Aplikasi Visa Jepang

Sedikit berbagi tentang pengalaman mengurus aplikasi visa ke Jepang di Indonesia, semoga bermanfaat bagi yang membutuhkan.

2012 dan 2013, kami mengurus visa Jepang dari Kedutaan Jepang di Jakarta. Visa yang kami ajukan adalah 

• Visa Kunjungan Sementara untuk Kunjungan Wisata dengan Biaya Sendiri. Untuk jenis visa yang lain, dapat dilihat disini.

Alhamdulillah, pengurusan visa Jepang termasuk ga ribet asalkan dokumen yang dipersyaratkan lengkap, proses pengurusan visa sekitar 4 hari kerja.

Persyaratan dokumen sebagai berikut (dokumen harus disusun berurutan pada saat menyerahkan aplikasi visa)

1. Paspor (asli).
2. Formulir permohonan visa. [download disini] dengan Pasfoto terbaru (ukuran 4,5 X 4,5 cm, terbaru, latar putih)
3. Fotokopi KTP
4. Fotokopi Kartu Mahasiswa atau Surat Keterangan Belajar (hanya bila masih mahasiswa)
5. Bukti pemesanan tiket 
6. Jadwal Perjalanan  dalam format yang telah ditentukan [download disini] – isinya tempat yang mau dikunjungi dan akan menginap dimana. Jika menginap di hotel/hostel, lebih baik bila bukti booking dilampirkan.
7. Fotokopi dokumen yang bisa menunjukkan hubungan dengan pemohon yang lain, seperti kartu keluarga, akta lahir, dlsb – jika pengajuan aplikasi lebih dari satu orang/grup. Pada dasarnya, kalau keluarga mau mengajukan visa, cukup satu orang perwakilan yang datang memasukkan aplikasi visa, tetapi harus bisa dibuktikan hubungan kekeluargaannya.
8. Dokumen yang berkenaan dengan biaya perjalanan – fotokopi buku tabungan 5 bukan terakhir. Apakah ada aturan saldo minimal? Tidak ada, tapi setidaknya cukup untuk menjamin biaya akomodasi/transportasi/makan di Jepang.
9. Jika menginap di tempat teman/saudara yang tinggal di Jepang, harus melampirkan Invitation Letter dan fotokopi dokumen tinggal/ID orang yang bersangkutan. Contoh invitation letter disini.

Pengajuan visa di Kedutaan Jepang dimulai pukul 08.30-12.00 tiap hari Senin-Jumat, lebih baik jika datang pagi (sebelum pukul 8 misalnya) karena sudah mulai ada antrian walaupun gerbang kedutaan belum dibuka. Siapkan kartu identitas karena setelah gerbang dibuka, akan ada pos sekuriti untuk mengambil identitas visitor (ditukar dgn kartu identitas).

Setelah masuk, ambil nomor antrian dan tunggu giliran. Petugas di loket cukup ramah, langsung memeriksa kelengkapan dokumen. Jika ada kekurangan, akan diminta datang kembali setelah lengkap. Setelah selesai menyerahkan aplikasi lengkap, kita akan diberi tanda terima untuk mengambil visa 4 hari kemudian. Waktu pengambilan visa adalah hari Senin-Jumat pukul 13.30-15.00.

Ringkasan dan beberapa catatan penting

• Waktu pengajuan aplikasi: Senin- Jumat 08.30 – 12.00. Waktu pengambilan visa: Senin-Jumat 13.30-15.00.
• Pengajuan visa harus sesuai wilayah juridiksi kedutaan/konsulat Jepang (tergantung kartu identitas kita masuk wilayah juridiksi mana). Pembagian wilayah juridiksi dapat dilihat disini.
• Pastikan dokumen lengkap dan sudah diurutkan saat mengajukan aplikasi visa di loket.
• Biaya pembuatan visa tahun 2012 (Maret) Rp300.000, 2013 (Maret) Rp325.000. Biaya pembuatan visa terbaru bisa dilihat disini.
• Berpakaian rapi dan memakai sepatu saat mengajukan visa.

Semoga bermanfaat dan selamat mencoba. Happy traveling in Japan!

Farewell letter

I was helping some of my friends doing their emails for job offering, resignation, and recently, farewell letter.
When you receive a farewell letter, you will notice that most of them are similar, even looks like a ‘template’. And sometimes ‘template’ gives you impression of less-deep meaning, less-’kicking’ than those created more creatively.
When i composed the farewell letter for my friend today, i tried to put myself in his position, as if today is my last day. And somehow i found those templates are now more meaningful.
Now i can understand why they put some ‘cliche’ words on them, why the wordings are similar. It is because they do share the (approximately) same feeling prior leaving the company and their friends.
Sometimes cliche is not bad, they just an improved expression that respresent many feelings hence used many times.

