CL wrote:
> Curt Fischer wrote:
> 
>> CL wrote:
>>
>>> Dave Fossett wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Elbow" <tokyoelbow@totalise.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Its been a long time sionce I renewed my spouse visa.
>>>>> Does this list of docs look about right ?
>>>>>
>>>>> stuff to take
>>>>>
>> [list and discussion of list snipped]
>>
>>> I didn't have / need that the last time I renewed (last September) 
>>> and yes, the list seems complete.  Then again, I used the "new" 
>>> Shinagawa Immigration Office and they're so jumpy up-and-down happy 
>>> that you're the day's renewer who doesn't need a Portuguese, Tagalog, 
>>> or Hausa translator that maybe they ignore such forgotten things.  
>>> I've renewed my spouse visa something like four or five times now, 
>>> refusing the offer of permanent residence each time.  I guess I still 
>>> want to feel that I can pick up and leave any time I want (among the 
>>> other assorted lies I tell myself).
>>
>>
>> Hausa?  I guess I'm revealing my ignorance.  There are that many 
>> people who speak Hausa that need visas?  Where do they all go?  They 
>> can't all be guards at Roppongi nightclubs, can they?  And wait a 
>> minute, the guards I've seen all speak enough English insult people 
>> they are kicking out, at least.

Oops, should have been "...enough English TO insult people...".

> It's not one of those things I keep up with, but I knew one of the guys 
> renewing when I was there last -- who used to be a cook and a bouncer in 
> Roppongi a few years back.  He told me that there are a lot more 
> Nigerians, Ivorians, and Ghanians out in the wilds of darkest Saitama 
> and the outside the 23-ku parts of Tokyo.  Some of the better off ones 
> have small manufacturing plants, trading companies, car parts or used 
> car export operations.  The rest are punching out car parts or breaking 
> usable parts off of cars before they get crushed.  There is some support 
> group in Tokyo that helps them with their visas, so they run a lot of 
> the renewals through Shinagawa Immigration and Immigration lets them. 
> It's one less thing they have to organize for.  He also told me that 
> there are larger groups of them in Osaka and Gunma.  If he was lying, 
> there's no way I'd know about it.

Interesting info.  I didn't know about that demographic at all.  Thanks.

-- 
Curt Fischer