From: jfriedl@omron.co.jp (Jeffrey Friedl)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Japanese immigration
Date: 9 Sep 92 05:40:02 GMT
Reply-To: jfriedl@omron.co.jp (Jeffrey Friedl)
Organization: Omron Corporation

mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU (Mark Crispin) writes:
|> The last time I visited Japan was at a time when several flights had arrived
|> within a short period of each other.  On top of this, the clueless were in
|> particular abundance.  Yes, you DO get into line in this area that says
|> `foreigners' with the rest of us.

Quick question about foreigners in the ``Japanese Passports'' line.
I've long been "under the assumption" (i.e. don't remember why I first thought
this) that the ``Japanese Passports'' line was also OK for those with
alian registration cards (i.e. returning residents).

When I come in (every other month or so) I get into what looks to be the
fastest line, regardless of the Japanese or Foreign title.  Sometimes while
in the Japanese line, some kind person will gently point out that the
sign says for Japanese only, and I thank them but say it's OK.
The immigration official generally doesn't bat an eye... just sometimes asks
if I live in Japan (as he looks over my alian reg. card... sort of seems a
stupid question).

My question to those that know: is it truely OK for those with alian
reg. cards to go into the Japanese Passports line, or are the immigration
officials just being nice in not sending me to the foreigner line.

I'd love to continue using the Japanese line, but not if it's not OK....
i.e. don't want to do it just 'cause I can get away with it.

|> sinking hearts.  She was obviously from the East Coast from her accent.
|> Another loud-mouth New Yawker making things worse for everyone else.  As she
|> stormed away, I caught a glimpse at her passport and passed the good news
|> around:
|> 
|> 	She isn't one of us, she's Canadian!!!!!!!!!!!!
|> 
|> There was a noticable sigh of relief.

One important note.... her being a loudmouth was almost certainly not a
function of her being a female, her being Canadian, or her being X cm tall,
etc.  It was a function of her being an idiot.

Although I too would have been, relieved that she wasn't American
(I'm American), I don't think it's really fair to feel that way.
Except, there are those (of which we must include ourselves) that see such
an idiot and remember various non-relevent attributes such as nationality,
gender, etc.  It's sort of a catch-22.

(and what exactly the hell does "catch-22" mean, anyway? :-)

Yup, there are idiots all over the world.

I was on the losing end of a hit-and-run a few months ago in Kyoto... the
other guy was drunk (so the witnesses said -- he stopped for a minute before
taking off).  Later, the  witnesses told me that he was drunk, and probably
Korean.  I told them that he wasn't Korean, wasn't Japanese, wasn't a man...
he was simply an idiot.  I hope they understood my point.

|> When my turn finally came, I asked the officer, in Japanese, `do you
|> get a lot of people like that female?'  He chuckled and answered,
|> in English, `Every day we get many'; then he stamped my passport and
|> waved me through.

Ah, now I see a good way to avoid problems when entering.... stage someone
just ahead of you to be an idiot, and then when it's time for you,
the guy will see you're really nice and not bother checking things too
closly, and will be nice anyway! (-:

	*jeff*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Eric Francis Friedl                          jfriedl@omron.co.jp
Omron Electronics, Central R&D Lab, RZE     Nagaokakyo, Kyoto 617, Japan
Fax: 011-81-75-955-2442                        Phone: 011-81-75-951-5111