Here we go again...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

From the same page:

WHAT THIS ALL HAS TO DO WITH DOLPHINS AND THE COVE

On the surface, nothing. Michael was arrested because he could not produce his passport. He is being held for deportation because his visa has expired.

However, there is good reason to believe Michael was asked for his passport because he was speaking to activists in the cove. The documentary director reports that the police have set up some kind of station there and that they interview everyone. This is why many of Michael’s supporters believe that his commitment to helping the dolphins contributed to the chain of events that led to his arrest.

Let's rephrase that: "his commitment to helping the dolphins while failing to be in possession of a passport with a valid visa in a heavily-policed area contributed to the chain of events that led to his arrest."

Takes a certain kind a genius to save the world.

[Yokohammer]

Alas, poor Yoriko...

... you knew her, Horatio?

(Yikes, Shakespeare on FG ... what is the world coming to?)

[Coligny]

Disclaimer: Mrs. Taro is moving into interpreting for Japanese Courts. The J-prison abuses are much worse than officials want us to believe (of course American prisons are much worse).

Let me guess... caught speeding in your wheelchair... again...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

... you knew her, Horatio?

Her fella was infinitely best, of most excellent fancy. She hath borne me on her back a thousand times; and now, how whored in my imagination she is! I'm engorged, rising at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. How I'd love to gibe her now.


...Nah, didn't really know her....

[Yokohammer]

...Nah, didn't really know her....

Ha ... I figured you didn't.
Just wanted to pick up on the obscure bard reference (which I thought was quite clever of you).

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Ha ... I figured you didn't.

Kinda guessed that...you were called me "Horatio." I figured that, at your age, it must just be one of those quirky memory things you have...

Just wanted to pick up on the obscure bard reference.

What, Cacofonix?

[GomiGirl]

I am so sick of people trying to shift the blame of their own stupidity on visa issues into a claim of persecution of their "work". CJ tried to suggest as much as well. The dolphin slaughter is a travesty but lets not get caught up in that as it is totally a different matter.

If you are on a temporary visitors visa then you are required to carry around your passport at all times. This is true for EVERY COUNTRY not just Japan.

Sure Michael wasn't working and he made it clear that he couldn't accept money for his translation services - for this at least he was doing the right thing.

But temporary stay visas are not for use by people living in Japan. Immigration WILL crack down on you for this. They will look at what you wrote on your application when you arrived as to the purpose of your visit and this is a legal document. If you said you were here on holidays, sightseeing or visiting family and friends they will look into this. I doubt there was a check box for being a "twitter consultant and dolphin activist".

I am sorry for this guys family and kids but if he was planning to be here for a long time then he should have bloody well got PR.

[matsuki]

I got no doubt they asked to see his ID because of where he was or who he was with BUT if you're here illegally, being singled out does not an excuse make.

Tangent: Got my new fucked gaijin residency card yesterday...oooh, fancy! Indeed, they will not record legal alias on it (good thing my license already has it!) so you have to take a copy of your juminhyo to wherever you want to use a legal alias now (if you don't have a Jappy DL) I felt bad for the lady at the counter, every single Chinese there was bitching about the Kanji and legal alias not being on the card.

[gaijinpunch]

So my card won't say Gaijin Punch on it? Shenanigans!

[Yokohammer]

What's most fucked about the new residency card for me as a PR is that I'll have to go to #$&@! immigration every 7 years instead just popping round the corner to the friendly and not-very-crowded local ward or city office every 5.

Or did I miss something somewhere?

[matsuki]

What's most fucked about the new residency card for me as a PR is that I'll have to go to #$&@! immigration every 7 years instead just popping round the corner to the friendly and not-very-crowded local ward or city office every 5.

Or did I miss something somewhere?

I was wondering about that for you guys, mine expires upon visa expiration and they issue a new card with each extension. (not a big deal cause I'm already there)

[GomiGirl]

What's most fucked about the new residency card for me as a PR is that I'll have to go to #$&@! immigration every 7 years instead just popping round the corner to the friendly and not-very-crowded local ward or city office every 5.

Or did I miss something somewhere?

Dunno - haven't got mine yet. Still got a while before I have to.

But Hammer - do you have to schlep all the way into Shinagawa to get yours? Or is there a closer one?

I have PR too so I hardly ever go to Immigration these days. Shibuya ward office is awesome though so I agree this is a step backwards.

[GomiGirl]

Tangent: Got my new fucked gaijin residency card yesterday...oooh, fancy!

Do you have to take your own photo in? What forms as well? Or did you just rock up and get it?

[matsuki]

Tangent: Got my new fucked gaijin residency card yesterday...oooh, fancy!

Do you have to take your own photo in? What forms as well? Or did you just rock up and get it?

Brought in a nice passport sized photo, only one. Nooooooowhere did they request any form or say what you need to bring other than your current card and pic...so naturally I had everything possible with me. There was a very simple 1 page from they gave me (took all of 1 minute) and they took my passport (verifying visa status) and I had the new card within 20 mins. To be honest, despite the amount of people there, things went pretty fast and smooth. Only thing that would have been better is something saying exactly what you need to bring.

