To City Hall!

 It wasn't the Hall of Justice (neither this one, nor this one), but I am insured and have a registered residence.  Yuko, one of the office staff here, brought me to Tokushima City Hall.  From what I gather the process today was kind of like getting a state ID in the US.  It provides proof of where I live and that I meet the health insurance mandate.

I am very grateful for Yuko's help.  This was her first time taking a foreigner through the process.  In reality, she did everything.  I just wrote my name when and where she told me to.  Without her I would have (1) had to walk or bike the 3 km to get there and (2) had literally no idea what was going on.  I understood when she said "excuse me," "I understand," and "I see."  Had she ever said "I don't understand," I would have recognized that.  They needed my name in katakana, which she wasn't quite prepared for.  My name has sounds that do not exist in Japanese.  Specifically, there is no equivalent for "th" and "Va" is changed to "Ba."  There's also the fact that the spelling matters as it is an official document.  She just called the office and asked them.  Yes, it's an obvious thing to do, but I've seen many people not think to do that.  Everything went smoothly after that.  Well, almost everything.

The other goal for the trip was to set up my bank account.  The issue is the IRS is backed up.  You may have noticed this because the deadline for filing taxes was pushed back almost 2 months.  So I am not taxed here in Japan, I need a particular form that says I am taxed in the US.  Usually the bank needs that form.  Even though I applied almost 6 weeks ago, this form still has not shown up.  Yuko had to navigate an unfamiliar situation under even more unfamiliar circumstances.  On top of that, the woman at the bank who helped us had never opened an account for a foreigner.  In the end, the two of them worked it out.  I needed the taxpayer identification number.  I've done enough forms for the US government to know that for a born citizen this is the social security number.  I have a bank account and will get my cash card in the mail in about 10 days.

So, here we are.  A successful trip to City Hall where my entire contributions were knowing my name and SSN.  There are no small parts in any play.  That is what I shall tell myself to feel accomplished.

One last thing.  I introduced Yuko to the concept of "sarcasm."  At one point she apologized for it taking so long.  I responded, "Well, I do have such a busy afternoon."  That is when it occurred to me that sarcasm is not uniquely American, but it is probably absent from Japanese.  On the drive back we talked about what it is and how it is used.  I may spend some time with my Intercultural Communication class on this topic.  Maybe younger generations know it already.  I'll find out.