Only in Japan Go — Transcripts
Summaries + full diarized transcripts
2020-09-25 · Ep 808 · 39m

Japanese Visa Renewal Tokyo Immigration

Tokyovisa renewalimmigration proceduresexpat lifepandemic safety measures
Summary

Japanese Visa Renewal Tokyo Immigration

Overview

In this informative livestream, John Daub takes viewers inside the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Shinagawa to document the visa renewal process during the pandemic. Arriving on a day when a typhoon was expected but didn't fully materialize, John navigates the enhanced security screenings, temperature checks, and social distancing measures implemented at the bureau. He provides a step-by-step guide on how to take a number, wait in assigned groups, and submit the necessary documentation for residency renewal.

Beyond the procedural walkthrough, John shares practical advice for foreigners living in Japan, emphasizing the importance of patience, proper documentation, and presenting oneself well during interviews. He addresses common questions from live chat viewers regarding visa types, permanent residency, citizenship, financial requirements, and the differences between renewing in central Tokyo versus regional offices like Tachikawa. The video serves as both a real-time log of the experience and a valuable resource for expats navigating Japan's immigration system.

Highlights

  • 00:04 John introduces the Tokyo Immigration Bureau and explains the purpose of the visit.
  • 00:40 Overview of enhanced pandemic screenings, including temperature checks and bag inspections.
  • 01:12 Explanation of the ticketing system and group waiting lines (Group A, B, C).
  • 03:12 View of the queue ending near the Fuji TV building in Odaiba.
  • 06:55 Detailed breakdown of the internal application process and document checks.
  • 15:10 Information on purchasing revenue stamps at Family Mart for the renewal fee.
  • 17:36 Q&A session begins covering visa durations and financial requirements.
  • 22:33 Discussion on Japanese citizenship and spousal visas.
  • 37:11 Final advice on maintaining calm and patience during bureaucratic processes.

Timeline / Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction outside the Immigration Bureau
  • 00:40 Security and Health Screening Procedures
  • 01:12 Ticketing System and Waiting Groups
  • 03:12 Queue Overview and Surrounding Landmarks
  • 06:55 Inside the Bureau: Application Submission
  • 09:18 Shinagawa Area and Convenience Stores
  • 15:10 Revenue Stamps and Fees
  • 17:36 Viewer Q&A: Visa Types and Durations
  • 22:33 Citizenship and Spousal Visas
  • 31:37 Retiring in Japan and Investor Visas
  • 37:11 Final Thoughts and Cultural Advice

Japan Travel Tips

  • Arrive Early: The process can take 2.5 hours or more. Morning arrivals are recommended to avoid lunch breaks (12:00–13:00) when services shut down.
  • Bring Your Own Pen: Hygiene is a concern; bring your own writing utensil to fill out forms.
  • Download Forms: Download and fill out applications from the internet beforehand to save time.
  • Revenue Stamps: Purchase necessary revenue stamps (e.g., 4,000 yen) at nearby convenience stores like Family Mart before submitting.
  • Transport: Take the bus from Shinagawa Station (210 yen) or walk (30–35 minutes). Pay when boarding the bus.
  • Pandemic Measures: Expect temperature checks, bag screenings, and segregated lines for men and women.
  • Dress Code: Dress presentably (collared shirt, jacket) to make a good impression during interviews.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

  • Saigo (最後): Means "end" or "last." Used here to mark the end of the queue line.
  • Kuyakusho (区役所): Ward office. Where you obtain tax certificates and residence documents.
  • Kikan (順番): Turn or number. Used for the queue system inside the bureau.
  • Kaishain (会社員): Company employees. Often receive longer visa durations compared to freelancers.
  • Eijuuken (永住権): Permanent residency. Requires renewal every five years for the card.
  • Koseki (戸籍): Family register. Required for spousal visa applications.
  • Kampo (漢方): Chinese herbal medicine. John mentions using this for health issues.
  • Cultural Etiquette: John emphasizes staying calm and polite. Getting angry or emotional during bureaucratic processes is culturally frowned upon and counterproductive.

