Q&A September 2021 no.1
Added 2021-09-25 11:29:45 +0000 UTCHere we go! The next one will be about 8 hours later to hit different time zones. Leave any question below or join us live! -John
Comments
Aloha Dimi! Which island are you inquiring about and is there any particular kind of items and food you're looking for?
Brandy M. (Brandania)
2021-09-26 10:06:03 +0000 UTCHello John... question: how many times can we leave Japan and travel to another close country and then come back in to deal with our 90 day visa as we are from the US?
MMH
2021-09-26 01:41:54 +0000 UTCHey John. Do you have any plans to buy Rio a Halloween costume 🎃? I think Rio will look nice in a pumpkin costume. How has Rio impressed you the most?
Tony
2021-09-26 01:10:23 +0000 UTCWill you be letting those of us know who may want to see the fireworks in person the exact location at some point? If we promise not to tell anyone else? I might try to go there if Japan lowers the days of quarantine for vaccinated people. I was waiting for no quarantine days for vaccinated citizens, but I don't think that's gonna happen any time soon...
Saya M
2021-09-25 20:22:40 +0000 UTCIt looks like the potential fireworks site is along a river. Would it be possible to get some drone footage capturing the reflection in the water?
James Boardman
2021-09-25 18:13:09 +0000 UTCWhat lessons did you learn from the last fireworks festival that you will change this time?
Megan Meyer
2021-09-25 14:23:07 +0000 UTCOkay, I’ll try to research this a little more. Re-entry is only available to those with student or work visas and as of 2012, no special re-entry permit was necessary for residents if you plan to return within 12 months. You tell them when you leave if you intended to return. If you say no, you surrender your resident card. I’ll go over the usual entry for new residents tomorrow. For tourists, if you leave, you are granted another visa upon return. I believe US citizens get 3 month visas (90 days). The visa is rarely extended inside Japan. You’d need a very good reason. You have to leave and return in almost all cases. To do this, most people go to (1) Korea (2) Hong Kong (3) Taiwan (4) Guam for a weekend or few days and return. They may ask you for your return ticket to the US if you leave and enter quickly. Any reservation print out should be enough. It shows intent to leave but having a ticket paid for is best. It’s best to call the embassy for up to date info on this as I have not had to go to immigrations for a while. https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
ONLY in JAPAN
2021-09-25 13:58:56 +0000 UTCHi Jon! Congrats on the milestone. Very happy to be part of it - was too late last year. Question - major difference between this years show and last years? (Or too soon). 2nd question best ski hill suggestions in either Hokkaido or Nagano area?
Ian Grimsgaard (aka ‘Grimsy’)
2021-09-25 13:28:01 +0000 UTCHi, any tips on good Japanese restaurants /shops in Hawaii? I guess there are a lot.
Dimi
2021-09-25 12:20:01 +0000 UTCHi John, Hoping that the Tokyo state of emergency ends soon. Any chance of Apple picking or snow monkey 🐒 sighting in Nagano after the First Firework Festival ends. Have a good weekend and Stay safe
Michael Lim
2021-09-25 11:57:43 +0000 UTCKobe and I would like to stay in Japan for 180 days. This is just in case we have to return to Ecuador after this trip. We will be using our US passports. To make this happen, Do we need an Embarkation/Disembarkation ("ED") card when departing with a checkmark on the "Departure with Special Re-entry Permission" box? One-time re-entry. How do we obtain this, and how far in advance do we have to make the appointment? US passports only allow us 90 days at a time. From March 1, 2022, we will be in Japan to May 29, 2022 (precisely 90 days).
Laura Kimmick
2021-09-25 11:41:20 +0000 UTCCongrats on achieving the Kickstarter goal for the firework festival in Nagano.
Grace SY Ho
2021-09-25 11:33:31 +0000 UTC
