Another visa story...

Just for fun I decided to renew my tourist visa to the United States. You know, just in case I want to jump into a plane and visit my kin there. I have been out of the multiple entry visa for nearly a year, so it's time to make a new one.

My first stop was here. The US embassy in Tokyo make a good check list on what documents you need and suggested you to make an appointment prior to coming to meet the consulate officer. In a nutshell the steps that need to be taken are as follows:

1. Prepare your documents, take photos, make copies, fill in the electronic form and finally make an appointment for an interview. For Tokyo you can usually get yourself an appointment within 1 day, everything done best electronically.

A tip from an insider: the US consulate officers prefer pictures with no teeth showing. I think this is the most ridiculous tip ever, but better safe than sorry. Smile, but no teeth. It might also help if you take black and white picture if your hair is blue.

2. Go and actually attend your interview. The embassy gate will open at 8 AM, but the line is long and the security system is a bit like those in an airport. Don't bring liquid or electronics. If you do, the guard will keep your stuff for you in a booth like thing, with numbers and all. Oh, and don't forget to pick them all up after you're done.

...my story

My interview was stated to be at 8:15 am. I got up at 6 am, took a shower, got ready and pedaled over to my office, leaving my house at 7 am. I then discard my bike at the office and then hailed a cab, which brought me over to the embassy gate at 7:40 am. There were 4 other people before me, so I was number 5 in line.
The gate opened and I was finally inside the consulate's waiting room at 8:12 AM.

I waited. 8:45 am.

I waited some more. 9:00 am.

I waited and waited. 9:15 am.

By then there were at least 30 other Japanese people who were being called, and since I was number 5 in line, I knew for a fact that they arrived WAY after I did. Then I began to worry that they must have cancelled my application somehow.
So I was annoyed at 9:20 am, since:
a) my name was still not called upon, and
b) since I already paid the said JPY 11,600 fee (supposed to be the equivalent of US$100).

Finally my name was called at 9:25 am.

The interview was another story. For the first time in my visa application history, I met with an American officer who insisted to speak to me in Japanese. Yes, Japanese, Nihongo.
He asked me 4 questions. How long I've been in my job; what my company does; what service my company provides; why I'm thinking to visit the US. And then he declared my visa application approved. YEAH!
The entire interview took 2 to 3 minutes.

So the entire process is basically pretty simple. I have heard that visa officers are making things difficult to applicants to get their visa approved, but fortunately I have never encountered such problems. In my life I've applied for the US visitor visa 3 times and I've always been approved. I hope my visa luck will never change.
Now let's see if I can win a ticket lottery that will take me back to the US.

ps. I got home just now to find my passport with my new B1/B2 visa in it. 5 YEARS, BABY!! (multiple entry, too!) YEAH!!!