Food & Drink Guide

  • Super Dry (Beer): John jokes about having a beer after the process, though it is morning.
  • Coffee: Suggested by viewers as a way to calm oneself after waiting in lines.
  • In-N-Out Burger: Mentioned by John as a craving while stuck in Japan during the pandemic.

People

  • John Daub: Host and creator of Only in Japan Go. He documents his own visa renewal process and answers viewer questions.
  • Kanae Daub: John's wife. Mentioned regarding spousal visas and health care decisions.
  • Peter von Gomm: John's friend. Mentioned in the context of potential travel to the US West Coast.
  • Live Chat Viewers: Various viewers (Jeff Roberts, Bradshaw Studio, David, Trevor, etc.) interact via comments, asking questions about visas and life in Japan.

Key Takeaways

  • Visa renewal in Tokyo is time-consuming (approx. 2.5 hours) but manageable with preparation.
  • Financial stability and tax payment proof are critical for approval.
  • Freelancers may receive shorter visa durations (1 year) compared to corporate employees.
  • Patience and politeness are essential when dealing with Japanese immigration officials.
  • Convenience stores near the bureau are vital for stamps, copies, and supplies.

Notable Quotes

  • 00:04 "It doesn't matter how long you've been staying in Japan, you have to renew a visa or you have to renew a residency every now and then."
  • 03:12 "It's very much like Disneyland. Except this is not Disneyland. This is the immigration bureau."
  • 09:54 "Don't touch anything. Bring your own pens. I'm just being honest here."
  • 27:26 "In Japan they have a criteria and everything is laid out very easy for you to understand. But the thing is like in Japan, we're always observing and looking at the details."
  • 37:11 "Getting angry never ever helped anything in Japan. And I'm telling you that from 30 years experience."

Related Topics

  • Living in Japan as a Foreigner
  • Tokyo Travel Guides
  • Japanese Bureaucracy
  • Expat Q&A Sessions
  • Pandemic Travel Restrictions

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #immigration #visa-renewal #shinagawa #expat #japan-life #pandemic #travel-tips #john-daub


Full Transcript

00:04 John Daub: Hey everybody, welcome to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau. It's a typhoon that didn't come through here. I thought that this would be a pretty good day, the day after, to come and renew a visa. And it doesn't matter how long you've been staying in Japan, you have to renew a visa or you have to renew a residency every now and then. And this is my time. I'm going to tell you a little bit about the procedures and some of the enhanced procedures they have due to the pandemic that's going on. How you doing everybody?

00:40 John Daub: You can see here there's a sign. Here there's enhanced screenings being conducted. So they are checking your bags and everything like that here. And before you go in there, they are taking your temperature. They are taking your temperature and doing body screenings. Men go to the left, women go to the right. I think it's important for you to kind of understand the procedure here. Because it was really hard for me when I got here to figure out what was going on.

01:12 John Daub: The first thing you do when you get off the bus here, you have to take a number right here. They have a book of numbers here that you would take that's in the thumbnail here. She has it in Japanese, but it's not in English here. So go and take the ticket over there. So this is the entrance to where you would go. After you take a ticket, you'll have to wait in line for your groups. This is group A for 11-15. And you can come to your line 15 minutes in advance.

01:50 John Daub: I've never done this before. This is the first year. After all the years I've had to come here to renew a visa, this is the first time. It goes all the way around the corner here. There's a staff, but they don't really know too much. A lot of them are like part-time workers. Social distancing is sort of weird here. Nobody's really social distancing.

02:10 John Daub: I noticed in the morning, there's a lot of people here. In the afternoon around 11, not a lot of people here. It was a lot worse around 8 in the morning. And it took me 2 and a half hours to get through to submit my application. And I'll come to pick that up later. Here's the entrance for B for 11-15. And if you were to come now, your ticket would probably say afternoon. And you can see people are waiting pretty good in the groups here. And there's a group C down there.