[Yokohammer]

But Hammer - do you have to schlep all the way into Shinagawa to get yours? Or is there a closer one?

Fortunately there's an immigration office in Sendai (hey, it's a major city you know!), which isn't very far for me. But that's the only one in all of Tohoku, as far as I can tell, so I wonder what people who live Akita or Aomori or Yamagata or Iwate or Fukushima have to do. It would really suck for them to have to make the pilgrimage into Sendai rather than just going to the local gov't office. It's those little details that the all-knowing and benevolent (not) people in high places don't give a hoot about.

I have until sometime in 2014 to go do it, but I'll probably tack that little errand onto some other business I have in Sendai as soon as I have a bit of spare time.

[GomiGirl]

Only thing that would have been better is something saying exactly what you need to bring.

That is SOP for immigration. That way they can make up imaginary yet crucial things if they don't like the look of you or your application.

But thanks for the heads up. I will do it soon I reckon as if I leave it to close to the deadline, there will be a super mad rush. I wanted to leave it until after the first rush was over and get the low down from kind folks like your good self.

[yanpa]

Only thing that would have been better is something saying exactly what you need to bring.

That is SOP for immigration. That way they can make up imaginary yet crucial things if they don't like the look of you or your application.

SOP practice when dealing with bureaucracy anywhere is bringing *everything* with you, including a certified copy of your kitchen sink. "Oh, you need my primary school cycling proficiency certificate? (rummage rummage) Well lookey here what I have..."

Which reminds me, I need to re-visit the Kuyakusho because they screwed up the new address on my gaijin card (the normal J-family department did it and evidently missed out the identifying number which means my bank won't accept it because they can't tell if it's my residential or work address despite all the BLEEDING OBVIOUS EVIDENCE).

[canman]

Got mine last week. Had to drive down to Morioka, so yes 'Hammer, it is a real pain in the ass to renew this. If you go to most photo booths they had a picture size that says right on it "Resident Card size"! Was a bit surprised by that! I again asked the immigration officer about the small box that has to be checked on the disembarkation card, and he stated you have to check it, although it is small and the wording rather unclear. I asked if you forgot to check it what would happen, he said, most immigration officers would see you have PR, and would ask if you were coming back, but if they didn't and you left, then you when you tried to return, everything would be lost, and you would have to start over.
It is quite easy to get, just take your old card, your passport, and a picture. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, at least in Morioka, where I was the only applicant. I would like to say it costs nothing, but when you include the toll road fee and the gas, it cost me about Y8000, thanks for nothing!

[Yokohammer]

Morioka?!

OK, I now see that there are "branch offices" of the Sendai Regional Immigration Bureau in each of the Tohoku prefectures. And that's why I was confused about their existence ... you're essentially going to the Sendai Regional Immigration Bureau if you go to any of the branch offices.

Still, there's only one in each prefecture, which makes it a real pain.

Canman, I assume you went to the Morioka branch office in Iwate because it's closer than the Aomori branch office(?).

[canman]

'Hammer, it is much easier to just jump on the express road and drive down to Morioka. To get to Aomori, either I have to take the express road down to Ashiro junction more than half way to Morioka, and then head back up. Or else use route 4, which has every k-truck and slow ass machine on the road, then finally use the Michinoku expressroad to arrive at Aomori. Either way it takes more than 2 hours, and Morioka is just bigger and better than Aomori IMO.
We used to have our own regional office, near the port, but in a round of cost cutting, it was closed and we had to go to either Morioka, or Aomori.

[FG Lurker]

What's most fucked about the new residency card for me as a PR is that I'll have to go to #$&@! immigration every 7 years instead just popping round the corner to the friendly and not-very-crowded local ward or city office every 5.

Yes, immigration once every 7 years. Right now it's immigration once every 3 years for a multi-use re-entry permit so it's still an improvement IMO.

[Yokohammer]

What's most fucked about the new residency card for me as a PR is that I'll have to go to #$&@! immigration every 7 years instead just popping round the corner to the friendly and not-very-crowded local ward or city office every 5.

Yes, immigration once every 7 years. Right now it's immigration once every 3 years for a multi-use re-entry permit so it's still an improvement IMO.

I only bothered with re-entry permits when I needed one, which wasn't that often. So basically with PR status I never had to go to immigration unless there was a trip or two coming up. That was a much better situation for me.

[FG Lurker]

I only bothered with re-entry permits when I needed one, which wasn't that often. So basically with PR status I never had to go to immigration unless there was a trip or two coming up. That was a much better situation for me.

I guess if you leave Japan less than once every 7 years you would end up going to immigration more often. I don't travel all that often at the moment but definitely often enough that I would end up at immigration ~2x within 7 years. It's one less thing to worry about and one less fee to pay.

[gaijinpunch]

So what's up for PR's who will likely be repatriated but want to keep their PR status... you know... in case they're going to be the unwitting stars of a parental abduction incident? My current re-entry permit expires in about 18 months, but I just got my new card b/c I moved, and I'm a good white. If I get a re-entry permit when I get my new card, am I good to re-enter for 7 years? 5? 3? Excommunicated on embarkation?

