Tag: japan
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Acquiring Central Asian Visas in Tokyo
It’s been a long time (a few years actually) since I’ve written anything substantial in a blog post, so please forgive me as I get my ‘blog legs’ back in order. Oddly enough, this will start off with a case of deja vu from early 2008. Back then we were traveling around Laos and Vietnam […]
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General information for Central Asian visas in Tokyo
Keep the following tips in mind when getting visas here: Plan, Plan, Plan. Specifically the order that you will be traveling to these countries, the number of entries desired, etc. Central Asian visas are date specific (i.e. 1-Sept-2012 to 31-Oct-2012 for 1 entry with a maximum time in country of 30 days). Visas for these […]
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Tajikistan Visa in Tokyo with GBAO
The GBAO permit (to see the eastern half of the country and Pamirs) cost is included in the base visa cost, but you MUST ask for it separately (in person and in your processing cover letter). If you don’t have a cover letter they will give you one to copy for the request at the […]
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Kyrgyzstan Visa in Tokyo
A Kyrgyzstan visa is very straight forward and simple to get in Tokyo. Cost for Americans: ¥8000 JPY for a 30 day single entry tourist visa, payable by wire transfer (ATM) with receipt due at pickup time. NOTE: The consul will tell you that you don’t need a Kyrgyz visa if you have a multi-entry […]
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Uzbekistan Visa in Tokyo
The Uzbek consulate in Tokyo unfortunately does not have a usable website (in Japanese, let alone English). You have to fill out your information at the website below, print it out, and give it to the consulate. Make sure that you mark Tokyo as the place of visa issuance. Under Occupation ‘Representatives of business groups […]
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Kazakstan Visa in Tokyo
The consulate will keep the original passport for entire length of time (drop off Monday and pick up the following Monday afternoon at 15:00). Cost for Americans: $30 USD for 1 month single entry, $60 for 2 month double entry (30 days per entry max). Payable at time of pickup via wire transfer (ATM) receipt […]
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Sticker Shock in Japan
The island nation of Japan takes its food very seriously or at least tries to justify the large price tag for a very polished melon and other things most people find for much less back home or on the other side of the South China Sea. The same melon here in Japan would only set […]
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Hiking up to the Surface of the Moon in Japan
The beautiful landscape shaped by volcanoes and the art of bathing in a onsen attracts many visitors to Japan and beautiful mountain towns like Aso. This small town is the prefect place to experience Japanese culture and see one of the countries largest active volcanoes even in the rainy season. If it is sunny – […]
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The Sweet Volcanic Breezes of Mount Aso
JR Station in Kumamoto City Enough with castles for now and the cramped living style of the business hotel. Many parts of Kumamoto City are attractive enough for a short visit. The beauty and the history of the city can be seen in a few hours. Most of the major attractions are located in the […]
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The Last Samurai Castle of Kumamoto…Tom Cruise wasn’t here
At first, Kumamoto was just a place on map where the bus from Kagoshima stopped and we could transfer to the near by train station and move on to Mount Aso. It didn’t take long to find out that it is home to one of the finest castles in Japan next to Himeji outside of […]
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Circling the Flame
The one thing to not miss while staying in Kagoshima is making a day trip to the volcanic island of Sakurajima. The last major devastating blast was almost 50 years ago and hopefully it won’t go off again anytime soon. One of the three peaks still gives the surrounding area a daily coat of grey […]
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Spring NYC…what’s going on at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Now that the temps are rising and the sun has made its way through the thick grey clouds of this winter we here in NYC now look forward to many things that begin to open up and remind us that summer is on its way. This means we can comfortably dine outdoors without the assistance […]
Farflungistan 