02:40 John Daub: I'll take you to the group C area. And then we'll walk around. People are from all over the world here. They're waiting to renew their visas or pick it up or ask questions. Whatever the reason that you need to get into immigration. You need to wait in line in order to get in due to the enhanced security procedures. And I'll explain that more in a second. Let me just walk through here. Here's group C for 11-15. Very interesting.

03:12 John Daub: And then she's holding a sign that says saigo (end of the line). It's very much like Disneyland. Except this is not Disneyland. This is the immigration bureau. And there's the Fuji TV building in Odaiba back there. I don't like coming here every year. If you look at the Google reviews, the immigration department does not get very high reviews. It's a shame. They are really professional. But not a lot of the people will speak English here. And that sets up a lot of confusion for people who speak no Japanese.

04:02 John Daub: People who don't speak any Japanese all get kind of angry and say, you're supposed to be dealing with foreigners. Why don't you speak any English at all? And this is still Japan after all. So I think if you go to the US, not a lot of people will be speaking foreign languages either. But in general though, people can speak a little bit of English. But it's very good for you to learn a little bit of essential words that you'll need. Like address, name, age. Things like this. Very important for you to fill out your forms. And if you forget something, they're probably going to ask you that question. Tanjoubi (birthday), things like this.

04:40 John Daub: The building itself looks very much like a prison. It's a complex, I guess you would say. And yeah, hopefully I won't need to come here for a very long time. Alright, after you get in, let me go through this procedure. Because I really hope that this livestream offers a lot of value to people. People who are coming here. Or if you are thinking of moving here to Japan, these are the procedures that you'll have to go to. For Tokyo. Tokyo is special because it's so crowded. The immigration and visa renewal is very very different. That's the rainbow bridge over there. On a day where the typhoon just didn't seem to really come.

05:27 John Daub: Typhoon Dolphin, I think it was called. So I got off and I had to wait for 45 minutes before I could get in. I got here at 8:40. And they gave me a ticket for 9:45. So I had to wait for about 45 minutes. But you can get in line at 9:30. So you can get in line 15 minutes before your entry time. So people lined up pretty good. There was some confusion for those who didn't speak any Japanese at all. If you tried to ask the staff. A lot of them are part-time workers. They don't know how to answer you because they're not really English speakers.

06:14 John Daub: That's not one of the requirements to work in Japan. You have to be able to speak English. You just have to be able to be patient and understand. Please return in 15 minutes. Usually there are other foreigners who can speak Japanese. And we help those who cannot speak in English or in Japanese. So I was helping the staff kind of figure out. There's nobody around here. So I was helping the staff kind of help the other people with figuring out what to do. And the system is kind of new and chaotic. It seems like they don't work here quite often. So they're not sure what's going on.

06:55 John Daub: Once you get inside, things work pretty standard. First you have an application. You can download your application off of the internet. I highly recommend you do that. You need a photograph. And it has to be a new photo. Because I once used the same photo. And they called me back and told me that I had to submit a new photo. And it took another month for my application to go through. Don't use the same photo or an old photo. Take a new photo. That was my fault.

07:24 John Daub: Alright. So I went in there. And they check your application. I have my tax certificates. I have all the forms that I need. It was filled in there. But I downloaded the wrong application. So they gave me two new sheets. And I was like, oh okay. So I had to fill them in by hand. They give you a kikan (turn) or a number. And I was number 187 when I got there. They were on number 110. So I had to wait about 30 minutes inside there.

07:51 John Daub: They called my number. I went in there. And the lady asked me to remove my mask. Looks at me. Confirms my passport. Takes my application. Checks it over to make sure everything is filled in. She said okay. Please wait until your number is called over at booth number 6. And booth number 6 is where you go to pick up your passport and your residence card. And then you're out of there. So you submitted your application. It took me two and a half hours. It's like standard. I talked with some other people here. Two and a half hours. So even if you come in the morning, be prepared for two and a half hours. It's not too bad. It's just part of it.

