VISAAAAA!

Yesterday I went to the city to pick up my visa. I was smiling all the way back to the bus to Jersey. Got myself some Nuts 4 Nuts cashews, stopped at Mitsuwa in Edgewater for some Haichuu's and a Sokenbi Cha.

Getting the visa was a super cinch. Here are the steps:

1.) Get a job in Japan. This is key.

2.) Obtain, from your new employer, a Certificate of Eligibility. This will require you sending them a passport photo or two of yourself, along with other pertinent information.

3.) Take said COE to the nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate (I went to the Consulate on Park Ave., between 48th and 49th Streets), along with an application form filled out in advance (you can do it right on the website), plus two passport photos.
For the application it will also be key to have an address in Japan. For me, the address of the company did the trick.
Here is where the Japanese efficiency steps efficiently onto U.S. soil:
Upon entering the building, a friendly security guard will direct you to your left, to the Consulate "reception" lady(ies), where you will be greeted with a smile and asked to sign your name and take a number. Within a couple minutes, another friendly guard, this time from the actual Consulate, will ask you and any other folks who might be waiting to come with him. He will escort you to the elevators and up to the 18th floor where yet another friendly guard will meet you at the door to the office. He will take you, in order of your numbers, through the metal detector and ask you to pass any bags around the side where he will discreetly check them. You will then take another deli-style number, green or blue, depending on your business there. Blue is for visas, green is for something in Japanese.
If you are lucky, or smart, and get there early, you will wait about 5 minutes before being called to the window. If you get there later, you may have to wait in the area of 30 minutes, not altogether unpleasant in the office filled with adults and children waiting patiently. There are even books for kids to read, as well as magazines and newspapers in both English and Japanese for adults.
The first trip will be to submit your application and your passport.

4.) If you have a COE, then you will get to go back within a week to pick up your passport, complete with a beautiful visa "stamp" (read, "sticker", page-size). If you don't have a COE, then it may take several weeks, if at all, for your visa to be ready for pick up.

If you don't live near a Consulate or Embassy, there is the option of obtaining your visa through the mail.

And that is all. Quick, easy, a pleasant experience all around.