Entries this day: AM Errands

AM

10:40am JST Thursday 15 July 2004

I've imported all the pics and videos from the Mt Fuji adventure. I've not finished writing about the upward climb (though it's nearly finished) and I have written almost none of the descent. The video that was taken at the top of the mountain is less than publish-worthy, save that I told everyone (in my state of "everything is funny" tiredness) that I would post it. (video instead of photo mode when Miyuki tried to take our picture) Had I told everyone to wave when I realized we had been on video mode, it would be worthy of publication.

The "roll baby roll" video is definitely worthy of publishing. But right now, I'm gonna get some foodage, and maybe buy a fan.

Errands

12:32pm JST Thursday 15 July 2004

I got two of three errands done today. Easiest was paying my phone bill: just take the bill to any (?) convenience store and they'll accept the payment for no service fee. Fast and easy.

Somewhat challenging was writing a signature to match my signature at the bank. I went to the bank and they showed me the signature they have on file, but for some reason (number one suspected reason is that I haven't written that signature but like five times in sixteen months) I couldn't easily reproduce it. It's my initial signature written in a cramped small circle that is designed for a Japanese hanko (stamp / seal) that people use instead of signatures. I have a hanko, thanks to Morita, one of my Nova students, but it's not registered, and I've never gotten into the practice of using it.

After several back-and-forths by two bank employees, we got it all sorted out and it was all good.

The third errand isn't yet complete.

Outside the bank, I had a feeling that I knew someone coming. I looked up at Jackie about 10 meters away. "Hi Jackie."

She looked at the postcard indicating my next errand and said, "that's for your visa; you have to go to Yokohama to get it," and suggested that it was easy to get there with the new train line (that changed on 1 February).

I was like, "that's not where I went to get it," cause she had also said I should go back to where I had requested the new visa, which I don't exactly remember. I know it was down on the Nambu line to Noborito (I think) and then change to a different line and go south a ways. It was a bit of a hike.

"Okay, bye; good luck," etc and I was like fuckit and went to the nearby police station to get directions. Because Japan is such a low crime country, the cops are often used to give directions.

But, in this case, he was like, [I dunno; call the phone number on the card,] after I had told him that I know very little Japanese when he first started yammering when I showed him the card.

So I called the number and it was a difficult-to-hear recording in Japanese that hung up on me after about 45 seconds. No English-option given.

I figured the post office should know where a particular address is, so I went to see if my figuring was right.

Wrong.

But (and I still don't know how this could be helpful), because the card indicated that I need to pay 4000 yen, the dude tried to sell me a 4000 yen stamp.

Now. I may be wrong in assuming that the stamp would not be considered legal tender at the visa-pick-up-place, but it certainly seems strange to consider paying for things with stamps. Both the post office and the visa place are government agencies, but... governments print money for a reason: to make these types of transactions easier to manage.

Now (2). If it's the case that this special stamp is *required* for me to pick up the visa (which I would wager it's not, but with Japanese beauracracy, it could be), it seems *doubly* strange that no one until the post office guy told me of such requirements.

But that is too strange to imagine; cold cash will suffice, I'm sure.

Wrong.

In the end, the post office people were helpful; they called the number and determined the visa-office is on lunch break now; that's why they didn't answer the phone before. Fair enough. I hope they enjoyed their lunch.