08:33 John Daub: Jeff Roberts, buy yourself a crutch. Jeff. I'm going to need it. My leg is doing okay. It's been a tough, tough week. Not being able to get around. But I came here by bicycle. As long as I'm riding the bicycle, my leg doesn't hurt too bad. So I can get around. Bradshaw Studio, hello. How you doing? It's always nice to see Bradshaw Studio. Robin Smith, get something to calm yourself after the experience of waiting in interminable lines. I need a coffee. Mission success. Get a beer. Mr. Daz, we love you. Never mind that it's still like 11 a.m. That's close enough, right?

09:18 John Daub: Let me get my mask back on. We're going back around to the entrance. This is Shinagawa. Now, I heard that you could go to Tachikawa to get your immigration, your visa renewed as well. A visa renewal is very different than a visa getting a visa initially. A renewal is sort of just an extension. The main thing that they want to know is that you have financial support for yourself. You're making enough money. And they need proof of that, whether that's contracts, your tax forms from the kuyakusho (ward office) or the city hall or the town hall, wherever you are.

09:54 John Daub: If you're in the regional areas, if you're in the countryside, it'll be your town hall, not your ward. I get mine from the ward inside of Tokyo, which is Chuo Ward, Chuo-ku. Shinagawa is out here by the seaside, so you have a lot more open space here. There's a Lawson's over here and there's a Lawson's across the street. I got to tell you, if you do come here, be prepared to wait. But Lawson's over there, no social distancing whatsoever. People are really crammed in there. It was kind of disgusting. The inside of the immigration department is kind of disgusting. I don't think they clean it. Don't touch anything. Bring your own pens. I'm just being honest here. Don't touch the walls. Don't touch the counters as little as possible. You'll be fine.

10:49 John Daub: It's unusual for Japan for it not to be as clean as it normally is. But I don't know. It's immigration. It's all these cultures mushing together. It turns into be an omelet, I guess. After about two or three weeks, I'm going to get a form in the mail. Now, you have to give a postcard. I always give stickers, seals that I have. I use them for my postcard club. I stick the seal on the postcard. So if it's printed out, there's never a mistake. It arrives to me probably in less than a month. Then after about a month, I get the card. I bring the card and my passport and my residence card. I come to pick it up. And then, boom, there you go. I'm renewed.

11:40 John Daub: Sometimes if they have a problem, they'll send you a message to come in. And you have to answer it. They also have a telephone number. Not very helpful. I've called them and asked. Best to come in person. Talk with them. But in general, renewing a visa in Japan is not too painful. But it just takes time. And you can make new friends, I guess. It depends if you like talking with people. But in the pandemic, I'm not... I told Kanae Daub I'm not going to talk to too many people. But I always talk to people. This is sort of what I do. You know what I mean?

12:28 John Daub: Alma Cordero, thank you. Cordero, thank you. Pearman's pretty cool. John Kimura, yes, I am rocking the hat. They made me take off my mask, but not my hat. Confirm who I am. Archong89, get yourself a nice cup of coffee. You guys are really taking care of me. That's nice. That's really nice. Gotta go get that beer. I know I owe Mr. Das a couple of beers. Hey, Michael Sassano. I know it's early. Here's an ice cold Super Dry Side. I know it's so early.

13:05 John Daub: I was going to do a livestream tonight. And there's a midnight snack run imminent coming in. It just depends on the weather. Again, the typhoon was supposed to come in. You can look at the sky right now. Very low clouds. Rainy. Not that much wind. And I was surprised it didn't hit us the same way that I thought it was going to. Right now, I'm getting closer to the entrance. This is the entrance to the Immigration's office. And it looks a lot different from a couple of steps away. For me, it kind of reminds me of a prison. Very institutional.

13:44 John Daub: I'm sure you all have your own opinions. The people who work here, they're very nice. They'll be patient with you if you're patient with them. If you get angry, you know. I think these procedures are so harsh. Here comes a bus that just arrived from Shinagawa Station. The bus is 210 yen. It's good to have a Suica or an IC card so you don't have to pay the guy. And then it takes time. You pay when you get on, not when you get off with Tokyo buses.

