Declan Murphy wrote:
> On Jan 23, 2:20 am, Kevin Wayne Williams <kww.niho...@verizon.nut>
> wrote:
>> Jim Breen wrote:
>>> Declan Murphy wrote:
>>>> On Jan 22, 5:53 pm, Jim Breen <jimbr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> To be frank, I never knew residents used to be able to go through the
>>>>> nihonjin line. I could have done it when I was a resident.
>>>> How long ago were you nihoning then? At Nagoya (old Komaki) the "re-
>>>> entrants" was up on the Japanese passport signs at least 1997ish.
>>>> Can't recall if it was kanji only or not back then though.
>>> 2000/2001. I only re-entered once. (I remember I came in from
>>> London on a BA flight, and the stewardess got her knickers knotted
>>> because I refused to take a landing card. She just couldn't grasp
>>> the fact that the re-entry card took its place).
>> Same thing happened to me here in December. I just couldn't get across
>> to her that someone that had a resident ID didn't need to fill out the
>> tourist entry form. I finally told her that I wouldn't throw it back at
>> her, but she couldn't make me waste time filling it out.
> 
> I wonder why they would be so persistent? I've re-entered about 30
> times, usually on a JAL or Cathay flight, and only had 5 or so "very
> concerned for my welfare" stewards/esses. For some reason it was the 1
> or 2 Japanese amongst the staff who needed "I'm a resident and don't
> need one of those" repeated several times.

Why didn't you just show them your Japanese driver's license?  It's been 
an immediate show stopper for me on several occasions when they just 
won't take any other hint.  The host nationals among the staff don't 
always recognize a gaijin torokusho, but all of them recognize a license.

-- 
CL