Friday, 15 September 2006

Fuck You City Office!

I'm going through all my tax papers and it's causing me a hige headache. Not only are all the bills in Japanese (and kanji at that!) but they also send every second one in a different colour and format. I've got long orange forms, a pink booklet and a medium blue one all of which apparently are for the same thing.

It's taken me a while to pay the tax as honestly I didn't know what it was!

When I was living in Saitama I actually threw away all my tax bills that I got in the mail as it was all in kanji (chinese characters which I can't read and something that takes the average Japanese person 12 years of school to get to a passable reading level) and I just assumed they were junk mail.

There is almost no English support for anyone curious about paying tax here. Japanese is the only language government forms are written in despite there being a rather large group of Korean and Peruvian people living in Japan. Any English produced by a company in Japan is normally for it's cool factor. If the Japanese were seriously interested in helping foriegn residents they would have a lot more Korean, Spanish and Chinese signs everywhere. More non-Japanese speak those languages than English.

The government wouldn't bother me that much if they produced signs or labels in Korean, Spanish and Chinese.

I'm going off on a tangent.

Anyway, I'm off to pay half a years worth of tax money which will be used for God knows what. I would love some information about that. Why should I pay tax when the government practices open descrimination against non Japanese like myself. There isn't even an anti-descrimination law in Japan yet.

The city office is out of date and slightly retarded. My Alien Registration Card (why don't they just give me a bar code) was stolen so I went in to get a new one only to be told it would take 4 weeks to process. WTF!?! They have ALL of my information on record. They have the card machine just behind the desk. Why does it take FOUR WEEKS?!?! Anyone who's got a proof of age card or a drivers liscence in Australia knows that making something like this only takes five minutes.

What's more I just looked at the reciept to see when I had to pick it up and it gives me a 5 day window with two of the days falling on a weekend when the office is closed and the other three on a workday within business hours when I'm at work!!!

Of course they say I can get a family member to come in and get it for me but I'M GETTING AN ALIEN REGISTRATION CARD!!! Odds are I don't have family IN THE COUNTRY!!!

What the Hell are the Japanese people doing at this office?

Speaking of retarded I went to get a new ATM card yesterday and couldn't get one as I didn't have a hanko which is a stamp with my name on it. Apparently a stamp which anyone can make anywhere is as secure as someone's passport or photo id! What the fuck, huh?

I had my bank passbook and they have my signature on record but then it took them 15 minutes to discuss if my signature is a secure form of id for me to make a withdrawl.

Completely retarded.

Monday, 11 September 2006

Stick 'em Up!

After having a conversation with some guys last week about how some ATMs in Japan used to warn customers of foreigners while theyr remove their cash, I decided to listen to the Japanese computer voice on the machine next to mine while a woman withdrew her money and guess what? I'm pretty sure the machine asked her to "Please take your money and be careful of nearby foreigners."

My Japanese isn't perfect but I'm pretty sure that's what it said. Will make a recording and get it checked by some Japanese speaking friends to make sure. Will definitly file a complaint if I'm right!

Sunday, 10 September 2006

A Small World... or a Big Web

Zipped into Roppongi to see X-MEN 3 which had just opened here this week, months after Australia, and was suprised on my way out when a nice guy by the name of Kallun approached me and asked if I had a blog. He actually recognised me from a photo I had posted a while back. I had even visited his blog a few months ago.

Small world, huh?

Great to meet you for real Kallun. We should get a drink sometime.

Friday, 1 September 2006

Thought of the moment.

I feel REALLY wiped this week. I have no idea why. I'm just feeling so tired. In celebration of my exhaustion I'm posting a "Thought of the moment"!!! Are you ready?

"Grown men drinking juice boxes/poppers/box drinks look rediculous."

And it's true. There I said it.

Peace out.