Went
to Sakuragicho, a station near the breezy Yokohama Bay, hopped a bus
for a 10-minute ride, and ended up at the Yokohama Area Immigration
Office. Picked up a few forms that need to be filled out so I can
get a spousal visa. Among the things I have to write:
1)
A couple essays on why i want to stay, and how i intend to learn
the language and culture.
2)
A detailed family tree.
3)
Salary histories, letters from current employers, and bank statements.
4)
The exact date Kayo and I met, why we dated, why we wed, where the
ceremony was held, who else attended the ceremony, etc etc etc.
5)
Also required: photos of the two of us, and a hand-drawn map of
my neighborhood, indicating how I get to the train station from
the apartment.
Did
I mention all of this has to be in JAPANESE?!
It
appears getting a working visa through a Japanese employer would've
been easier, but the trade-off is that that employer kinda has you
by the balls ("Oh, you want to quit? Okay, I'll call the deportation
office now.")
At
any rate, that's the deal there.
Afterward,
we met up with Takashi and Akiko, two friends from New York (staying
nearby, near Bunko Kanazawa Station). We grabbed some okonomiyaki
in Landmark Tower (tallest building in the country, with a nice mall
on the bottom 7 floors, a hotel on the top floors, and office space
in betwixt).
I
got the ebi (shrimp) okonmiyaki, Kayo got some weird style
that I forget, and Takashi and Akiko got one with cheese inside (which
was unusual, but tasty as all get-out). Had a Zima to drink in a cool
square glass... I think Zima's less sweet here than it is in America.
It came with lemon, which, if you licked the lemon before drinking
the Zima, made for quite a taste sensation. Gorged on ice cream and
cookies after that at some of the other shops in the mall, and hit
a CD store with an actual Visual/Indies section, but found nuthin'
exciting. Akiko grabbed a handful of CDs though.
Cool
news of the day: Dir en grey has a Macabre tour live video
coming out July 25th.
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