Collecting My Cash Card

I received a message from the postman a couple of days ago saying that he'd tried to deliver my cash card but because I was at Gaba training I'd missed it.

I couldn't decipher the message so this morning I asked one of my multi-lingual housemates (whose language ability is amazing, have a look at his blog) to help me. He rang them up for me and found out where the letter was and how I could collect it.

So I set out for Nihonbashi (pronounced Nihombashi) , for the big post office there. It was only one stop on the Toei Asakusa Line but it cost Y170 (the cheapest fare for that line, I think the very cheapest one is Y130), which is about 80p. So much cheaper than Birmingham! The journey lasted about 2 minutes and then it was very easy to find the post office. I didn't need the map I'd drawn, but better safe than extremely sorry.

I queued at the main counter (only two windows were in use, the place was really quiet, probably because it's Saturday) and the man there directed me to a separate room to the left. The window looked closed but I could see someone in the office behind it so I waited.

He came and I gave him the message I was left. He went to find my letter and asked for ID. I showed him my new Gaikokujin Tourokusho Card (Alien Card) and he asked if he could write my passport number down.

Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank had told me that I would need to use my inkan (name stamp) to sign for the letter but my signature was fine.

That was very painless! Not the usual disaster my little trips are!

I had the afternoon free so I decided to attempt walking home from there. I knew that was very risky as I didn't have a map on me, but I followed the river and my sense of direction. And to my shock, it took less than half an hour to get back!

I went looking for postcards on the way, I thought Tokyo City Air Terminal should have them, but there were none to be found. I think I might have to go to a Tourist Information Centre as they're not very popular here.

During my search, I found a magazine called 'Bing!', which only a sad few will understand, and an extremely new Rough Guide to Tokyo, published February 2008, which is very impressive as it's only the 2nd February today.

Tonight, a group of us from the guesthouse and friends are going to a party I was invited to by an English teaching website (Findateacher.net) in Shibuya, which should be fun!

Hanko Registration

Unless you know exactly where a place is, never, ever go anywhere without a map, and even then, take one anyway.

I went to collect the Hanko name stamp I bought on Friday this morning. It was just outside the train station, but I still got lost. It took me 15 minutes to find the place, but when I did it was very easy. He remembered me and produced my stamp, showing me the mark it made.

If you need to find out how to write your name in Japanese (it will probably be in katakana) then this site is quite good. Mine is just my surname in katakana, but you could have it in kanji similar to the sounds in your name too, but it's probably best to stick to simple to avoid any possible confusion.

Then I headed to Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank to change my official signature from 'sign' to Hanko stamp. It has a different name when you use it for official documents, an inkan. Easier to remember because it has the word 'ink' in it.

I asked one of the employees how to do it and she gave me a couple of forms to fill in my name and address on. Then I took a ticket from the machine and waited for half an hour to be called. It was then that I realised I hadn't brought the proof of Alien Registration with me. I thought I'd have to go back and get it but it turned out it wasn't a problem. I filled in some forms and stamped about a billion things. The whole process took about 45 minutes, but it would have been quicker if I could have understood everything she said to me.

That was done! This wasn't on my initial itinerary but I decided to go to Chuo-ku Ward Office to see if I had to register my inkan as my official signature.

I did have to! I asked one of the men standing near the door and he helped me through the form, then gave me a ticket from the machine and I waited. I was called up to the counter after about 10 minutes and they gave me another form to fill in, and I had to sign and stamp in several boxes. The whole process took about 45 minutes again. At one point, I saw a card with my face on it in a folder they were using and I wondered if it was my Gaikokujin Tourokusho (Alien Registration Card).

It wasn't a problem here either that I didn't have the receipt of my Alien Registration or the certificate. I did have my passport and that seemed to do.

They gave me the certificate that said that I had registered my inkan as my official signature and a card that I could put into any Ward Office in Chuo-ku to obtain a copy of this certificate. I had to choose a 4-digit PIN number for this. It cost me Y350 (£1.75ish).

And then they surprised me by giving me my Alien Registration Card! I was meant to collect it on Valentine's Day but it was ready early! So that was definitely a trip worth making.

Another successful morning! I can now cross a lot of things off my 'To-do List'!

My Bank Account, Gaba Contract & Hanko

Big morning, not day, just morning.

I got up at 7am (the earliest I've been up the whole time) to get into my business clothes and get to Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank for their opening time at 9am.

Something I feel is very important for you to know, is that I had 'What Hurts The Most' by Cascada stuck in my head for the entire day. Which was very annoying, as it sucks!

I left my guesthouse at about 8.15 and walked to Ningyocho station on the Hibiya line. I was all psyched up for a Tokyo rush hour but I was very disappointed to find that there were about 2 people standing on the entire train and there were free seats! So I went the couple of stops to Kodenmacho and followed the map MUFJ Tsukiji branch gave me yesterday. I didn't actually need it, it was just round the corner from the exit. I waited outside the bank (it was 8.40), watching the world go by. It was another very clear, cloud-less morning so it was pleasant enough.

