Gaijin Free Pass Card

So, I got my multiple re-entry permit yesterday (woohoo!). And it was rather interesting at times.

So, I was told that I could get it done I Tenjin, the main city near me. So I went on my substitute day off (substitute because I had to work on Saturday, what should have been a day off, so I get a weekday off to compensate for it). The funny thing about the office where I can get my re-entry permit is that it is only open with working hours. The same hours I spend at my work. However, I do leave an hour before my co-workers. But by the time I get home or to the station, I would be cutting it very close to get there before it closes. And being that I’ve never been there before, I would need to time to compensate for getting lost, asking for directions or attempting to decipher complex kanji.

So, I arrive in Tenjin, and being that I need money to pay for a ~$60 stamp, I went to my bank’s ATM first. Since this was near the post office, I sent my mom’s birthday card as well. At the post office, I remembered that I didn’t really know where the ACROS building was. (ACROS building the building I was told would have the office I need to apply for my permit). So I asked for directions, was mainly able to follow and luckily the attendant had a map to show me where it was in relation to the post office.

After getting a little lost in finding the building I looked at a floor plan of all the offices in the building. I couldn’t remember the name of the office I was supposed to go to and stupidly forgot to bring the piece of paper I had written it all on. So trying to my best to remember and attempting to tap into that internal instinct, I headed for the 3rd floor to the office of “something something visa”. In my mind, I thought would like getting visa to travel, especially since it is on the same floor as a travel agency. But as soon as I got the door to the office, I realized it was for the VISA credit card.
Oops.
But right next door was a travel agency so I thought, who would know better on where to get a re-entry permit than a travel agency! So I walk and ask where I can get one. The nice attendant, who knew some English, happily printed out the address of the office at the airport for me.

And so I took the subway to the airport (love how public transportation here can really take you anywhere you need to go. Or so at least it’s all connected to the places most people need to go). And I find the office and the forms! And to my happy surprise, it had English subtitles.
やった！
…just noticed I’m getting a little side tracked from the main point of this writing (or so, the title). So after filling it out, getting a number and giving it to the attendant, he gives me another form, circles what I’m supposed to fill out and tells me that I need to buy the ~$60 stamp. Then he mentions something about a store. Upon looking at my slightly confused face, he pulls out a map and tell me to go to the little store outside the office but still within the airport. So off I go to buy the stamp.

And sure enough there’s a sign saying something about stamps…but because I couldn’t read the rest of the kanji I wasn’t too sure what it was saying. So I walk up to the cashier and say that I want to buy a stamp, a 6000 yen stamp. And for the life of me I could not understand what the buy was trying to tell me. Something about that he couldn’t and that I had to go somewhere else and possibly come back again. But I really couldn’t tell what he was saying…even after 3 tries…but then he just says “6000 yen stamp” and I said “yes”. And after he asked me twice if I wasn’t mistaken, sold me the stamp.

I have also heard about how some clerks may not give you a hard time about certain purchases such as train passes if they feel you don’t know any Japanese and they feel their English is not that great. It may make things easier for us but is it such a good idea to deceive them (well, at least for the ones that do know some Japanese but instead pretend they don’t to get out of things or get things in an easier manner).

So…I may have broken a couple rules or not followed procedure the way I’m supposed to but because I am a foreigner, they let it pass. So in a sense, they make it way easier for us. But, I don’t want to use and abuse of it. I want to try to follow everything their way so that they don’t get offended and create this idea that Americans are ignorant to learn about other countries customs. That is something that was mentioned in my Handbook about how we have to be careful about how we act here because it may affect how they feel about whatever country you come from. For me, it is twice the amount since I’m not only representing the United States but also Mexico.

So, do some Japanese grant us the “Gaijin Free Pass” because they feel sorry for us or because they’d rather not go through the trouble? Are some Japanese really nice and friendly, especially with directions, because they feel sorry for us or because Japanese indeed are friendly than say Los Angelians are about giving directions?