tries. The reasons for failure were something like - he took his foot
off the brake at a stop light before it turned green - he touched one
of the cones during the slolum - etc.
Finally one of the workers inside told him to come back on a specific
day - he passed with no problem - he even went up on the curb and the
testor told him to back off safely - they passed him anyway.
Wish I was in Tsucuba so I could go to that place...
Declan Murphy
> On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 20:30:41 +0900, Scott Reynolds <s...@gol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>On 12/8/2003 11:59 AM, The 2-Belo wrote:
>>
>>>I had to (1994). But what's the big deal? Unless they give different tests to
>>>people depending on the region you're in, I got the impression that anyone with
>>>an accelerator toe and three working synapses could pass the halfhearted test
>>>they give out. The answers to the written test were so sock-you-in-the-jaw
>>>obvious it was almost laughable. And all you had to do during the written test
>>>was sit upright, look determined, and be comically overcautious to the slightest
>>>movement of cars on the opposite end of the course, and you're in. I got a
>>>perfect score.
>>
>>From the way Raj described it, they may indeed give different versions
>>of the test in different parts of Japan.
>
> I took the test in May, 2002 and the written part was as Declan
> declared it.
??? I've never taken the written test. For me getting the drivers
licence (something I didn't bother to do until 96) was as easy as
picking my nose. No written or driving test, just translation of
(Australian) documentation and an eye test.
The biggest joke was the eye test. My eyesight is still 20/20 despite
the amount of time I spend in front of the monitor, but I'm red/green
colour blind (on army exercises I wasn't permitted anywhere near
explosives). I can tell red from green (or at least what I see as red or
green) everywhere except in those dot diagrams used in the testing.
There was a long queue, and I knew that if I failed I'd have to join
another long queue for the lightbox test. When I was about 3 spaces from
the front, I noticed that instead of the dot diagrams using numbers, it
was hiragana. When I got to the front I could see hiragana sometimes,
nothing but a bunch of dots on other pages. The official asked me if I
could read, I lied, and he then pointed to a piece of paper taped to the
desk about 30 centimeters away from the books. "What kara?" he asked
"reddo, reddo" I replied. He pointed to the next "What kara?" "guri-n
da, guri-n". "OK. You pass. Go number 6" or something.
Hirabari (Aichi) is a big center and crowded, so the officials can't
know if the gaigin who spoke Japanese quite fluently downstairs
(explaining away how my Australian licence was for 5 years, despite it
not have an expiry date on it - my explanation was accepted), is the
same deaf and dumb mute taking up valuable space and time in the eye
test line.
> The road test was a different matter altogether. On my first attempt
> they failed me because at one point I almost imperceptibly scraped a
> curb in one of the very tight turns they have on the course. At least
> down here they informed that anything less than 100% is failure. I
> felt lucky to pass it on the second try.
Some of my staff have taken the test (Columbians, Czech, Taiwanese,
sepponian) and most have needed to spend a fair amount of time preparing
for the written component (all of the above since 2001). None have
failed the driving test (yet).
--
In heaven the cooks are French, the police are British, the mechanics
are German, the lovers are Italian, and everything is organized by the
Swiss. In hell the cooks are British, the police are German, the
mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized
by the Italians.
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy hu kiteb:
>
>>>Gasoline is expensive in Japan? Not compared to the UK it isn't.
>>
>>I drive a lot (about 50K+kms a year) in largish vehicles that while
>>not exactly gas guzzlers still use a fair bit of fuel. Petrol prices
>>seem fine to me, in fact I wouldn't object to paying around 140-180
>>yen per litre if it would ease the congestion a bit.
>
> Petrol prices in Britain top that. Current guesstimate is 225 yen a
> litre, based on
>
> 186 yen/gbp (www,currencyconverter.co.uk)
> 5.50 gbp a gallon ( http://www.evuk.co.uk/hotwires/jim/art2.html )
>
> Tell me, would you object to paying that much?
Probably not. For me driving is always going to be cheaper/shitloads
faster than taking the trains/buses, either
a) because of the number of passengers
b) the relative remoteness of many of the areas I go to
c) the amount of equipment carried etc
I only really use the trains if I'm heading to Nagoya, Tokyo or Osaka on
business day trips (though I have driven to Tokyo and back in a day
several times when transporting servers etc), or going out to do some
serious drinking.
Plus if it was 225 yen the roads would be less congested again, while
the fuel would still be a business expense.
Raj Feridun
<declan...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Raj Feridun wrote:
>> On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 20:30:41 +0900, Scott Reynolds <s...@gol.com>
>> wrote:
>>>On 12/8/2003 11:59 AM, The 2-Belo wrote:
>>>From the way Raj described it, they may indeed give different versions
>>>of the test in different parts of Japan.
>>
>> I took the test in May, 2002 and the written part was as Declan
>> declared it.
>
>??? I've never taken the written test. For me getting the drivers
>licence (something I didn't bother to do until 96) was as easy as
>picking my nose. No written or driving test, just translation of
>(Australian) documentation and an eye test.
Oopsiedaisy! I misattributed the quote. In fact it was Jeff so please
amend my comment to:
"I took the test in May, 2002 and the written part was as Jeff
declared it."
>> The road test was a different matter altogether. On my first attempt
>> they failed me because at one point I almost imperceptibly scraped a
>> curb in one of the very tight turns they have on the course. At least
>> down here they informed that anything less than 100% is failure. I
>> felt lucky to pass it on the second try.
>Some of my staff have taken the test (Columbians, Czech, Taiwanese,
>sepponian) and most have needed to spend a fair amount of time preparing
>for the written component (all of the above since 2001). None have
>failed the driving test (yet).
DEFINITELY 100% the opposite case down here.
Raj
The 2-Belo
They were probably sick of him by that time.
Ian J Cottee
> The biggest joke was the eye test. My eyesight is still 20/20 despite
> the amount of time I spend in front of the monitor, but I'm red/green
[snip]
I concur, coming at it from a different angle. My eyesight in my right
eye is poor and in the UK I must wear glasses to drive. When I tested my
right eye I wanted to wear glasses but they insisted I do without
first. After trying about five times I was eventually able to guess that
one blur was a slightly different shade than the others and passed.
I still wear my glasses when I drive.
--
Ian J Cottee
Nagoya, Japan
Declan Murphy
> Declan Murphy <declan...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>>The biggest joke was the eye test. My eyesight is still 20/20 despite
>>the amount of time I spend in front of the monitor, but I'm red/green
>
> [snip]
>
> I concur, coming at it from a different angle. My eyesight in my right
> eye is poor and in the UK I must wear glasses to drive. When I tested my
> right eye I wanted to wear glasses but they insisted I do without
> first. After trying about five times I was eventually able to guess that
> one blur was a slightly different shade than the others and passed.
The eye test confused the hell out of me the first time. I looked inside
the machine and said "C". The nursepersonthingee became very confused,
and all the more so three seconds later - "back to front C".
> I still wear my glasses when I drive.
I'll continue to give anyone driving a sienta a wide berth :-)
The 2-Belo
>The eye test confused the hell out of me the first time. I looked inside
>the machine and said "C". The nursepersonthingee became very confused,
>and all the more so three seconds later - "back to front C".
Hahahahhzhakzjhbcjbvcaahahaha. I involuntarily tittered when I took that test,
because those symbols can spell the word "cunt" if you squint hard enough. I was
sorely tempted to explain this to the test director.