So it’s been almost 3 weeks since I first arrived in Japan. There’s already been some downs but mostly it’s been going uphill so far. Probably the most bummer things at the moment is not being able to get a mobile phone and not having a bank account set up yet. For a gaijin to get a mobile phone, you are required to present your alien registration card. However, you don’t get this card until a month after you’ve applied. So what do you do during this time when you need this card for pretty much anything related to signing a contract for something (bank accounts, mobile phones, etc)? Ans: you purchase this green paper document for 300yen from the immigration office, where I hear it’s like a temporary alien registration card. So why didn’t I get this paper when I applied for alien registration? Cos I got screwed over by the ridiculously short trading hours of the Kobe Immigration office, so they refused to give one to me on the spot and told me to come back the next day (when there was still like 30min before closing), whereupon I pretty much wouldn’t be able to get there in time since it takes a little more than an hour from school and the orientation week schedule was pretty full on on information overload. It seems that’s what it’s like here in Japan. If the trading hours state that it closes at a certain time, they will ensure that it actually happens and stop doing services to leave the office at the precise time. So unlike home where you’ve got people running in in the last 10mins and keeping the office/shop/etc open until whenever that case is over. So, now I’m feeling bad for my host mum changing her plans making time for me to come with me to the city ward just to get this piece of paper.
I’ll write up more later when it’s not at such a ridiculous time (currently 4.47am after a 6 hr nap)
UPDATE: i've got the 300yen paper now! but still no phone cos none of the 4 softbank stores we visited yesterday sold the prepaid ones. =[ you'd think that since they sell prepaid ones in a local branch store like Kotoen, you would expect a big shopping district like Sannomiya would have them as well, eh?
