How to Apply for a Japanese Visa: A Filipino Backpacker's Version

                   When I started working one of the first few things I was saving up for was not a gadget but a trip abroad.I wanted to see the world. At first I didn’t want to go to other Southeast Asian countries because I thought they were just like the Philippines.Of course, I was wrong. I didn’t want to go to Hong kong either because I thought it was just a modern concrete jungle. At the time I actually had my eye on Beijing. The problem I had was the availability of cheap flights to Beijing . Cebupacific,the only airline I could afford for trips abroad didn’t have direct flights to Beijing yet.They had one to Shanghai which is so far from Beijing and I had heard that it’s hard to purchase train tickets from Shanghai to Beijing. With all the daunting facts I kept my options open so I kept researching. One day while browsing the Cebupacific ‘s website I came across an ad about cheap flights to Japan. Suddenly, I got curious, so I called up a travel agency and asked for the requirements for tourist visa application for Japan. One of the important requirements is a bank certificate so I asked the lady on the other line how much money should I have in my account to be granted a tourist visa. Without thinking twice she said “500,000”,stunned, I hang up. Weeks later I ended up booking a flight to Hongkong.Until now I still don't understand why she said that.Cruel!

Osaka Castle

              Fast- forward to 2012, when my plan to go to Myanmar didn’t push thru I was considering Japan again. I felt like I had to do it before my passport expires because I thought the consul needs to see those stamps in my passport as a proof  that I've traveled before and that I just wanna go sightseeing and not job hunting .I was concerned that applying later with a new passport ,with no stamps yet would ruin my chances of getting a visa. I was not sure about this one though, maybe you could  present an old passport along with the new one just to show that you’ve been to other countries already. Please correct me if I’m wrong. By the time Cebupacific had a sale in July of 2012 I was still having second thoughts because I knew Japan's very expensive so I kept on thinking of one thing that would make the whole trip worth it. Japan doesn’t have a Great Wall,they have Mt. Fuji but still it’s not the Great Wall. Spring just ended so Cherry blossom was out of the question and I actually have seen Cherry Blossom in China anyway.Fall would be a great time to go, I thought, since the autumn colors would be so nice but it’s six months away.I just wanted to get away ASAP.Even up to the point that I already took out my credit card from my wallet I still wasn’t sure.I decided to check the available credits in my card first because I thought it wasn't enough to book a two-way ticket. I lost track of it for a while .To my surprise it was actually more than enough to buy a round trip ticket to 
Japan and there would still be a thousand or so left. It was a SIGN!

              Now the next step was the visa application. Let’s not talk about how much I have now in my account but let’s just say I was confident that I had enough that I booked a round trip ticket worth P11,200 without a visa yet. I researched and some say you have to have P 150,000 in your account to be granted a tourist visa,others say P100,000 would be enough and one blog says regardless of how much money you have as long as you’re able to convince the consul that you’re able to fund the duration of your trip then you’ll be OK.As early as September 2012 I gathered all the following requirements based on the list provided by Friendship Tours travel agency.Tourist Visa application for Japan are now being done thru accredited travel agencies. I recommend Friendship Tours located in Dusit Hotel along EDSA (to get there you could take the MRT and alight at the Ayala station and go inside SM. Dusit Hotel is right next to SM) because the staff are polite and I’d also read great reviews about them  from other applicants. Some people say they don’t want to apply again at the other agency which has offices at two of the biggest malls in the country and in Asia. Blind Item?lol.)

I submitted the following requirements in October:

1.PASSPORT

Validity of more than 6 months / Signed Passport

Broken lamination of the Picture Portion will not be accepted / Must have at least 2 blank pages left in the passport

2.VISA APPLICATION FORM

I suggest that you fill this out before going to the travel agency because the line could get so long and some of those in line could have with them applications of an entire company. The form can be downloaded from the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines website. Tourist Visa application for Japan are now being done thru accredited travel agencies.

3.PHOTO (1 Copy of 4.5cm x 4.5cm with white background.) This one is easy as the studios know it like the back of their hand.Just tell them that it's for Tourist Visa for Japan.

4.BIRTH CERTIFICATE (NSO issued with receipt and valid within (1)year.)

Applicants holding (old or valid) passports with used Japan Visa will be exempted from submitting of birth certificate.

     
   IN CASE OF NON-RECORD OF REGISTRATION OF LIVE BIRTH Submit:

1. Non-Record in the NSO. Submit certificate of Non-Record from the NSO and BIRTH CERTIFICATE from the LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR.

