One Month To Go...

June 30, 2019

KYLE

June has just FLOWN by for us. And so much has happened. A lot of official things. In fact all the major requirements for moving to Japan have been taken care of. If nothing else gets accomplished (which there is a lot more to do) we will still be able to board a plane, be accepted into the country, and have somewhere to sleep once we're there.

Certificate of eligibility (COE)

For those of you who don't know what the COE is... you're not alone. We had no clue before we had to apply for one. This document acts like a pre-screening for us foreigners who wish to live in Japan as more than just a "Temporary Visitor." The Minister of Justice examines our intent for being there and whether or not we meet the landing condition requirements. Thus, it expedites the process for getting a visa and for going through immigration customs.

Waiting on the COE was what slowed us up the most because we were told not to buy tickets or get visas until we have received it in the mail. Needless to say, when we saw the packaging with Japanese written all over it in the mailbox, we were STOKED.

It was game-time. It was time to purchase tickets and get our visas.

Our Certificates of Eligibility (COE) are official documents from the Japanese government that vouch for our welcome into the country. Don't let the depressing photos fool you; we are still excited to be going to Japan! LOL

plane tickets

WE HAVE BOUGHT OUR PLANE TICKETS! Which means we FINALLY have an exact departure date.

WE LEAVE FOR JAPAN ON JULY 31, 2019!

Clicking the "PURCHASE" button for the airfare was one of those moments where the reality of moving to Japan hit us like a tsunami. The thrill of it all bubbled within us. We looked at each other and said things like, "We're really doing this!.. Are we really doing this?!... We are REALLY doing this!! AHHHH!!!"

These are one-way tickets, people! That's crazy! I don't think we have ever purchased a one-way ticket before. It really emphasizes the permanence of our move. Of course, we will have to return after a year, but it still added some gravity to the whole buying-tickets situation.

visas

With plane tickets purchased and COEs in hand, we set out to the Japanese Consulate in LA on Monday morning to get our visas. We fully expected to just drop them off and return in a week or so to pick them up, but the lady at the desk told us they would be ready the same day! Which was great! However, since we were not anticipating spending a day in LA, we brought nothing to do. No books. No idea where to go. Nothing.

So we did a lot of random spontaneous activities. Among such activities were going to a bookstore, resting in a park, and walking around Little Tokyo. We talked about all the items left on our to-do list before we go as well as imagined what our lives in Japan will look like.

5 hours later, we returned to the consulate. 5 minutes after that, we left with visas in our passports.

Little Tokyo was just a couple miles away from the Japanese Consulate.

Walking around Little Tokyo made us start daydreaming about what our life is going to look like when we live in Japan.

After a few hours of wandering around LA, we got our visas!In the eyes of the Japanese government, we are all set to move to Japan!

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