14:17 John Daub: You can walk to the Tokyo Immigration. From Shinagawa Station, it takes about 30, 35 minutes. If you run a little, maybe 25 minutes. I ran a little a couple of times. But you can see the lines here. They have a place where you can sit out of the rain, which is nice. But not a lot of social distancing here. I was slightly scared. I do have a face shield, but I didn't wear it. Nobody's got face shields. At this time, right before lunchtime, by the way, just a little note. They're bureaucrats. Between 12 and 1, I think everything shuts down for lunch. So this is a reason why you want to come in the morning. To get this process over with.

15:10 John Daub: In order to get in there, you got to get a ticket. They're not letting anybody in there. You can see Family Mart right there. You can get revenue stamps. When I do come back here, this is the last thing. This isn't going to be a really long, super long livestream. When I come back here, I got to get a stamp. A 4,000 yen or about $40 stamp. And I had to lick it and put it... Well, maybe not lick it in the pandemic. You can wet it and put it on the little form. And this means that you paid your renewal tax. And you can get those stamps at the Family Mart as well as make copies, get a drink or something.

16:00 John Daub: You can always tell people who are not from around these parts. I'm going to cross the street here, I think. This is the Lawson's I was telling you about earlier. Just over there. And I can't get a good picture there, but it's really, really crowded. There's a truck in the way. Hey, Chris Rancy. Chris is here. What do you think might be the mix of nationalities? I don't know. But there's a lot of people from Korea and China and regional areas. A lot of people from India and Pakistan I saw. One person from Nepal. You can see from the passports and you can kind of tell by the seal on it. You don't even have to look at the name after a while. A lot of people from China and from Korea, of course. And I saw some people from Africa, which is kind of neat.

17:07 John Daub: There's the Lawson's over there. That's completely packed. People are outside. I wouldn't go there. You can't pay me to go there. Sorry, Mr. Das. I'm not getting my beer there. I'm just not going to do it. I refuse. All right. I want to take some questions now. I'm kind of in a safe zone. Background is the Immigration Bureau. Anything that might help you.

17:36 John Daub: How many years can you live in Japan before renewing a visa? Great question, David. Visas come in three flavors. There's one year, three year, and five year. I used to get three-year visas. Then about, I don't know, ten years ago, I started getting one-year visas. And I don't know why. I think it's because I'm an entrepreneur. I don't work for any corporation. Freelance, maybe. Kaishain (company employees), or workers for big corporations, seems like a safer job. So they often will give longer visas for those people. I don't know why, but I've been getting one-year visas. So hopefully they can stop doing that. I don't want to come here ever, really.

18:17 John Daub: What happens if you go to the office in Tachikawa? Even if you have PR, you have to come here at least every five years, I believe, to renew your PR, your eijuuken (permanent residency). I believe you can go to the one in Tachikawa. I don't think they'll turn you away. But it's quite far for me. So for me to go to Tachikawa and back, I can't go on my bicycle. And the other reason why I don't go to Tachikawa is it actually takes me like an hour and a half to get to Tachikawa and an hour and a half to get back. And I have to wait there for about 30 minutes. So it'd take me about five hours to do that. Or I could just ride my bicycle here and wait for two and a half hours. See what I mean?

19:04 John Daub: But if you go to Tachikawa outside of Shinagawa, I don't know what it's like in Osaka. We got to ask Kevin. But in Tokyo, Shinagawa is not a great place to be. This is where there's like a deportation center up there. There's a lot of strange things going on in there that I don't want to know about. It's supposed to be like this one year, one year, three year, three year, five year. That's what it is. That's supposed to be the way you get your visas. I don't know how many in one year. But I don't question it. I just nod my head and get out and move on with my day.