[FG Lurker]

So what's up for PR's who will likely be repatriated but want to keep their PR status... you know... in case they're going to be the unwitting stars of a parental abduction incident? My current re-entry permit expires in about 18 months, but I just got my new card b/c I moved, and I'm a good white. If I get a re-entry permit when I get my new card, am I good to re-enter for 7 years? 5? 3? Excommunicated on embarkation?

You can leave the country for up to 1 year with no re-entry permit.

Under the old system a re-entry permit could keep your visa valid for 3 years. With the new system if you are going to be out of the country for more than a year you can apply for a re-entry permit with a 5-year validity.

I have seen some speculation that the new system has some residency requirements to maintain PR status, but I can not find any official source for this. It is definitely something that anyone leaving should ask immigration about.

[Dreamy_Peach]

I think this is the salient point here. The sense of entitlement that people feel after living here for a while. For all our whinging, FG's can get away with lots of stuff here that Japanese nationals don't have to. Like the very rigid social structures and bureaucracy that we just get other people to deal with for us. But when you fuck up with stuff like this, it comes down on you hard.

For Japanese, the rules (written or not) are quite rigid and accepted as the norm but FG's just feel a sense of freedom as these rules don't apply as people don't expect us to follow them. However, break a rule like immigration and you get it a cold dose of reality. Some people don't cope - aka the CJ meltdown which was centered around his sense of outrage at being expected to follow the rules for once in his life.

Whether or not these "rules" are correct or fair, is a topic for another day. You are never going to change them from the wrong side of them. Which is why the whole CJ thing was so ludicrous. He was at fault and instead of admitting that and accepting his responsibility in his situation, tried to shift the focus to the conditions of the detention. Yes this is a valid point but he was not in a position to make it while being on the wrong side of immigration. It is a question of credibility.

This is a great post. I am still getting my head around the attitude to rules here. It seems that a lot of the times the rules are flouted and ignored to a greater degree than would be permissible back home. At the same time, the constant lip service to "the rules" is so pervasive. It often seems that as long as you acknowledge the rules, then you can pretty much do whatever you like most of the time.

But for the Japanese it may be different. I checked into a ryokan a couple of weekends ago with some Japanese friends. They had to sit and listen for some bullshit for something like 25 minutes (or that is what it seemed like) about the ryokan and the times of use etc. I just ignored it all quite nonchalantly but that is the gaijin privilege. We can get away with quite a lot, but jees, if I had to live like they do I would emigrate on Monday.

That said, there are some things you should be careful about and they relate to the police (who are always right or at least should be treated respectfully from some distance), immigration, and taxes (which are pretty easy to get around within the current set of rules). Organisational rules, rules by little people on the street etc. can be discretionary most of the time, as long as you acknowledge them.

It's a weird place.

[Coligny]

That said, there are some things you should be careful about and they relate to the police (who are always right or at least should be treated respectfully from some distance),
.

Respect and smile, yes,

always right... when you pull out the R&T book, you can usually see their "oh shit" face... (assuming you followed said rules)

Organisational rules, rules by little people on the street etc. can be discretionary most of the time, as long as you acknowledge them.

You mean people wearing makeshift police uniforms, driving panda colored Kei Cars but with a blue beacon on top... Dear god... I gave them more middle fingers than to BMW drivers...
They have this totally wrong assumption that they personify the law to some extent... On of them few NIGHTS ago (clear weather, wide curves, but tree lining making overtaking lightly unsafe) was driving 30 in a 60 coutryside road broadcasting whatever nonsense in their loudspeaker. I though I was going to burn the horn of the whip (which is a below cheapest contractor sourced part)... They are the worst kind of assholes.
In mah hood, if you want a perfect demonstration of the R&T laws, follow one of the big Panda Crowns. (*)
If you want to see Church grade holier than thou assholes, follow a panda keicar with blue beacons driven by 2 fossils who should not have their license anymore.



(*) The younger kids in smaller patrol cars make sometimes few bold moves to stop those dangerous criminal schoolgirls double riding bicylces... without properly flashing their panties (the schoolgirls... not the... well...)...

[gaijinpunch]

I have seen some speculation that the new system has some residency requirements to maintain PR status, but I can not find any official source for this. It is definitely something that anyone leaving should ask immigration about.

Well, the official stance is that "PR is for people wishing to live in Japan forever". (Hence, the name). I'd be shocked if Immigration gave me any thing useful. Maybe I can just parade the whole "I'm being transferred to work for 18 months" line and see how crazy the teeth sucking gets.

[FG Lurker]

Well, the official stance is that "PR is for people wishing to live in Japan forever". (Hence, the name). I'd be shocked if Immigration gave me any thing useful. Maybe I can just parade the whole "I'm being transferred to work for 18 months" line and see how crazy the teeth sucking gets.

It doesn't make sense to give out a re-entry permit that lets you stay out of the country for up to 5 years if you are required to be in-country a certain amount to maintain PR. Then again, TIJ so...

[gaijinpunch]

Then again, TIJ so...

Words to live by...