Louise Bremner wrote:
> 
> Yup---that's what happened to me. With the added... um... refinement
> that it was one of the last flights of the day, so the backroom office I
> was taken to had about 20 immigration ossifers in it who were coming off
> duty, having their last cup of o-cha, and looking for some amusement
> before clocking-off time. I said "gomennasai" more times in that hour or
> so than I'd normally say in several years.
> 
> Think: one small mouse in a roomful of playful cats....
> 
> But I gather that if there's a genuine reason for you not having a
> re-entry permit (funeral in your home country, maybe?) it isn't quite
> such a hassle.
What language do they write your re-entry permits in? My wife spent a 
long time in the states this year, and returned on a one-way ticket. To 
board the plane she had to demonstrate that she was allowed to enter the 
country on a one way, but all she had to show the airlines was a Dutch 
reentry permit. They finally decided that if she had Dutch paperwork, 
they would let the Dutch speaking people on the other end sort it out.
KWW