19:45 John Daub: What's the average flying speed of a migrating sparrow? Twenty three meters per second. I don't know. Are there aliens like E.T. in there? Trevor, I actually got my first residence card in 1998 and it said alien on it. It's pretty cool. It also had my thumbprint on it. So it was sort of like a criminally like I did something wrong. So they got rid of the thumbprint, but it had a thumbprint on the I.D. card for being a resident of Japan. If you weren't from Japan, that was pretty weird. But I thought it was kind of cool at the same time because, you know, bad to the bone. Like rebellious. I got a thumbprint, man. Look at this. It looked kind of cool. And then on the top it said alien resident.

20:51 John Daub: Do they check credit history now? The most important criteria is number one, you have to be making enough money to support yourself. And as you get older, your income should be rising. So I guess somebody who's in their 20s could probably make it by on 200,000 to 250,000 yen a month. As you get older, they expect you to make more money. So if you're still making 250,000 yen per month, they're going to be a little skeptical. If you're in your 50s, like you probably will get through, but it's not as easy like you're 50. You should be making 5 million yen a year or something, right? Or 10 million yen a year.

21:35 John Daub: So there are sort of like expectations and the amount of money that you make also means that's the amount of money that you pay in taxes. And they very much want to make sure that you pay your taxes. So you need to have proof. So I have to go to City Hall and get certificates and documents confirming that I have paid. I don't think that they can call directly to confirm with the tax office. You need to bring those papers with you. However, they have called employers of people who have filled out their applications somewhat wrongly or have questionable documents. So that does happen. But it's especially if you're doing a PR application again, which is permanent residency.

22:33 John Daub: Can you get Japanese citizenship since you're married to Kanae Daub? It doesn't quite work like that. Not like America has probably the easiest system for becoming a citizen. You just have to be born there. It's not quite like that in Japan. I could get Japanese citizenship and I have some friends that have renounced their citizenship of their country and take on Japanese citizenship mostly for tax purposes. But I'm not really considering that. I'm proud of who I am and where I'm from. And I don't really need to do that. But it's always possible. But it's really hard to do that. I have a couple of friends who did it and it's a lot of questions, interviews and things like this. It's not a slam dunk to get it. You really have to go through some hurdles. Everything in Japan you have to jump through hoops to get.

23:31 John Daub: Does it cost to get a visa in Japan? Well, in order to get a visa in Japan, you need what's called a COE, a certificate of eligibility. If you get a visa on arrival, you don't need to. You just have to bring your passport. That's different. This is the Immigration Bureau in Tokyo where you go to extend anything in central Tokyo. I'm talking about a work visa that allows you to work in Japan. You need what's called a COE or a certificate of eligibility. And this is issued by your employer. Your employer will come here or come to a regional immigration office to get this and register you for a COE. They'll send that COE to you or fax it. They still have faxes. And then you take that to the Japanese embassy in your country, whether it's New York or the consulate in Chicago or Los Angeles. And then they will issue you a visa based on this COE and your application form.

24:32 John Daub: Without a COE, you don't get a chance to work here. It's not that hard to get a COE, but your employer has to basically the whole thing with working in Japan is you have to be able to make enough money to support yourself. And they don't want you to drag on their social systems. No country wants you to drag on their social systems. It doesn't make sense. So they just want to make sure that everything checks out. That's sort of the process. So again, like to go back, you have to renew your visa. And you can do this without having an employer. You can do this as a freelancer. But if you do as a freelancer, you have to be in the category that your visa was issued, which is for an English teacher, the categories of humanities and international services, which seems so broad.

25:25 John Daub: If you're an engineer, you have to be in the engineers department if you leave your company. So you can leave your company and you can renew your visa without staying with the same company. However, with that said, you have to be in that same category, meaning international services. International services is sort of what I do. So an English teacher can go ahead and become a YouTuber. The thing is, though, if you do want to get a visa as a YouTuber on your own, you have to show that you make enough money to them. You have to show contracts. You have to show tax documents and you have to show, as much proof as possible that's in the forms that they accept. And basically they tell you what they want. You go and get it from the offices. You put it in a little envelope. You give it to them. It's pretty easy.

