Authors

Once upon a time

All of the contributors to this blog are people who have naturalized or are naturalizing to Japanese citizens and who can write in English.

They do not necessarily know each other personally. Or agree with each other on everything. But we're all civil and friendly to each other on this blog, where we share something in common. ☺

Site creator, author, editor and administrator:

  • 井䞊　゚むド {INOUE Eido} (né Adrian D. HAVILL)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 1993
    — naturalized in 2010
Blog post authors and contributors — ordered by the ロヌマ字 {rōmaji} (Latin-letter transliteration) of their Japanese names:

  • ビスワス　叞王 {BISUWASU Shimon} (né àŠžোàŠ®েàŠš àŠ¬িàŠ¶্àŠ¬াàŠž {Sōmēna BIŚBĀSA})
    — originally a national from BGD (the People's Republic of Bangladesh).
    — first came to Japan in 2007
    — naturalized in 2015


  • チャヌト　出意人 {CHĀTO Deibido} (né David CHART)
    — originally a national from GBR (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
    — first came to Japan in 2003
    — naturalized in 2016


  • 千田　健二 {CHIDA Kenji} (né Ahmad TIJANI)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 1998
    — naturalized in 2004


  • 林　ファサンミマむケル刀神 {HAYASHI Fasanmimaikerutōshin} (né Fasanmi Michael TOSIN)
    — originally a national from NGA (the Federal Republic of Nigeria).
    — first came to Japan in 2009
    — naturalized in 2015


  • ヘむズ　ゞョン {HEIZU Jon} (né Jon HEESE)
    — originally a national from CAN (Canada).
    — first came to Japan in 1992
    — naturalized in 2007



  • 䌊藀　琎矜璃 {ITŌ Kimbari} (née Kimberly LUGAR)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 2001
    — naturalized in 2010


  • 岩厎　ゞェレミヌ {IWASAKI JeremÄ«} [Jeremy Whipple] (né Jeremy WHIPPLE)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 1973
    — naturalized in 2013


  • 神酒　九韍 {MIKI Kaoru} ["Coal"] (né Colin RESTALL)
    — originally a national from the GBR (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
    — first came to Japan in 1999
    — naturalized in 2006




  • 倧西　ボブ {ŌNISHI Bobu} (né Bob ONISHI)
    - originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    - first came to Japan in 1976
    - naturalized in 2013


  • ロドリゲス　オスカル {RODORIGESU Osukaru} (née Oscar RODRÍGUEZ)
    — originally a national from COL (the Republic of Colombia).
    — first came to Japan in 2008
    — naturalized in 2016

  • 坂本　嚁竜SAKAMOTO IryÅ« (né William POLENSKY)
    - originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    - first came to Japan in 1997
    - naturalized in 2015


  • 玠民喜　琢磚 {SUMINKI Takuma} (né Paul SMINKEY)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 1990
    — naturalized in 2010


  • 倩河　航 {TENGA Wataru} (né John DE HOOG)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 1978
    — naturalized in 2005

  • 和田　テニィ {WADA Tenyi} [Teni WADA] (née Tehnee BENNETT)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 2004
    — naturalized in 2015

  • りェザロヌル　りィリアム {WEZARŌRU Wiriamu} (né William Owen WETHERALL)
    — originally a national from USA (the United State of America).
    — first came to Japan in 1965
    — naturalized in 2012

If you are a naturalized Japanese and wish to contribute to this site in English, please contact us!

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All about Japanese personal inkan/hanko/chops/seals

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"signing" a payment slip at a bank In Japan (and other Asian countries), it is traditional practice to use an 印鑑 { inkan } ( aka 印章 { inshō } ) — colloquially called a 刀子 { hanko } in Japanese or "chop" in British English — instead of a signature for acknowledging / signing / accepting documents. Pedantically speaking, a 刀子 hanko is the actual stamping object, and an 印鑑 inkan is the ink impression that is made, but many native Japanese use the two words interchangeably. In the 21st century, Japanese recommend having three types of seals: one for casual informal acceptance: 認印 { mitomein } one for your bank accounts: 銀行印 { ginkō-in } the "real" registered one: ( 実印 { jitsuin } ) While it's perfectly possible to use just one seal for all of these functions, most people use at least two or three for the same reason that people should use different passwords for different services on the internet: in the case of a compromised s...
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Types of Japanese Passports

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The vast majority of people that naturalize will probably apply for a "red" Japanese passport after their 戞籍 { koseki } (family register) is created — which takes about a couple weeks followed by a few weeks for the passport to be issued. It is not necessary to apply for a passport. Just like the United States, the vast majority of the populace never actually travels outside of their country for their lifetime. However, realisticly speaking, it's very likely that a naturalized person would have a Japanese passport as they most likely have family ties overseas. Language The passport is in two languages: English and Japanese. Very old passports, similar to my U.S. passport, also had French, the language of diplomacy. My oh my, how the French empire's influence has faded. My last U.S. passport added Spanish. My oh my, how South, Central, and Latin America's influence has increased! ☺ On current Japanese passports, the message from the Minister of Foreig...
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How much did it actually cost to naturalize?

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Pennies, compared to most other developed countries In 2010, an article was published here about how much it costs to apply for naturalization. It was true then, and it's still true now in 2022: The application itself is free . ¥0, nada, zilch. Compare that to the US ($725) , UK (£1,330) , Germany (€255) . However, there are many things throughout the process that can cost money: getting your civil documents both in Japan and your home country, tax documents, driving record, etc. You will also to make personal appearances to your local Legal Affairs Bureau. Here I will talk about how much it cost me personally, including the cost of gathering all documents, photocopying, travel, etc. List of Expenses Below is the list of my naturalization-related expenses. All told, it cost me about ¥18,500 to make a successful application. It is worth repeating: There is no application fee . Everything in the list above are expenses related to getting documents I need to submit with my naturaliza...
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