In honor of my new life here in Japan, I'm adding the letter J to the front of everything from now on. All of the projects that I sponsor at work will have a J in front of them -- for example, today I wrote a business case for a project called "Japan Renewal Form Generator," which I'm codenaming "JForm." I'm going to a J-League soccer match next weekend. I love the letter J.
Try getting a bank account when first arriving in Japan, though, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a JCatch-22. In order to get a bank account, you need to have your Alien Registration Card, a name stamp, and a name card (business card). I already ordered my name stamp (a simple "ティム") and my name cards will be ordered once I get my cell phone in a couple of days, but the Alien Registration Card is the difficult thing.
The Alien Registration Card is the legal document that allows me to be in Japan throughout the length of the visa period (three years). I can register for it at the city office, but in theory I shouldn't do it until I've moved into my permanent apartment a month from now. The problem, though, is that without the Alien Registration Card, I can't get a bank account, and without a bank account, I can't get an apartment. Without an apartment, I can't get an Alien Registration Card.
This, of course, is based on my assumption that whatever landlord I rent from won't let me pay with a foreign bank transfer. If that's the case, my JCatch-22 will remain a problem. If not, I have nothing to worry about.
Try getting a bank account when first arriving in Japan, though, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a JCatch-22. In order to get a bank account, you need to have your Alien Registration Card, a name stamp, and a name card (business card). I already ordered my name stamp (a simple "ティム") and my name cards will be ordered once I get my cell phone in a couple of days, but the Alien Registration Card is the difficult thing.
The Alien Registration Card is the legal document that allows me to be in Japan throughout the length of the visa period (three years). I can register for it at the city office, but in theory I shouldn't do it until I've moved into my permanent apartment a month from now. The problem, though, is that without the Alien Registration Card, I can't get a bank account, and without a bank account, I can't get an apartment. Without an apartment, I can't get an Alien Registration Card.
This, of course, is based on my assumption that whatever landlord I rent from won't let me pay with a foreign bank transfer. If that's the case, my JCatch-22 will remain a problem. If not, I have nothing to worry about.
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