2. Non-Record in the NSO and LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR. Submit certificate of Non-Record from the NSO and the LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR.

   IF NSO ISSUED RECORD IS NOT CLEAR Submit:

1. BIRTH CERTIFICATE from the LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR.

   IF BIRTH CERTIFICATE IS LATE-REGISTRATION Submit :

1. Birth Certificate from the LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR.

2. Original Baptismal Certificate, School Record (Form 137 or report card) School Year Book.(Need contact # of the church,and contact # of the school)

         The other agency I was referring to above which has offices at the biggest malls in the country doesn't have some of the conditions about the birth certificate.I suggest you get an authenticated copy of your birth certificate way ahead of your scheduled application so there’d be enough time to fix things in case they didn’t meet the requirements. I think the agency just wants to ensure that their clients get approved. If you have a recent copy of an authenticated birth certificate you can check if yours is late registration by looking at the bottom portion of the certificate.

        

        I ordered an authenticated copy of my birth certificate thru the National Statistics Office (NSO) Birth Certificate Delivery Service number 737-1111. Birth certificate application is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, even on Sundays and holidays according to the website nso.citizenservices.com.ph.After the representative on the phone asks for all the information they will give you the instructions on how to pay for it. They asked me to pay it at a Metrobank branch. It cost P350 and you will receive it in 2-3 business days.When you call to order for a copy of your birth certificate be ready with a pen and a paper because you have something to write down.



5.MARRIAGE CONTRACT (If Married) NSO issued and valid within (1)year.
Applicants holding (old or valid) passports with used Japan Visa will be exempted from submitting of marriage contract.

· Incase of non-record.You must submit certificate of non-record together with the one from local civil registrar.

6.TOUR ITINERARY: A blogger says he just made it up. I on the other hand took it seriously because what if they will really check if your plan is indeed to go sightseeing. Of course the itinerary I submitted wasn't final but at least I made it look realistic. I mean you shouldn't put something like "Day1 : Tour of the Osaka Castle ,then Fushimi Inari shrine and then Universal studios" because it's obviously not doable in one day since one of them is located in a different city. If they spot something like this they might suspect that you didn't do your research because you actually had other plans aside from sightseeing.

7.BANK BALANCE CERTIFICATE or a copy of bank book pages for the past 2 years. I have two accounts at two different banks. Each bank asked me to fill out a form (be ready with all the information especially with your account number).At Metrobank you have to wait for a day to get your bank certificate. They charged me P100. At the other bank they charged the same but I got it in less than 30minutes. Again, about the amount that one has to have in his account I believe that the consul doesn't require a fixed amount because it depends on how long you'll be staying in Japan and what city or place you're visiting.For example Tokyo's more expensive than Kyoto so they may require more money if you're going to a very expensive city like Tokyo.

8.INCOME TAX RETURN (Form 2316 or 1701) Original and (1) photocopy. I had a problem with this because my company no longer provides a hard copy.They just gave me a digitally signed copy. I'm not sure if that's how it is now with all other companies and if it is,are the people from the Japanese Embassy aware of it. I was afraid that they might think that my document came from Recto. To be sure I also asked for a Certificate of Employment. I think one of the things that convinced the Japanese Consul is the number of years I've been with my company because it could mean that I'm happy with my job and that I don't have plans of leaving and to go job hunting once I get to Japan.

           I submitted my application on a Monday around noontime because I'd read somewhere that it will be processed faster if you submit it during the first day of the week. Some bloggers say they got the results after 2 business days.By Wednesday I was expecting a call from the agency but my phone didn't ring the whole day.I thought I was in trouble because I heard from some people who got denied that they had to wait for so long for the results.I still didn't hear anything from the agency the following day.I was almost convinced that I was denied. By Friday I received a text asking me to call the agency and I thought they'd ask me to submit additional documents.To my surprise the phone rang after few minutes and the staff asked me some personal questions for verification and then divulged the results,yes over the phone. I was told that I had been granted a visa.I heaved a sigh of relief.It was so stressful that I promised I'd never put myself through that again but I'm sure I'd be more than willing to go through twice that trouble if the opportunity to go to my other dream destinations knocks on my door one of these days.

