One of the things in there was my Certificate of Eligibility, a very colourful card with my photo on it basically saying that I should be allowed to go to Japan to study. But apparently there is never enough red tape, so we are made to bring this certificate to the embassy in order to get a visa - i.e. actual permission to enter Japan. And unsurprisingly, more waiting is involved because it takes three working days to process.
My little trek to the NZ Japan Consulate was interesting. The office is only a ten minute walk from uni, on the twelfth floor of the ASB building - my love and hate for tall buildings with weird elevators was reignited in the process of course.
If you've been there before you'll know what I mean. And I can only describe it as... comical and bizarre. It's like a very nice prison and library squeezed into two large bedrooms. I wanted to take a picture but I thought I might set off the Japanese Secret Service. The whole process involves walking a lot of unnecessary walking between the bulletproof windows and the seat in quick succession. I was surprised to see a middle-aged white kiwi man behind the counter. But he was so robotic and stilted in his speech that I decided not to ask him if he could speak in Japanese.
Just a few more things to do before I'm set to go:
- Buy travel insurance
- Pick up visa
- Pay deposit for accommodation
- Buy souvenirs and pack
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