Oh, Japan. In some ways, I have fond memories of you, and in some ways, you continue to haunt me.
So the other day, I figured it was time to start getting some paperwork out of the way. I sat down and looked at the paperwork I had to do in order to get my pension refund! I'd contributed to the Japanese pension system for a year, and I'm eligible for a sizeable chunk of that back! I looked at the paper, and glanced at the eligibility criteria. "Yeah, yeah, I meet all those," I thought. But then something caught my eye. I can no longer be a resident of Japan and in brackets, it says (have cancelled your Alien registration and have left Japan).
But wait! I was told before I left that someone at the airport would take away my Alien registration card. No one did, and I still have it. I was so flustered at the airport when I left (moving away from the home I'd made, going to a country that I'd never been to before, still not speaking Japanese well enough to communicate in important situations, still no one at the airport speaking much English, etc) that I didn't think to ask anyone about having to take it away. Not that anyone would've understood my crap Japanese and not that I could understand their crap English. I recall asking a guy who sitting in an information-looking station right by the place to line up to with forms (after security) if he could speak English. He said no, and directed me to line up. I recall lining up and trying to give the guy my passport and ticket, and he gave me a look of annoyance and pointed me to the forms that I had to have filled out. So I went and filled out a dis/embarkation card and lined up again. He processed it and waved me through. Didn't take my card though.
So....it seems that what *should* have happened is that I should've left Japan for good. They should've taken my original embarkation card in my passport (stapled in there upon my arrival last summer in Tokyo). They should've taken my Alien registration card. Instead... I left Japan on my re-entry visa. They think I'm coming back; it might've had something to do with my round-trip ticket to HK, which was cheaper than a one-way ticket to HK.
Back to paragraph #2. Since there was a mixup, I am probably still a resident of Japan. I probably cannot apply for my pension refund right now. It is being sorted out now thanks to the amazing David J., who will assuredly get an amazing care package with the proceeds from my pension refund.
So the other day, I figured it was time to start getting some paperwork out of the way. I sat down and looked at the paperwork I had to do in order to get my pension refund! I'd contributed to the Japanese pension system for a year, and I'm eligible for a sizeable chunk of that back! I looked at the paper, and glanced at the eligibility criteria. "Yeah, yeah, I meet all those," I thought. But then something caught my eye. I can no longer be a resident of Japan and in brackets, it says (have cancelled your Alien registration and have left Japan).
But wait! I was told before I left that someone at the airport would take away my Alien registration card. No one did, and I still have it. I was so flustered at the airport when I left (moving away from the home I'd made, going to a country that I'd never been to before, still not speaking Japanese well enough to communicate in important situations, still no one at the airport speaking much English, etc) that I didn't think to ask anyone about having to take it away. Not that anyone would've understood my crap Japanese and not that I could understand their crap English. I recall asking a guy who sitting in an information-looking station right by the place to line up to with forms (after security) if he could speak English. He said no, and directed me to line up. I recall lining up and trying to give the guy my passport and ticket, and he gave me a look of annoyance and pointed me to the forms that I had to have filled out. So I went and filled out a dis/embarkation card and lined up again. He processed it and waved me through. Didn't take my card though.
So....it seems that what *should* have happened is that I should've left Japan for good. They should've taken my original embarkation card in my passport (stapled in there upon my arrival last summer in Tokyo). They should've taken my Alien registration card. Instead... I left Japan on my re-entry visa. They think I'm coming back; it might've had something to do with my round-trip ticket to HK, which was cheaper than a one-way ticket to HK.
Back to paragraph #2. Since there was a mixup, I am probably still a resident of Japan. I probably cannot apply for my pension refund right now. It is being sorted out now thanks to the amazing David J., who will assuredly get an amazing care package with the proceeds from my pension refund.
