From bank rejections to immigration issues, from an almost-imprisonment to a money-draining situation. These made my day yesterday- a series of unfortunate events.
I filed for a half-day yesterday to process some personal documents. It was a failure and the half-day felt like a waste. To assuage my frustration, I just tried to reflect the things I have learned from yesterday's experiences.
Here are some of them:
1. Have a hanko when opening a new bank account.
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| hanko photo credit: http://www.jun-gifts.com/personalizedgifts/hanko/hanko1/hanko1.htm |
I went to three banks- Mizuho, MUFJ and SMBC. They all turned me down because I don't have a hanko. A hanko is a like a stamp with your name in Japanese characters on it. Japanese use this in place of a signature. Although I've read in the net that I can apply without a hanko, all three banks required me to have one.
2. Call immigration for needed documents when applying for "Permission to Engage in Other Activities" visa.
This visa "Permission to Engage in Other Activities" are for people who are planning to earn money outside the type of visa they have. I have an instructor visa- applicable to teachers for Grade School to High School. I plan to do have some Business English classes for a company which is outside the scope of my current visa. Following the instructions on the net, I filled-out a document and only brought my passport and residence card. The immigration staff said I had to present other documents. Pissed off already with bank rejections, I complained I just followed the instructions on their website. The staff just told me that I had to pass the other documents and that I should called first. Right!
3. Always park your bike on the right place.
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| bike parking photo credit: http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-japan-bicycle-parking-lot-image19243044 |
Months ago, I had to pay 1000 Yen because my bike was parked illegally. I didn't know that the place where I parked was illegal. Several bikes are also parked there. This happened again yesterday. I was just parking my bike when a police officer approached me. I almost cried cause I don't want to pay 1000 Yen and I was already frustrated. I pointed to the other bikes and I said I really didn't know. I said sorry a lot of times. I think I really looked pitiful that he gave in and did not issue me a ticket.
4. Make sure to have your bike registered to your name.
To add to illegal parking, part of the reason why I was almost in tears was that I cannot produce my bike's registration. In Japan, it is illegal to ride a bicycle not your own. My bike was given to me by another ALT. It was registered in her name. So added to illegal parking, the police officer can assume I stole the bike. The punishment of that is a hefty fine and a possible imprisonment. As I have said in Number 3, the police officer was kind enough to let me go. He also advised me to remove the bike's current number, have another number and register it to my name. I will definitely do that!
5. Always make sure you follow the rules in your Sports Club
To cap off the day, I had to shell out 9000 Yen. This is to pay the monthly due of the fitness center I use. I went there last January 6 to have my membership discontinued. The staff I talked with agreed. Then 2 weeks after, I receive a payment notice so I went to the center to have it explained to me. I explained my part. The staff explained that I should have given my notice last December and then he pointed out the regulations of the center. I asked why did the other staff said it was okay already. The staff just kept on pointing on the regulation. I reasoned that I was not in the area on the two weeks that they are accepting membership wiithdrawal. The staff just said that I should have read the rule book and filed my withdrawal before I left. In short, I have no choice but to pay. I have accepted my part in the situation but I also felt that the first staff I talked to should also explain why she said it was still okay. She should have at least said sorry to me for the misinformation.
All the events felt surreal. I can't believe all these things are happening in one day. I could hum 'I had a bad day...' But I'm glad it was just ONE day compared to other good days and the better days that are ahead of me.