As soon as the metal gate came up inside at 9 sharp, I ducked under it and showed my documents and the letter from the Tsukiji branch to the first person I saw. She got me the first ticket of the day, 601, for me and asked me to sit and wait. I was there for 5 minutes, then I was called.

I didn't even have to speak that much. The letter and the documents spoke for themselves. The woman went through it, asked for some help from an older worker a couple of times, and filled in other forms. I was terrified the whole time, watching the clock behind her click past 9.30.

She asked me to wait on the chairs again, after getting me to sign about 500 pieces of paper, squeezing my signature into a Hanko stamp-sized circle. She needed me to fill in one document again because I'd written my name the Western way and it needed to Japanese-style i.e. surname followed by first and middle names.

She kept biting her lip and asking for help. I was eyeing her pleadingly, expecting her at any moment to say "Sorry. Is impossible".

But that moment never came! She gave me my bank book and paid Y10,000 (£50) into my account. I didn't really know what she wanted me to do. She pointed at a box on a form and said "Write money. Your money." I was thinking: All my money? What is this for?

But I had a Y10,000 note on me so I paid that in. She gave me my bank book, passport and proof of Alien Registration back. She said that my cash card would arrive in a week's time, which I already knew. I had to choose my PIN there and then. I just had to write it down on a form she gave me. Not very private really...

I left at just gone 10 with a smile. One down, two to go!

I got back on the Hibiya line (I don't really like the Hibiya line, it's old and there are no cool screens) and headed back to Ningyocho and onto Ebisu for the Gaba Recruitment Centre.

I stood for the beginning of the journey, then grabbed a seat when it opened up. Two middle-aged women got on and one sat next to me. The other stood and chatted. I felt bad so I stood and said "Douzo" (please), pointing to the seat. She smiled and sat down, thanking me. Then the other offered me a little chocolate liquer. I smiled broadly and thanked her very much, saying it was delicious. She said it was whisky. I said, "I KNOW!"

When I got off at Ebisu, they both smiled and waved as I thanked them again. How nice...

On the way to Gaba, I passed a shop with a board outside proclaiming 'Seruraito for Ladies', which sounds suspiciously like Cellulite for Ladies. Then I used a toilet that had a seat warmer, bottom cleaner (shockingly I didn't investigate that) and deoderant, all that could be controlled by a control panel built into the toilet's 'arm'.

I got to Gaba half an hour early, but that gave me a chance to read the contract thoroughly to make sure I wasn't selling them my soul or anything. We went through all the documents until about 12. Then came the embarrassing part! Students at Gaba choose their instructor through an online profile with a picture and video so we had to smile and say a bit about ourselves. How hideous...

I start my Gaba Certification (three days unpaid training) on Tuesday.

Then I walked back to the station with a woman who had to borrow my jacket for the photo. She thought I was Australian (probably the hair) and much older than I actually am (18 if you didn't know). She said I spoke very clearly and I said it was probably my British accent. She suggested that on top of that, I was used to speaking as clearly as possible for non-English speakers. She asked how long I'd been in Japan and was shocked when I said "two weeks", she thought I must have been here for much longer.

Went all the way back to Kodenmacho, this time for the Hanko shop there. I showed the man my letter from the bank and he asked me what type of Hanko I wanted. It looked like he was offering me half my name on one, or all of it on another. So I took the one with all of it! That cost me Y4,300 (about £20), and considering there were some there for Y70,000 (£350), I thought it was a pretty good deal!

The man there was very nice and helped me out with my Japanese. He asked me where I was from (he thought I was American) and explained that I could pick the Hanko up on Monday.

Then I headed back home for lunch at 14.00, a little tired but pleased.

Bank Accounts

What a day!

To quote 'Friends', could it have BEEN any more hectic?

It started off nicely enough. I woke up and lazed in bed for a bit, turned on my Softbank phone and started playing with it - then it rings! And it's Gaba, confirming that I've got the job, and need to have a bank account open before contract signing at 11am tomorrow.

So I hurriedly ring Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ (Gaba's recommended bank) to ask if the receipt of my Alien Registration card will be enough to open an account and if Gaba were right and, because I would be working with them, I could open an account despite being under 20. They said yes, that's fine.

So I hopped on the Hibiya line to Nihonbashi, prepared for another three hour search for the right bank, but I was sure I'd passed MUFJ several hundred times before, and I had! I found it on a map written entirely in kanji (go me) and it was a very short walk away.

I took a number from the ticket machine and waited for about 15 minutes. I went up to the counter when my number (75) was called and I asked if she spoke English. She didn't, so she got someone who did. She said to open an account, I had to go upstairs, so one of the workers showed me the way. I then spoke to a woman who supposedly (not supposably) spoke English and after about an hour of language negotiation, I understood that the receipt was not enough. I needed a more official document. So I left, and then returned, armed with the fact that I had rung Head Office and they had said the receipt was fine. Then I spoke to a Japanese-American woman (why couldn't I speak to her in the first place?) who said that unfortunately, the receipt was not enough, and she would ask her manager to ring Gaba and explain the situation. She wrote down the name of the document I needed in kanji for me.