Sleeping At The Kansai International Airport

     

             In my previous trips abroad, I’d experienced sleeping at airports since most of my arrivals were scheduled late at night and I didn’t want to pay for an accommodation during the first night since there’s only few hours left before I’d start my tours first thing in the morning. Although this practice saves me money it is not the most comfortable thing to do. In Beijing International airport I wondered if the heater wasn’t working because it was so cold I ended up people watching. The following morning I suffered the consequences not just in climbing the great wall but also in taking pictures of my sleep-deprived self. I promised not to do it again. Before I flew to Japan, I had booked a single private room in a hostel on my first night. However , I was having second thoughts. I knew I only had few hours to clear the immigration,change my money to yen, buy the Kansai Thru Pass, get lost until the train stations close. It was daunting to get out of the airport late at night and find my way in a city as huge as Osaka so I decided at the last minute not to show up at the hostel.(Warning: You have to cancel your booking within the timeframe given otherwise you’ll still get charge the full amount. Good thing the hostel was considerate enough and didn’t charge me the full amount.)
            We landed at Kansai International Airport and I’d read online that it’s possible to spend the night at the airport. They suggested the area on the second floor near the airport police and the Lawson store.After I toured the airport I looked for the said spot.             

    

             Be warned though that the police would wake you up anytime to check on your passport. The one who checked mine didn’t speak English and just wrote the word “travel” on a piece of paper. When I read it I just nodded and went back to sleep. The seats at the airport are so comfortable that I didn’t have a hard time sleeping.There were also Filipino families on their way to Nagoya  who spent the night at the airport with their kids.

            At 5:30 AM a toddler singing what sounded like” twinkle ,twinkle  little stars” in Japanese woke me up.I looked for the Airport Lounge where they have shower rooms. It was just few meters from where I was sleeping.For Y500/15mins  I got to shower.I was worried though because I knew 15mins wouldn’t be enough for me to shower and dry myself. I asked the reception how long I could stay in the room after I shower and to my relief they said” up to an hour”.They handed me a basket with the coin that I had to insert into the shower ,the key to the shower room,towel and blower.

The staff are so welcoming and very polite

Spacious shower room

             The shower actually has a timer which stops when you are not using the water and you could just press the start  button when you have to use it again. Very convenient! Kansai International airport is  really a homeless friendly airport.

There are also lockers for rent at the airport

Chasing Autumn Leaves

             When my plan to go to Myanmar this year did not push through I decided to travel to Japan instead. I knew Japan's an expensive destination so I made sure there'd be something worth seeing. Spring was over so seeing the cherry blossoms was out of the question (at least this year). Mount Fuji isn't the Great Wall so I wasn't so interested in seeing it. Anime?, I couldn't care less about it.There was only one other thing that Japan is also famous for, (that I was interested to see) it's "koyo" or the time when leaves change to bright colors during autumn. My dilemma was the phenomenon was not gonna start until six months later. That's a very long wait for my itchy feet. I just wanted to travel abroad ASAP but I had to make a decision.If I go somewhere else before November , my Japan trip will have to take a back seat for the next few years since I only allow myself one trip abroad each year (or maybe it's my pocket that is saying that).I thought I couldn't do it next year because my passport is about to expire so if I didn't go to Japan this time I would have a new passport by next year. Presenting  a new passport with no stamps yet to the Japanese consul is not a good idea. No passport stamps means no travel history. I knew travel history was one major factor that would be considered if a visa would be granted. I knew it would take a while before I could get more stamps again so I decided to do it this year or else I have to wait for few more years(Actually I'm not sure about the whole process. I'm not sure if one could actually present an old passport along with the new one when applying for a visa to a certain country).

               Long story short I booked a trip to the land of the rising sun,the anime, the geishas, the bullet train, etc.Six months of waiting was tough but I managed. I researched for the best time to see the autumn leaves and one site mentioned mid November was the peak. WRONG! What it failed to mention was that it could actually vary with location and in Kansai where I was going the peak is actually during the third week of November.I was worried because I booked a flight a week earlier. If I didn't see those beautiful colors the trip would be pointless. I was checking forecasts (yes, it's like the weather, they have reports of these things from time to time) and the history of koyo in the past few years. I learned that the trees in higher elevations would peak earlier so I thought if I couldn't catch it in central Kyoto I would travel to the outskirts of the city.
              In the morning of my first day in Japan the first thing I saw as I got out of the airport was the street lined with trees that have turned red and I knew that I was getting what I came for.

First stop was Osaka Castle...

On my way to Osaka castle

Saw this tree within the Osaka Castle grounds

A couple had a pictorial and I stopped them for this photo which irritated their photographer

View from Osaka Castle

Next stop was Kyoto...

Even the rain couldn't stop me from my quest for the Autumn leaves

Came across this garden while getting lost in Kyoto

At the veranda of the Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto. Colors could have been more vibrant if not for the rain. Thank you rain.

I also traveled all the way to Arashiyama for this view

Tenryuji's garden in Arashiyama