the pictures you've shown seemed fine. that was until you had warned about your passport photo. i thought that you were exaggerating, but when i saw it i couldn't agree with you more~ haha!!
Did you get your Japanese Driver's License? One more chance for a new picture... plus then you NEVER have to show your ARC or Passport except to police, immigration, and possibly some employers who may need to confirm your visa status.
You can transfer your Alberta license by getting a translation from JAF and going through the transfer process with no actual tests except for an eye test.
I just found this out the other day! I thought that I would have to take a driving test, but I was wrong. I intend to get this done for the purposes you mentioned.
One bullshit thing though is that some places like soft bank made me show them my ARC AND my passport and said it was company policy. Legally they can't, but what can I do about it?
Legally they can't demand you show them it BUT legally they can just refuse service (Except for hotel which you do NOT need to show anything and they CANNOT refuse service)
In most cases though, you can just use your Japanese Driver's License.
Mobile Phone sales have some strict controls legislated this decade to cut down on fraud.
But often a driver's license is sufficient to get a mobile phone.
Yeah I'm aware of the hotel laws, and I would go to the police if they refused me or tried to get me to show them anything.
As for softbank, I can sympathize with their reasons due to people flaking out on contracts and such. But you either play by their rules or you don't get a phone, regardless of the law. I'm kind of used to stuff here now, and I just stopped caring.
Transfering the license makes things easier in my opinion.
jaf . or . jp / e / switch.htm
Check out the JAF website for details.
The only real issue is that you need to make sure you passport and license show that you were in Canada for at least 90 days while both the passport and license were valid.
Otherwise you will require a driver's history document from Alberta.
Hotel staff are often just misinformed. Just tell them you are not a tourist and it is usually fine ^^.
I'm not sure about AB licenses but BC licenses don't say when you were first licensed, only when that particular card was issued. That or people renew their passports less than 90 days before leaving Canada -- These are common problems people have with the license transfer but it sounds like it's all good in your case.
I've never had hotel staff that wouldn't discuss and resolve things =)
I stayed in 7 hotels during the last golden week and only 3 even asked but those 3 were still negotiable
Yeah AB licenses don't either, but it has the renewal date which was years before I moved to Japan, so it's all good. My passport was also renewed years ago. I just need to spend a day with the bureaucrats...
Yeah, I'm used to Japanese people not knowing what to do with me at times. So I just explain stuff to them, and they are usually pretty understanding. Sometimes they just need to dust off the big binder and read what they should do.
Yeah this country is an odd place some times. Baseball players wear safety glasses to spray champagne when they win a tournament, yet you have to force people to wear their seat belts.
the pictures you've shown seemed fine. that was until you had warned about your passport photo. i thought that you were exaggerating, but when i saw it i couldn't agree with you more~ haha!!
thanks for sharing!
JJuliet 1 year ago
Did you get your Japanese Driver's License? One more chance for a new picture... plus then you NEVER have to show your ARC or Passport except to police, immigration, and possibly some employers who may need to confirm your visa status.
You can transfer your Alberta license by getting a translation from JAF and going through the transfer process with no actual tests except for an eye test.
nobuyuki 2 years ago
I just found this out the other day! I thought that I would have to take a driving test, but I was wrong. I intend to get this done for the purposes you mentioned.
One bullshit thing though is that some places like soft bank made me show them my ARC AND my passport and said it was company policy. Legally they can't, but what can I do about it?
Thanks for the info anyway though!
RisuMiso 2 years ago
Legally they can't demand you show them it BUT legally they can just refuse service (Except for hotel which you do NOT need to show anything and they CANNOT refuse service)
In most cases though, you can just use your Japanese Driver's License.
Mobile Phone sales have some strict controls legislated this decade to cut down on fraud.
But often a driver's license is sufficient to get a mobile phone.
