Nobody could make this up

[pergamond]

"Welcome to Japan."

It was a promising start to an email that was from a relocation company in Tokyo, the people who had just taken over the details of the shipment of my possessions from Canada.

The movers had come at the end of August and squirrelled away my worldly goods, whereupon they were taken first to Toronto and then to Vancouver, before being loaded onto a boat to Hong Kong.

I have no idea why we had to go via China. Maybe it was ex-Commonwealth love for Hong Kong or because all goods come from China, so they feel obliged to drop back in once in a while.

Last Tuesday, I was informed the shipment with my beloved artifacts had left Chinese shores and would arrive in Yokohama in a week. Yokohama is south of Tokyo, so still a good 700 miles from Sapporo but considerably nearer than Vancouver. At this point, everything would need to clear Japanese customs.

The relocation company requested I mail them the following documents in preparation:

(1) A clear copy of my passport showing the photo page

(2) The customs form I had filled in when I entered Japan, stating there would be unaccompanied articles to follow.

(3) A copy of my most recent immigration entry stamp.

(4) And finally, a copy of my work visa page which must be valid for at least one year.

The one I was clearly not expected to have was number (2), the request for which was followed by a slightly panicked note saying "Hoping you have chance to complete this form during your arrival in Japan??". There was no need to worry, I had remembered to fill in the appropriate form in duplicate, keeping one copy back for this purpose.

No. The problem was so much worse than that.

I had a visa, but it had been issued for a single year since the start of my position last July. This meant it was only valid for another 8 months.

Hmm --I hear you say-- perhaps you could renew your visa now and ask for the process to be expedited?

Such a course of action might well be worth investigating, if my passport had any free double pages.

It does not.

I have two single pages devoid of stamps, but a visa requires a clear double page. My plan was to renew my passport when I returned to the UK at Christmas, thereby acquiring a whole book full of deliciously blank sheets for inky fingered border control guards to smudge up like kids on a crayola high.

Could extra space be quickly added to my passport? The UK passport office has the following to say on the subject of additional pages:

27. Can the Passport Office add pages to my current passport if it is full?
No.

Well then, perhaps I could renew my passport in Japan instead? It transpires, however, that the British Embassy in Tokyo no longer issues British passports. Rather, you must send your application to Hong Kong (anyone seeing a sinister pattern emerging here?) who then send everything away to the UK. The processing time --the webpage ironically entitled 'Help for British Nationals' informed me-- would take at least four weeks.

I leave Japan in 5.

And I'm not back until February 25th.

With my cat.

If I was just heading off on a single jaunt for those two months, I could probably postpone my trip, clear everything through customs and then leave the country knowing all is well in hand. As it happens, the exit next month marks the start of a round-the-world trip that sees me spending a week in India, home for Christmas in the UK and then onto Canada to work at my old institution for 7 weeks. Awesomely great. Awesomely awful to cancel.

Fortunately, the relocation company I was now dealing with seemed to have a practical mindset. Their suggestion was we send in the documents as if there is no problem and see what happens.

And if they send everything back to Canada…. well, I'll see it there.

Comments

[surexit]

Ugh ugh ugh that sounds so frsutrating. :(

[pergamond]

It has the potential to be highly vexing! Though in some ways, it's such a comedy of errors that it's amusing.

... I might not feel that way if they do insist I get a new visa before handing over my sofa. And winter clothes.

[fulminata]

o.O

I hope you get your stuff before you have to leave. I wouldn't want it in limbo.

(Also, I suppose I should wait to send your winter holiday gifts...)

[pergamond]

Me too! Fingers crossed they chill about the visa situation. If they don't, I imagine it can go into storage for 4-5 months which is damn annoying but... well, I'd cope! The main irritation would be I'd have to pay for it when actually I want to like, store it myself. In my apartment.

That might be safest. You could even send it to Canada which might be cheaper. Though I sent Rach a gift from Japan and I think it was both quicker and cheaper than Canada for reasons I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. So, you might get yours from here.

[fulminata]

Well, I assumed you wanted to store it in your shiny apartment. As compared to the recycle bins next to your building.

Where would I send it in Canada? Your old address? (Which I removed from my phone for that exceptionally long one at the university.) I think I'll just wait. Then you'll get like a White day gift to go along with it.

[pergamond]

Actually that would work, since I have mail forwarding sending stuff to the university. But I'll have a new apartment address when I get there. Still, White Day totally works :)

[fulminata]

I think I'll take my chances and send a package in late February to the university. Unless you figure out your actual apartment address before then. ^_~

[februaryfour]

*cannot help but giggle* It's funnier when it happens to other people. Sorry about that bit of schadenfreude. ^_^;

[pergamond]

It is kind of funny. I mean, I may feel differently as winter draws in if my snow boots are still in a box in Yokohama, but currently it's just such a series of unlikely events it's pretty amusing.

I said to one of my friends; Oh, surely they must have seen the visa problem before.

She pointed out that yes, probably, but maybe not with the visa owner having a full passport and about to leave the country XD

[februaryfour]

*snerks* Yes, that's what makes it really funny. Sorry, dear, I'll stop. ^_^;;;;;;

[pergamond]

How is your flooded house?

[februaryfour]

ROFL! Full of fans that are driving Doug nuts, sadly. ^_^;;;; He's VERY grumpy. Other than that, as long as insurance takes care of it and we don't have to pay for anything, I'm cool with it.

[pergamond]

The water is largely in the basement? So you guys aren't confined to a soaking wet sofa?

[februaryfour]

It's actually the kitchen/living room floor, which is also the basement ceiling. We were very lucky--the water did NOT drip on the TV or futon! Only the floor and a box full of packaging. But in terms of the actual house, the hardwood floors are toast.

[pergamond]

I guess that is still better than having carpet down. Walking on soggy cloth would give you all colds in about 10 minutes :/

Did you have to buy the fans yourself?

[februaryfour]

True, but I think carpet would have dried a lot faster. *is tired of the noise!*

Nope--the water damage company owns them.

[pergamond]

Depends on the leak -- in the case of my apartment, it came from below the carpet, so it was still a slow process. I think they just ripped it up in the end :/

That's good! I can't imagine buying all those fans!

[februaryfour]

Eep--but they replaced it with brand new carpet, right?