26:22 John Daub: Would a spousal visa be easier? Sure. But spousal visas also are one year renewal, two year renewal, three year renewal, five year renewal. They come in different flavors as well. So you have to get a letter of guarantee from your wife or your wife's family. You have to get her koseki (family register). You have to go and get a ton of documents in order. And each time you have to renew with a spousal visa, you've got to bring the same stuff, including pictures of you and your wife. And you better bring happy pictures. And it helps also if you come and dress just sort of don't come here in like a ripped t-shirt. Like try to come here somewhat presentable. I'm wearing a collared shirt. I got a jacket on because it's not the best weather. But you know if you come here with a suit and a tie if you come here with your spouse, it doesn't hurt.

27:26 John Daub: In Japan they have a criteria and everything is laid out very easy for you to understand. But the thing is like in Japan, we're always observing and looking at the details. You don't know what people are thinking like I'm looking at your sake glass and filling it that applies not just to sake that applies pretty much everything people are observing and thinking and judging you. So you want to look good and presentable? Especially if it's your first time and not think oh, this is my right to get a visa renewal. No, they can tell you no and not give you a reason and then you'll just be up the creek. Is that the expression here?

28:09 John Daub: Just be curious if I ever look for a job there how good of a chance I have with a technical degree. Try not to hurt your leg. I hurt my leg pretty badly the other day last week with Greg in the onsen. I don't know pretty much bachelor's degrees are the minimum here for most things but technical degrees. I don't really know. The thing is this. If you have an employer in Japan that will hire you and will give you a COE, you just need the COE, then you can be hired and get the visa for work at the embassy in your category that your employer has applied for you for. A working holiday visa is completely different. I think you have until the age of 30. But renewing that after that is pretty hard. Then you have to find an employer.

29:30 John Daub: If you have kids, would they need visas too? I believe so. Not unless they're born in Japan from a Japanese. That's a good question. I don't think my friend's children, if they're born here in Japan, need a visa. But they get a passport for Japan if they register. I guess they can get dual citizenship until 18 and then you have to pick one. That's a good question. I don't know. I don't have any kids yet.

30:23 John Daub: Alright, one more question here. These are all really, I think, really important for you, especially if you're coming. I've met some people who watch Only in Japan too. And they always go, I know you. I'm like, I don't know you. And that's kind of always a funny moment. Like, I know you from somewhere. I'm like, yeah, maybe. I don't know. I don't tell. I don't ever help people out. It is kind of neat. Saloompas. The one that you put in your body when you're in pain. I don't know. When it comes to medicine, I don't like to go to the hospital. And I don't like to take any kind of medication either. I will avoid the hospital at all costs. And Kanae Daub makes me go. Kampo (Chinese herbal medicine), which is this Chinese medicine powder that I'm taking to help reduce with the swelling.

31:37 John Daub: Retiring in Japan. That's a good question that I've gotten several times. You can get what's called an Investor's Visa. And I think just being a tourist, you can't buy property. It's hard. A tough one you have to have somebody guaranteeing you there's a visa that you can get if you want to invest in Japan called an investor's visa you have to hire two workers. Some people footy call me the money and the money comes back to them and they let them keep they hire like family members and stuff i've seen ways around it i don't recommend that you try to break the rules but there are sort of ways around everything because the way things are written you got to find those loopholes and talk to people about them i'm not going to tell you that much.

32:19 John Daub: Retiring here in Japan i've met some people but they're usually married to someone Japanese or they bought their property as a result of like another company or a partnership or they paid somebody to get that property and legally the documents you really have to check them over to make sure. I'm gonna walk over to my bicycle because i think we're pretty much done here this is the bus to go back it's on the other side of the road back to shinagawa station uh we're walking back to the back to my bicycle past the uh immigrations. So you really have to check out the paperwork make sure you get a lawyer to do that too and if you can if you're paying the money get them to do an english translation and get an english translation of the document and also get that signed as well so there's no like if the that way that the translation is on par and they also have to get the translation translated or translate their document to make sure that everything is good.

