Our upcoming trip to Japan is still a good four months away *points to countdown timer in the sidebar* but if you’re an ordinary Philippine citizen, you’re never really sure if that’s enough time.
Well I’m an ordinary Philippine citizen, and the fear that four months still won’t be enough to get a Japanese visa is too real.
I was talking with my friend James today. He and his boyfriend will apparently also be in Tokyo during our first week there, so we discussed plans on meeting up so that they could at least show us around and guide us on how things work over there.
He also reminded me that I need to get my documents in order, and this is where I realize that I may be a teeny bit overwhelmed right now.
James and I
James is someone I know from way back in high school, so we’ve been friends for more or less 20 years by now. Back then, during the height of our weaboo/Sailormoon/Card Captor Sakura phase, we often fantasized about our group of friends someday visiting Tokyo together, or maybe even living there… just like in the anime!
We, silly pre-teens that we were, dreamed of going to Tokyo Tower, since it always featured so prominently in the original Sailor Moon anime. It was symbolic. It would have meant that we’ve made it, you know?
Lol we’re now adults in our 30s, with jobs, households, and partners, but apparently the dream never really went away. The more that I got into planning this trip, and the more that I talked to James, I realized that I do still fervently want to take that ONE photo of Tokyo Tower and call this fantasy fulfilled.
The symbol would come full circle. It would mean that I’ve made it.
Key differences
The difference, though, is that unlike myself, James has pretty much gotten a better start. He’s been travelling internationally ever since college, and over the years, he’s become a very seasoned traveler. His family isn’t super rich, but definitely better off than most (meanwhile I had to drop out of college because my folks couldn’t afford my tuition anymore lol), plus he himself is very successful in his career, so funding his trips have never been much of an issue for him, I think.
Also, and probably most importantly, he’s been to the USA.
This means that he’s been granted a US visa. This means that he could travel pretty much anywhere else, because if you can get a US visa, you can go anywhere. This means that he has several passports full of stamps front to back. And with all those stamps, this means that the rest of the world is open to him.
Because when you have a Philippine passport, this is the only way to actually give that little brown booklet actual worth, other than being a glorified form of identification.
Meanwhile, I have one lonely stamp for four days in Hong Kong six years ago. And only because a former friend paid for it. I wouldn’t have gone back then, either, had the whole trip not been paid for, simply because I couldn’t afford jack shit at the time, and that was a very low point in my life lol.
Sigh.
No, this isn’t a cryfest.
No, don’t get me wrong. I love James to bits, I am always happy for him, and I never resented any of his good fortune. I am delighted and relieved that he’s joining us in Tokyo and that he’s helping me out in this whole red tape circus, as much as he can.
If anything, I’m just sort of disappointed at my own circumstances, but I also understand that a lot of that (especially when it concerns my parents) were things I couldn’t really do anything about.
I’m just glad I did well enough to survive and get away from it all, and start a life for myself.
We’re doing much better now. There’s actually money in the bank, for one thing, haha. The bills and rent are never anything we need to worry about, we eat well, and we can afford our indulgences and luxuries. So that’s a lot of stuff to be thankful for.
Poor Philippine Passport-chan.
I just absolutely hate the fact that due to how sucky our passport is, and that I’m an online worker, I am considered as… not a desirable traveler, I guess.
Because I haven’t traveled before, the impression is that I can’t afford to. So maybe I’ll just jump ship once I reach Japan (or any other country) to steal jobs from law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.
Because I earn my money by working online, the impression is that I don’t have a “real job.” Because I “don’t have a real job,” I don’t have a company ID, or official pieces of paper that state that I DO have a job, that I DO earn money, and that I CAN afford to travel… So maybe I’m actually a penniless bum and I’ll just jump ship once I reach Japan (or any other country) to steal jobs from law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.
You can see where this is going, right?
Unfortunately, where I’m from, all the misconceptions about being a home-based worker are amplified about tenfold. And it’s not just family or friends that subscribe to this whole idea, but relationships with banks, embassies, or anything remotely “official” are also heavily affected.
You have no idea how rare it is for a home-based worker to even own a credit card, unless that card was something they managed to get during their days as a duly employed corporate worker. You can even barely open a savings account.
I’d go into detail about WHY, but that would probably end up as a thesis on Filipino culture.
Sigh. Yeah, sorry, I’m rambling.
It just gets frustrating when you’re aware that what’s keeping you from achieving one of your lifelong dreams is irrelevant bureaucracy and paperwork.
Anyway, now to go figure this whole thing out. My list of documents to get together is getting longer and longer.
But fuck it. I WILL get that fucking photo of Tokyo Tower.
Wish me luck.
3WCL: Third World Cat Lady 
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