Adventures and brick walls

So, what have I been up to?

Well, yesterday, I came face to face with Japanese bureaucracy.  Quite an experience; the Japanese have truly perfected bureaucracy: it takes a loooong time to sort things in Japan.

Basically, I needed to renew y visa for 9 extra days to take it to the magic 99 days number.  Cool, fine.  I had an address of where to go so I went.

I had the wrong address, but they pointed me in the right direction with a bad map and, thanks to a random old man who recognised one of the land marks on the map, I eventually made it to the correct place: The Immigration bureau, 7th floor of the Law Offices.

I got there, I spoke to someone at the main desk who directed me to a guy at another desk.  The two of us then sat down and discussed me getting a visa extension.  We filled in forms.

We filled in more forms and we ummed and ahhed over some of the things we wrote down.

It may take two weeks for the approval, he told me.  Never mind that I'd be gone in two weeks, but there you go.

I then took my forms to another desk where another fellow went through them with a red pen.  He ticked some things, he re wrote my writing in others, he asked me some questions and he ummed and ahhed.  He checked my passport, looking at me suddenly and saying that I looked nothing like the picture.  I pointed out that it was my old passport and the Visa was in there and, look, here was my new passport.

I didn't look much like that photo either.

We made slow progress.  I showed him flight times, I discussed my cultural reasons for being in Japan, he gave little red ticks on boxes.

He then checked with his supervisor and came back.

I needed to pay, but I would get my extension: 4000 Yen.  I couldn't pay there though, I had to go back down to the 2nd floor and queue up and pay there and get a special stamp which I then took back up to the 7th floor and affixed to a sheet of paper and signed to show I'd paid.

Some more forms, some signing and... and I had it, my extension.  15 days, not 9, but there you go, they can only do 15 days plus, it seems.  And, as I was staying over 90 days I needed to register with the local government office.  No matter that I'd be gone in 9 days after the 90 days, I still needed to register.

But there you go.  It's done.

Tomorrow I shall post about today's American adventures and tomorrow's beach adventures!