AU = D.Lic is ok
Softbank = D.Lic + proof of address is OK
DoCoMo = D.Lic is ok
nobuyuki 2 years ago
Yeah I'm aware of the hotel laws, and I would go to the police if they refused me or tried to get me to show them anything.
As for softbank, I can sympathize with their reasons due to people flaking out on contracts and such. But you either play by their rules or you don't get a phone, regardless of the law. I'm kind of used to stuff here now, and I just stopped caring.
RisuMiso 2 years ago
[ Part 2 ]
Transfering the license makes things easier in my opinion.
jaf . or . jp / e / switch.htm
Check out the JAF website for details.
The only real issue is that you need to make sure you passport and license show that you were in Canada for at least 90 days while both the passport and license were valid.
Otherwise you will require a driver's history document from Alberta.
Hotel staff are often just misinformed. Just tell them you are not a tourist and it is usually fine ^^.
nobuyuki 2 years ago
Yeah I've had my license for 12 years so that won't be a problem, and my passport will show I was there.
I've never had a problem at Hotels, my wife just does the talking.
RisuMiso 2 years ago
I'm not sure about AB licenses but BC licenses don't say when you were first licensed, only when that particular card was issued. That or people renew their passports less than 90 days before leaving Canada -- These are common problems people have with the license transfer but it sounds like it's all good in your case.
I've never had hotel staff that wouldn't discuss and resolve things =)
I stayed in 7 hotels during the last golden week and only 3 even asked but those 3 were still negotiable
nobuyuki 2 years ago
Yeah AB licenses don't either, but it has the renewal date which was years before I moved to Japan, so it's all good. My passport was also renewed years ago. I just need to spend a day with the bureaucrats...
Yeah, I'm used to Japanese people not knowing what to do with me at times. So I just explain stuff to them, and they are usually pretty understanding. Sometimes they just need to dust off the big binder and read what they should do.
RisuMiso 2 years ago
hehe... ah yes the binder...
or a really big book with work related phrase look-ups.
They ward office needed that when they were explaining something about the tsushoumei that was difficult for me to understand in japanese.
at any rate, good luck...
it really is an exercise in waiting around more than anything else...
Although renewing the license is more sitting through lecture trying to impress the 1980s point of wearing seatbelts... than actual waiting around.
nobuyuki 2 years ago
Yeah this country is an odd place some times. Baseball players wear safety glasses to spray champagne when they win a tournament, yet you have to force people to wear their seat belts.
Ah well.
RisuMiso 2 years ago
I meant swimming goggles not safety glasses.
RisuMiso 2 years ago
Passport photo = classic. I honestly couldn't stop laughing my ass off. But hey! We all have bad photo's!
Japanesemusicforall 2 years ago
indeed
RisuMiso 2 years ago
bah. I am far from cool :/
LAZY SCUMBAG I think you mean.
bluesheeft 2 years ago
I love the story behind the passport photo! -Kurt :-)
softypapa 2 years ago
I thought I needed some sort of excuse for looking like that!
RisuMiso 2 years ago
that's a hilarious passport photo! I thought it was going to just be bad but it was more than that. My passport photo is my worse one too.
blankppr 2 years ago
MURDERRRR!!!!!!
kendash 2 years ago
wow, that last one was great!
reynoldsair 2 years ago
I think I can top your passport photo! I look like a beast in it.
APOKALYPSE34 2 years ago
Do it!
RisuMiso 2 years ago
i second that ... do it !
Lucky21842 2 years ago
best. passport. photo. ever.
CakesBomb 2 years ago
Thanks! Maybe next time I'll fall down the stairs to top this one.
RisuMiso 2 years ago
At least you don't look tweck-eyed in your pass port photo!
They didn't even tell me when they took the picture -.-
reaper4255 2 years ago
no.1 i bet all those hanson guys are still pulling mad girls , no 2. your popped collar on the id photo makes it
Lucky21842 2 years ago
Haha, I did... it's old!
RisuMiso 2 years ago