Immigration Office

I had to take a trip to the immigration office today. Always an event. Since consolidating offices and opening their new and improved branch, it's just been so much fun.

The total trip was over six hours door to door. I thought I'd be in and out since all I needed was a re-entry visa for next week's trip to Guam. I thought wrong. Three hours of waiting to give someone ¥6,000 ($53) to look at the forms I filled out and put a sticker in my passport. Now I'm allowed to come back to Japan on my current visa rather than have it revoked and replaced by a tourist visa for my three day trip to Guam

The new facilities are about as inaccessible as is possible in central Japan. A minimum 20 min. walk from the station...if you know where you are going (I do). The walk is through a container storage area for Tokyo's major international cargo port. I took this photo today:



That's the walk back to the station. Those are full-size tractor-trailer containers. I feel like I should be wearing a hardhat every time I go there.

Also very reassuring to see the sign posted at the entrance of the immigration office stating that the detention facilities are located on the fourth floor.

Less than fun...but it could have been worse, I guess. The wait was just for my turn. Once I was called, it only took about five minutes.