Kokeshi Hunting

This is the story of how we (finally) get these two lovely Kokeshi.

I always fascinated by cute stuff, figurine, and I started collecting them a few years back. Mostly kokeshi, the irresistibly-cute Japanese wooden doll. So when we got the chance to actually visit Japan last May (owe this blog the trip story), I HAVE TO go home with (at least) one.

Our first visit was to Kyoto and there are A LOT of Kokeshi in Kyoto. Kyoto is a tourist town with lots of temples and good sightseeing places (sort like Bandung in Indonesia) so there are a lot of gift shop along the streets and near tourist spot. Well, when stuff looks near and scatters around you, there’s always tendency to postpone. That’s what happened. There are a lot of great Kokeshi around the Kiyomizu-dera Temple but I decided to wait in case we found better one in other stores

Our next destination was Osaka. In my mind, Osaka will be much bigger city than Kyoto and there will be more souvenir shop over there. We moved on to Osaka and I was totally wrong, there are not a single Kokeshi shop we found around the city! Near our departure date, I started panicking. How can I go home without my-most wanted souvenir when I have the chance to visit its origin place??! We started googling for Kokeshi stores in Osaka. There are several recommendation but they’re not convincing. Most of the results pointing out that you should by Kokeshi in Kyoto. DANG! I fainted.

Anyway, we tried and written down all the shops address. So on our last day in Osaka, we literary went store to store but found nothing. There are no Kokeshi in Osaka! *panic*. To be honest, it’s crossed my mind to go back to Kyoto to find Kokeshi We have an early flight the next day and I have to give up. The only hope we have is to find Kokeshi on the airport store but our flight is 8.30 in the morning, not sure if the airport store is open.

Arriving at the airport the next day, there’s no store open yet. Well, make sense since it’s only 6 in the morning. We looked around the stores and found that there are actually some stores selling Kokeshi in Kansai International Airport. We just walked around the stores (as if it will turned them open :p) waited for our boarding time. Unexpectedly, at 7 o’clock (sharp – i have to say this), all the stores are open at the same time! I looove that they open early and I love it more that the Japanese are so punctual :’)

You can guess that I finally had a chance for last minute Kokeshi shopping. Really thank God for that, almost like miracle considering we tried so bad to find Kokeshi a day before There’s a shop called ‘Kyoto Souvenirs’ (or so) that selling cute Kokeshi in Kansai Airport, we bought these two Kokeshi there.

Lesson learned are..  >> If you are Kokeshi lover, Osaka is not the place to get one, Kyoto is   >> Know what you want and never delay  >> Love Japan with its punctual habit 

Hope I will get another chance to visit Japan again and add some Kokeshi to my collection

WordPress problem

I think there’s something wrong with WordPress since I’m having difficulties accessing my dashboard after logging in.

I tried clicking the link on the top of the page but went nowhere. Don’t know when this starts since I have not been to WordPress for ages

Do hope the problem will be gone in near time.

XOXO,

gHina

Hujan Bulan Juni

Hujan Bulan Juni
Oleh Sapardi Djoko Damono

Tak ada yang lebih tabah
Dari hujan bulan Juni
Dirahasiakannya rintik rindunya
Kepada pohon berbunga itu

Tak ada yang lebih bijak
Dari hujan bulan Juni
Dihapusnya jejak-jejak kakinya
Yang ragu-ragu di jalan itu

Tak ada yang lebih arif
Dari hujan bulan Juni
Dibiarkannya yang tak terucapkan
Diserap akar pohon bunga itu

Blooming Orchid

So pretty

blue

a very very sad song by Adele

Don’t You Remember

When will I see you again
You left with no goodbye
Not a single a word was said
No final kiss to seal any sins
I had no idea in the state we were in

I know I have a fickle heart
And a bitterness and a wandering eye and a heaviness in my head

But don’t you remember
Don’t you remember
The reason you left me before
Baby, please remember me once more

When was the last time
You thought of me
Oh have you completely erased me from your memory
I often think about where I went wrong
The more I do the less I know

I know I have a fickle heart
And a bitterness and a wandering eye and a heaviness in my head

But don’t you remember
Don’t you remember?
The reason you left me before
Baby, please remember me once more

Gave you the space so you could breathe,
I kept my distance so you would be free,
And hope that you find the missing piece,
To bring you back to me,

Why don’t you remember?
Don’t your remember?
The reason you left me before
Baby, please remember me once more

When will I see you again

PS: it’s getting hard to post in wordpress from office computer *sigh*