So I hurried to Chuo-ku Ward Office, two subway trips away, where I applied for my Alien Registration card last week, and filled in one of the yellow forms labelled 'For Foreigners'. I think she called it a 'genpo' (pronounced 'gempo'). It was the right form! I wondered how long this document would take - days, weeks, months? It took about 10 minutes. Yay! I had to pay Y300 (£1.50).

By this time it was 14.30 and all MUFJ branches close at 15.00. So I ran back to Tsukiji station, where I'd seen an arrow on the station pointing to the nearest branch. So I went back, Pasmo'ed my way onto the platform, then found the right exit. And it wouldn't let me leave! I explained in extremely broken Japanese to the guard that I hadn't been on a train, I'd just come onto the platform. He used my Pasmo card to buy another ticket (grgh) and I left. The MUFJ bank was just around the corner and I arrived with 10 minutes til closing time.

I was sure they would send me away, saying it was too late to open a bank account, come back tomorrow, but they sat me down with some forms and helped me through them. I had to write my name, address, phone number and date of birth several times on different pieces of paper, but, at about 15.10, they told me to get a ticket from the machine, and wait for it to be called. Ten minutes later, 723 was called and I went up to the counter.

The woman didn't speak English and was desperately trying to tell me something. About 15 minutes later, she told me I'd have to come back another day with a Japanese-speaking friend. No!! I asked if there was anyone who spoke English at the bank. She went to have a look. And there was! A very nice woman who introduced herself as Nakamura, and spoke very good English, then took over.

Then came the real problems! First of all, they spent over 30 minutes pondering over my address, because what I had written on the forms was different to what the Ward Office had written. They checked Sakura House's website, used an interactive map to find my exact building, used online address finders etc etc. I suggested they rang Sakura House to confirm the address, but they said it would be an invasion of privacy. I didn't mind! Finally, it took me reciting my address, in Japanese, back to them. It turns out that I hadn't written the building name (because it was extremely long and didn't fit into the space on the form) on their document so they were confused.

Then there was a problem with me using my signature to open an account at this branch. The Nihonbashi branch said "Sign ok" but the Tsukiji branch needed a Hanko (name stamp) to open one. I said I didn't have one. She then printed me out a map and wrote me a note to the owner of the nearest Hanko shop to my home.

Then they said that I had to open an account at the branch nearest to my home - Oudenma-cho branch (right by my nearest Hanko shop, conveniently) and couldn't open one here for me. I asked if Oudenma-cho would allow me to open an account with my signature, not a stamp. They rang them up, and found out that it would be okay to open one with my signature, but I would need a Hanko later to transfer my official signature to the stamp.

Nakamura said that I could get my bank book immediately when I opened the account, but my bank card would be sent in the post using Special Delivery. If I missed the postman (very likely as he might not know where to go for my room) he'd leave a message, and I would have to take my passport, my Hanko and the message to a post office (not sure which one) and collect it from there. That would be 7-10 days after I opened my account.

Then they realised that I needed proof that I was working at Gaba (something Gaba had told me wasn't needed) so I produced my preliminary contract I'd been given. They said it was okay but tomorrow the Oudenma-cho branch would need to ring Gaba to confirm.

Then Gaba phoned me. It was one of those Phoebe moments (sorry, another 'Friends' quote, but I miss it) - "Ugh, who's phone is that? It's so annoying. Everywhere you go!"
And yes, it was mine. I explained the situation to them and they said that if I couldn't open an account by 11am tomorrow, we'd have to re-schedule the contract signing in February. No!! I can't put this off, I need money!

I explained to Nakamura the urgency of me opening this account before 11am tomorrow and she wrote a note to someone at Oudenma-cho explaining the situation. Then she stuck a note on the Gaba contract saying it was okay to ring Gaba to confirm that I was going to work there.

By this time, it was nearly 16.45 and I knew that they must be really frustrated with me. I kept apologising and they shook their heads and said it was fine. I was the last customer left in the bank, all of the workers were still there, but I felt bad using up their time.

They printed me out a map of the Oudenma-cho branch's location and labelled the nearest subway exit and the route for me. Then they wished me good luck and they hoped for the best for tomorrow.

I took the Hibiya line home, bought two ready meals (I hadn't eaten anything all day) and flopped down at 18.00 to get some nourishment.

So, tomorrow, I'm going to get up at 7am, get into my business clothes, go straight to the Oudenma-cho branch for its opening at 9am, hopefully there won't be any problems (ha!), I'll get my bank book, then go to the Gaba Recruitment Centre at Ebisu and sign my contract. After that, I can go back to the same area as Oudenma-cho and order my Hanko name stamp (it takes a day to make it). That's the plan! But I'd put money on something going wrong and there being SOME problem.

Many thanks to the people at Tsukiji's Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. They were the nicest customer service people I've ever met. They were very friendly, understanding, interested in my travels, eager to help, and went well beyond the call of duty (and their finishing time).

Big day tomorrow! Fingers crossed it all goes to plan...