Typhoons Typhoons / Permanent Resident /12th Birthday in Japan / Meet Marc who got locked up in Japan but somehow won his case

I'm alive. Thanks to those who messaged and checked about us during the typhoon. We are fine, thank God. But many were hit hard. Let's pray for them and help however we can.

2 really powerful typhoons hit Japan in the space of a month. Scary days.

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Day 4102 (Big Typhoon #15)
Mon, Sept 9, 2019 

At about 1am after midnight, a really strong typhoon hit our area. Typhoon #15. My house was shaking and we hardly could sleep. Our phone alarms kept going off telling us to evacuate. But this is just a general thing for people in my ward (Kanazawa ward, Yokohama) because it is right by the coast. Where I live is on a hill and not so close to the coast. Actually our area is where they tell people to evacuate to. So these alarms were more of a nuisance than anything else.  

We did manage to get some sleep and guess what? I had to find myself at work just a few hours after the typhoon!!! Some areas like Chiba prefecture were devastated. 

Check out this train station close to mine with people heading to work just hours after the strong typhoon. The trains didn't even start running yet!!!

This is Japan, nothing is more important than work!!! Foreigners in Japan will never be able to understand this kind of mindset. Unbelievable. 

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Days 4110-4111 (Trip to Atami, Shizuoka with the Inlaws)
Tues and Wednesday, Sept 17-18, 2019 

For the first time since we got married, I went on an outing trip with my wife and her parents. It was to a town famous for hot springs, about a hour and half from where I live.  

We had lunch, then kind of explored the area a bit. 

We also went to a trick art museum. 

In the evening, we had dinner in the in-laws room. It was pretty decent.

The following morning, we had breakfast in Takako's parents' room then a big lunch at the Atami station. While heading back home, Takako said to me, let's go straight to Yokohama. I said "no I'm too tired, let's go home" ... She insisted that we go straight to the Yokohama station, that's when I figured she must have a plan for my birthday.

So yeah she surprised me by booking an expensive hotel for us to stay for my birthday. The Intercontinental hotel in Yokohama.  

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Day 4112 (12th Birthday in Japan)
Thrs, Sept 19, 2019 

My final year in the 30s age bracket. And I only feel like 37 😅.
Woke up at the intercontinental hotel and had breakfast there. It was realllly good. We then walked around the area a bit then headed home. 

When we got home, I found in the mail a postcard from the immigration office telling me to come pick up my permanent residence card. Hooorayyy! Another birthday present I guess.

39 to backside!

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Day 4113 (Dinner with old friends)
Fri, Sept 20, 2019 

After work today, I had dinner with some of my first set of friends when I just moved to Japan in 2008.

Day 4114 (Sleepover at Friends House)
Sat, Sept 21, 2019 

Me and Takako went to our friends, Sasha-Lee, Helena and Henry's place in Chiba. We had a big dinner then they introduced us to this community gathering they have every weekend at a supermarket nearby. 

This supermarket has been there for years but then the convenient stores etc. were threatening to put it out of business. The community didn't want this and so they gathered around and have this meeting thing every weekend, and even local politicians go there and support it.

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Day 4119 (Permanent Residence and New License)
Thrs, Sept 26, 2019 

Picked up both my permanent residence card and my updated Driver's License today.

What this really means is that I don't need to go to the immigration office if I want to do any job whatsoever in Japan. Japan's visa system locks foreigners in based on the jobs they are doing. And legally, if you want to do another job, you have to seek permission with the proper paperwork, from the immigration office. Also, instead of renewing every 1-3 years, this I renew something like every 7 years or so. 

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Day 4121 (WATOTO in Japan again)
Sun, Sept 29, 2019 

Today, just suddenly, someone asked if I could translate in church. I have never done this before in front of a big group of people. But I attempted. Sometime I could not hear what the guy was saying, so it was a bit nerve-wracking. It didn't really go well but hey I tried... And out of everyone else, they asked me. Not sure why, because my Japanese isn't at that level yet, but it helped me to get some practice.  

Went to Lifehouse Tokyo church just after our church in Yokohama, to see WATOTO perform. Last year we hosted 3 of them at our home. It was a blessing. We also decided to sponsor children at the WATOTO village in Uganda.

After the event, me and Takako went to a restaurant to have dinner. We both felt this special bond between us at this restaurant  tonight, that we keep reminiscing about. We ate here before but something felt unusually special about tonight.

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Day 4127 (Meet Marc who was wrongly accused, locked up in Japan but somehow, won his case)
Sat, Oct 5, 2019 

Was talking to a guy recently that got locked up in Japan for some months after being wrongly accused. You can see his interview on youtube below. It is quite mind blowing and interesting. Check it out...

INTERVIEW WITH MARC

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Day 4134 (Typhoon #19 Devastated parts of Japan)
Sat, Oct 12, 2019 

Another typhoon hit Japan today. And this one was the biggest in decades they say. Actually from 2 days before, I started to buy stuff in preparation. All the breads were already sold out in the supermarket! 

For my area, the typhoon on Sept 9 was actually worst. Because that one had the house shaking several times. The only thing with this typhoon today, is that an earthquake hit as well as a freeking tornado!!! The tornado was far from my area though. 

Many areas were devastated by the flood rains and landslides.

It's clean and generally safe in terms of crime, but a magnet for natural disasters. 

Pray for Japan!