JP photo-shooting: 1st draft ready!

It's such a long process...

• Apr 8: photo-shooting in Nara, Japan - around 400 photos taken
• Apr 28, 30: photo selection - we chose the best 100
• May 20: softcopy of all "raw" kimono photos received
• Jun 8: 1st draft ready - a layout putting 100 pictures into 35 pages

It's been sooo long that we almost forgot images other than those in Kimono...so happy to view the wedding dress & evening dress photos, as if they were new...very fresh and excited us!!!

So, it's homework time. We need to look into detail every page and feedback if we want any adjustment. Hopefully that can be done smoothly and our target date to collect final products in July can be held.

hehe, an enjoyable task...looking at the photos = replaying the day in Nara, all the fun fun and sweet moments we had, our hard work of how to make perfect photos & the always "look forward" sentiment...^0^

Hope xx and other "about to get married" friends will enjoy their photo shooting experience, too! Yeah yeah!

Visit to the Immigration Bureau - The first step for Carol's achieving of Japanese residence.

Today marks another significant milestone.

In the previous post, we have explained that we have taken quite an effort in putting the documents together to submit them to the Immigration Bureau of Japan for application for Carol's Certificate of Eligibility (在留資格認定証明書). This certificate is required for Carol to get her spouse visa and to stay long term in Japan.

So Jin went out today to the Immigration office. Since the office only opens during weekdays office hours, we all have to take leaves from office to go there. Hence, Jin cannot make any mistakes which makes any possibility to have him make an extra return trip. That is the reason why we had been soooooooooo meticulous in researching the necessary documents and filing them perfectly so that there are no doubts what so ever.

So here Jin is, in a pouring rain, at the Immigration Bureau of Japan, Yokohama District Office, holding the pack of hundred-page-document tightly and trying not to make any of the documents wet.

Immigration Bureau Yokohama District Office
(on a clear day, randomly picked from the web)

The selection of the day to visit the office was good. There was only 10 people waiting before him!!!!! (Not to mention that I had to go to another office - 横浜中区役所 - in order to fetch other necessary documents in order to complete the hundred-page-document pack) So, here Jin is, nervously waiting in line with all sorts of foreigners (外人 as they are called in Japanese) ....

• Chinese middle aged lady (おばさん) talking on phone with her friends, apologizing that she couldn't attend yesterday's function. She's now at the Immigration Bureau for...???
• Korean businessman with a wet helmet (for bike), but not wet at all, with a plastic bag (i.e. from department store like Sogo) with documents, not wet (how was he able to keep his body and bag dry?!!!), asking to renew his Certificate of Eligibility.
• A Japanese lady carrying a pile of forms to submit for Certificate of Eligibility (for many people, i.e. for labors from Middle East or South America...).
• Hispanic family (elderly father and middle aged son) asking for some certificate.
• Single middle aged Chinese man waiting by the counter, staring at the lady at the counter, wanting to handle his registration form.
• A Japanese businessman carrying 5-6 sheets of printed paper of pictures of him and his wife, assuming he is also registering for Certificate of Eligibility for his wife, but I just cannot believe how many few sheets of paper he has.
• Chinese family (group of about 5-7) aggressively coming from the lift lobby directly to the counter, talking loudly among themselves, not taking the queue slip (the sheet of paper that contains the number which will be called when its his turn), but chatting chatting chatting, and after a while returning to the elevator hall (why were they coming here in the first place?)

Very interesting. This is indeed, a mini immigration hall in the country.

So it's Jin's turn after a looooooong wait of investigating the snapshots of the various foreigners (i.e. above). Jin went to the counter, queue slip in my hand, a big pack of documents in another. The lady seems to be used to the amount of documents, and she asked if this was for the Certificate of Eligibility for Jin's wife. When Jin answered "yes", she quickly looked through what was in the batch, and explained to Jin that she will check the documents for any missing ones.

So here is Jin once again, waiting for another 3-5min eagerly, yet nervously waiting to hear the good news that the batch includes all necessary documents.....

When Jin was called, he quickly moved back to the counter. The lady smiled at him and explained that there are no missing documents, and passed him the slip of acceptance, which includes the identification number which can be referred at a later time.

So, the accomplishment of the day.....


The countdown starts from here. We both pray for the reply to come at the earliest time possible （－人－）

JP banquet confirmed - 2009.03.29

...............friends asked: "How about Japan?"

ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)メ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)メ Yey! JP banquet confirmed as:

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Date: March 29, 2009 (Sunday)

Ceremony starts: 10:30 AM

Banquet starts: 11:30 AM

Venue: Bayside Garden Club

日本国神奈川県横浜市西区みなとみらい 5-1-5

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In fact...this has been confirmed long ago...in April during our photo-shooting trip.

As briefed by Jin in his previous notes, there are a few styles of JP banquet, depending the ceremony type.

After balancing all pros and cons, we decided to go with GUEST HOUSE with western style chapel wedding.

(To be correct, instead of "decide", we were fallen into the super fantasy...and perfection of GUEST HOUSE)

A few snapshots of Bayside Garden Club:

Imagine...

In a sunny new spring morning, you walk with birds' songs and showered by sakura peddles brought by the mild wind...gradually you arrive at the entrance of Bayside Garden Club...

Two very polite "housekeepers" come to open the gate for you and you enter the main building, which is actually in front of a pool. The blue color of the pool matches with the sky, making the main building shiny white..so warm and glory.

More and more guests arrive and some of them are standing along the pool side, chat over drinks.

Oh! It's almost time! guests move to the Chapel and inside this purely white peaceful place, Carol's father handed over her to Jin after march-in, for their eternal vows (Oops, although after 1 year) of confirmation and blessed by the guests...

A short break after emotional fulfillment (from the ceremony), it's time to fulfill our stomach! It's banquet time!

Chef is serving French cuisine today. Guests take their time eating slowly, enjoying some performances...

Oops! wake up!

It's still too early to tell the whole story!

What we had done is to book this perfect scene to prepare for everybody's enjoyment, and you need to experience it in person!

Or if you wish to continue the dream...http://www.kekkon-taiken.jp/ click "enter site". haha..

One happy side note - our wedding banquet place is just next to Anpanman Museum!!!!! Happi~