It is snowing here!

Bought the bouchee from Chateraise Japan. They are a delight, sweet and pleasant to the taste bud. 

It rarely snow in Fukuoka but we had it this morning. It wasn't that cold with temperature ranging from 1c to 4c.

My passport has been renewed in Japan

Today I have received my new Singapore passport via a self addressed registered envelope to my house in Fukuoka, Japan. This was after the Singapore Consulate staff verified and confirmed via Zoom that I was the one who applied for the passport.

What I need to do is to send via post an acknowledgement that I've received my passport and send a copy of the signed passport to the Consulate in Osaka.

Had we (my wife and I) travelled to Osaka to collect my passport we will probably spend at least S$1,000 on transport and a night hotel accommodation. But thanks to the pandemic, the renewal of my passport was done online and through the postal services of both Singapore and Japan.

Renewing my Singapore passport in Japan

 In my earlier post I said that the Consul General representing Singapore is going to post my new Singapore passport to me in Japan instead of travelling to Osaka.

I was asked to buy a self-addressed envelope and post it to her together with a copy of NRIC and my old passport. Now that she has received the necessary documents, I have been asked to appear in an interview via Zoom. Hopefully all will be fine and I should get my new passport latest by end February.

Spending our Chinese New Year in a Japanese ryokan

 

Start watching the video from the top one first

It was a nice holiday for my wife and I. We spent our CNY in a hotspring (onsen) hotel in Fukuoka, Japan. The hotel was newly completed in December last year, barely one month old. Please watch the 2 videos and click on the Subscribe button if you like to see more of my videos in Japan.

PS: You need to go to the YouTube main page to click on the Subscribe button. First of all, click on the YouTube icon on the right bottom of any of the above 2 videos and it will direct you to the YouTube main page.

mister Donuts, Japan

 Nice weather temperature averaging 10c during the day. Visited mr   Donuts for donuts and coffee. Average price of a donut was about JPY 120 or S$1.45, coffee was JPY 230 or S$3 a cup but unlimited refills. Good value overall. The crew are young, pretty and service oriented. The place was almost empty as many customers "take-away" their donuts. So far, we are happy and satisfied with the mister Donuts' crew as well as the McDonald's crew.

Hurray, I can now collect my new passport by post

 My new passport has arrived at the Consul General office in Osaka. I have been given a choice either to collect it from the CG's office or request them to send to my Japan home address by post. The latter was due to the high number of  Omicron infection in Japan.

I am glad the CG's office has allowed me to collect my passport via post. This is the only and one "gift" from the pandemic.

Renewing my passport in Japan

 My SG passport is going to expire end of the year and ICA has emailed to remind me of the expiration. I am not going back just yet and am going to renew it in Japan. The nearest place where I can renew my passport is in Osaka which is 640 km away. In Singapore, I don't have to travel so far for the renewal. In Japan it's so inconvenient not only because of the distance but the wintery condition. I have no choice but to renew my passport otherwise I could not return to Singapore in the future.

Thai Red Curry, cooking and eating タイ🇹🇭レッドカレーペーストで作る本格的レッドカレー

Beef burgers, created while in a eat-all-you-can restaurant.

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