Well, it wasn’t the smoothest of visits, but the good news is that my visa was renewed for 3 years, which makes me really happy. I got a big shock getting there as I took my number and saw that there were 67 people waiting ahead of me! Never go to an immigration office on Friday afternoon. I got a bigger shock when my time came (2 hours later, but I didn’t stay there the whole time) and they told me that I had gotten the wrong ticket, and that I needed to take another one for the other counter. I explained that I had been waiting for 2 hours (something that had no effect 4 years ago at another immigration office) and they were kind enough to take care of me.
While I was in Shibuya, I picked up a couple of free papers at Tower Records, one of which is some sort of design magazine called SAL that also has a website. Since it was such a nice day, I walked to Harajuku, passing through Yoyogi park, and then came back home. Now I’m taking a break from studying kanji. I’m taping one of my favorite shows, GuruGuru NaiNai, to watch later with Yuko when she gets back from the university.
Category: General
I’m glad you could get a 3 year visa! I think you weren’t sure if you were to get a 1-year or 3-year one, right? Congrats!
Now you can rest for a while without worrying about all that crap. :)
Well, this was the second time renewing my spouse visa, and all the other times they only gave me one year, so I was thinking that it would be one year this time also. It’s also great because it means that it’s now worth it for me to get a multiple re-entry permit, since it’ll now be good for 3 years.
it sounds like the visa process in japan is even worse than here in taiwan. i think they automatically give people re-entry permits here. do they cost extra in japan? if you are married, are you eligible for some sort of permanent residency?
well, the main thing is you have your visa and you don’t have to worry about that nightmare for another three years! :)
In Japan, re-entry permits are extra. You pay 4000 yen (about US$35 I think) for a one-time permit, and 6000 for a multiple re-entry permit. The problem for the multiple permit is that it’s only good for the length of your visa, and since I haven’t left the country more than once a year in all the time I’ve been here, I’ve never gotten it. It’ll be a good deal for me now, since the multiple re-entry will be good for 3 years.
As far as I know, a permanent visa, if it exists, only comes after years and years of renewal. You can’t apply for one straight away (but my wife got one straight away when we moved to Canada a few years ago, although it was a bit expensive). I remember meeting a married man a few years ago who had been in Japan with his Japanese wife for at least 20 years, and he still had to renew his visa.
The visa itself is only 4000 yen, so a pretty good deal, now that I have it for 3 years.