33:29 John Daub: But if somebody's buying you a significant piece of property in their name you're going to want to have that contract very very clear you know what i mean here's the entrance to the immigration she's still holding the tickets so that's about it from tokyo. A lot of people have had to renew their visas as travelers because of covid their flights were cancelled. Your flight was cancelled and you want to renew your visa here you can do that but you have to bring proof of cancellation. There are some documents here this is the entrance of it there's some documents asking for the proof of cancellation i hope this is useful there's a lot of people have questions brenda oh i love you right here buy something for kanae take care thank you brenda.

34:26 John Daub: Yeah there's supposed to be a typhoon here but um it's just kind of a little bit of rain and some wind it's not too bad i get a ride back about 20 minutes um i wish i could take the shinkansen there goes the shinkansen but it doesn't stop at immigrations i wonder why kind of just rolls by pretty wimpy ronald yeah indeed it's pretty wimpy. If you had renewed your visa here in japan you can leave us a comment tell us about your experience at the shinagawa immigration department. I think i'm gonna get that uh i think i will get the gm uh 12 to 24 f 2.8 i was looking at that i think it's a go i think that's gonna be really useful lens um for ramen shops and and things like that so i think we're in for that yeah leave me a comment below about your experience going to um tokyo immigrations if you had a good experience or a bad experience what was the bad experience and uh you know speed maybe they're gonna watch this and some of the feedback can be helpful for them.

36:03 John Daub: I do believe that they do look at social media because the google reviews of tokyo immigration's not pretty it's kind of funny actually some of the people write in like their experiences were not good i've never had a bad experience it's just sometimes frustrating and you can control your emotions and you're not helping anybody else so just keep calm and you know as you're saying the story somebody else might go on a social media ad and say that's just the way it is and arguing in japan never really helps the best thing you can do is to stay calm you can ask questions if it's a busy place get away from that person. Getting angry never ever helped anything in Japan. And I'm telling you that from 30 years experience. Smile, stay calm. Being emotional doesn't help the situation. Being calm absolutely does. And they believe you a lot more if you're not freaking out.

37:11 John Daub: Like I was wondering why they gave me one year last year. I didn't freak out. I took it like a man. Came back the next year through COVID. But I think that the procedures that they have in place is not enough. And it's a mess. But it works. You get through. I'm done. Alright. So I hope you have a great day. Leave me comments below. Hit the like button if you want me to do another livestream today. I'll check back and see if we get a thousand likes or something. We'll go back and check it out again.

37:44 John Daub: Hey Matt. Matt Engstrom. Hi John. I hope you and Kanae Daub come to California. We were going to go to California in March. We were going to rent a car and do an entire from west coast down to Arizona and then leave. But guess what happened. So we're stuck. We couldn't make it. I'm still dying for an In-N-Out burger. And I don't even know why. Everyone just says that it's that good. But yeah. Peter von Gomm lives his family's up in Oregon, so it would be nice. Can you make it happen soon? We would try. We will try. We will see.

38:19 John Daub: But if Peter von Gomm is up in Oregon and we happen to be going back on the same flight to the west coast. That would be pretty neat. Pretty neat to drive around and check out the area. And of course he's a West Coast guy and I'm an East Coast guy. So, never know. Do you want to come to Michigan? Yeah, no, thank you. I'll just stay at the border in Toledo, Ohio. I went to a school in Ohio State. We don't like Michigan. I've been to that. Look, all right. I've been to Michigan three times, two or three times to watch Ohio State-Michigan game. Those are the only times I went to Michigan. I think we lost one and we won one. Yeah, we lost one and won one. 95 was a hard loss, man. Eddie George we had that year, Heisman Trophy winner. We lost. Was going to go to the national championship, undefeated. Michigan beat us. I don't think I've been across the border since then. I'll stick to Toledo. That's the border. It's border war.

39:26 John Daub: All right, there you go, everybody. Stay safe wherever you are in the world. And I do ask your voice, all that. I'll be coming to Oz sometime soon with Kanae Daub. Stay safe, everybody. And yeah, I'll be back again later on.

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