You may not have noticed, but it is indeed time to renew my visa again! Once again I had to do paperwork – although comparatively less than last year – and once again I had to relinquish both my passport and my zairyu card to my lawyer. Even though I know they will take good care of my ids, it still feels like giving away the essence of who I am… It’s hard to describe, really.

Last Friday my lawyer has submitted all the documents to the immigration office, and now we’ll have to wait. Apparently, a visa renewal takes two to four weeks at most (as opposed to the two months it took last year), so this should be over relatively quickly. Keep your fingers crossed!