Consulate-General Of Japan, Sydney

Start-ups … from centuries ago We often read about what it takes to start up a new business, but how about the challenge of keeping your 100 or 150 year old business going? Or half a millennium? Japan has no shortage of businesses that have kept up with the times over a long, long time as this Nippon.com Japan Data article reveals https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00259 /#cxrecs_s

Yesterday (28 Aug), the school visit team visited Shore School in North Sydney to give two calligraphy workshops. Students did some great work. よくできました。

Japanese drumming at Strathfield Spring Festival - this Saturday (1 Sept) Wadaiko Rindo Sydney will be performing at 11.55am on the Demonstration Stage, presented by the Consulate-General of Japan, Sydney as part of our efforts to introduce Japanese culture at local community festivals. Strathfield Spring Festival is timed to coincide with Father's Day and is a great family day out.

Over the weekend the Consul-General got in touch with nature. Saturday (25 Aug) saw him enjoying the Annual Bonsai Exhibition of the Bonsai Society of Sydney in the morning, and in the afternoon, the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival at the Auburn Botanic Gardens.

Some weekend reading - latest issue of Highlighting Japan The August issue is all about enjoying summer in Japan. Of course fireworks and festivals are covered, but so too are the various ways Japanese people adjust their lifestyles during the hot months to keep cool. Another type of cool - emoji creator Shigetaka Kurita features in "From Japan to the World". You can also 'travel' to two beautiful islands: one in Japan's north in Hokkaido, Rebun Island, and the other way down south in Okinawa, Iriomote Island. https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicit y/book/hlj/

Japanese Film Festival 2018 - coming soon Details are now available for the Classic Film Program that will show at the Art Gallery of NSW during October. Regional Programs will also be coming to places in NSW and the NT. The Classic Film and Regional Programs are FREE, but places are often limited, so don't miss out. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/…/japanese-fi lm-festival-classic…/

Japanese wagyu beef returns to Australia Surely everyone has heard of wagyu beef - it is now common in Australian restaurants. But did you know that the local 'wagyu' product now has some stiff competition?
Recently Japanese wagyu beef returned to the Australian market. (Yes, we know that's slightly tautologous as wagyu 和牛already means Japanese beef!) A promotional event was held in Sydney on Monday (20 Aug) with many wholesalers coming especially from Japan to attend.

Last night (20 Aug), Consul-General Keizo Takewaka was delighted to host a reception for attendees of the 78th Biennial International Law Association (ILA) Conference currently being held in Sydney (19-24 Aug). Established in 1873, the ILA is a non-governmental organisation which promotes the study and development of international law, as well as international understanding of and respect for international law. The 79th ILA Conference will be held in Kyoto in 2020.

Japanese textile exhibition at the Japan Foundation, Sydney Starting this Friday (24 August), "The Intuitive Thread" introduces four textile artists from Japan who are re-interpreting traditional methods and exploring new forms of expression. Check the website for related events. https://jpf.org.au/events/the-intuitive-t hread/

Have you heard of the Centre of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology? Japan has had many advances and world firsts in industrial technology and it is important that the records that exist are kept for the future: http://sts.kahaku.go.jp/english/index.php
Each year new entries are made into the list called "Essential Historical Materials for Science and Technology". If you click through to that list http://sts.kahaku.go.jp/english/material/ index.html and randomly click on some of the entries, you will discover some fascinating items. Everything from mosquito coils to gastrocamera lightbulbs, and much more besides!

JET information at WSU - 21 August The JET Desk will be promoting the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program at the Western Sydney University Tourism and Heritage Careers Expo next Tuesday (21 Aug).
For details see: http://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/…/ information_sessions…

The Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival at the Auburn Botanic Gardens starts on Friday and runs until 26 August. This year is the Festival's biggest program yet. For details see https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/sydney- cherry-blossom-fes…

Intensive seminar for teachers applications open. Held at the Japan Foundation Sydney in mid-January 2019, the seminar is designed to enable teachers to develop language skills, gain confidence using Japanese, and to develop language teaching strategies and skills which they can apply in their own classrooms. Learn more about this PD opportunity at https://jpf.org.au/…/professional-devel o…/intensive-seminar/

Japanese National Wheelchair Rugby Team Vs Australian Steelers in World Championship final! Congratulations Japan! Last week the Japanese national wheelchair rugby team was in Sydney to take part in the 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship, held at Sydney Olympic Park. The Japanese team took out the championship and are no doubt looking forward to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Tomorrow 11 August is Mountain Day or 山の日 (Yama no Hi). This is Japan's newest public holiday, first held in 2016. The day is designed to allow people to enjoy the mountains and to be thankful for their blessings. With around three quarters of Japan considered mountainous, mountains have long influenced the lives of Japanese people. This beautiful mountain scenery can be found in Nara Prefecture.

Japan Reports, the Consulate's quarterly printed newsletter, is now available online at www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/english/cul ture.htm.

Highlighting Japan - the latest issue is now available and its theme is 'The Evolution of Japonism'. Briefly, Japonism(e) is the term used to describe the influence of Japanese art and culture on Western art and design from the second half of the 1800s. The magazine describes how this influence persists to this day. Available to read as an e-book or PDF at https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicit y/book/hlj/
If you happen to be going to Melbourne, a current exhibition at the NGV International is "Japonisme: Japan and the birth of modern art" (until 28 October).

Just over two weeks to go! The Australia-Japan Relations Essay Contest for secondary school students in NSW and the NT is closing soon. Make sure your entries arrive at the Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney by close of business on Wednesday 22 August 2018. Guidelines and coversheets are available at http://www.sydney.au.emb-japan.go.jp/…/ ed…/essay_contest.htm

It’s a no fuss, efficient and quick pace process. The most important is be responsible for yourself and prepare all the required documents beforehand. If you have everything in the checklist and filled the visa application form fully and correctly, it will be a very quick one. I was in and out within 18 minutes.

First: be at the ground floor of the building before 9.15am. There will be a queue starting before the opening time and I was the 3rd person in line queuing at the G floor at 9am. At the back of G floor after elevators near the food court, there is a specific line indicated for the queue and that is where everyone should queue. Lvl 12 will not be accessible before 9.15am. Go to the back on the G level and queue there until 9.15 then go to the elevator press lvl 12.

Second: arriving in lvl 12 at 9.16am and the consulate was not yet opened before 9.30am. People started forming line in the same order with the one at G lvl so don’t try to jump the queue. Be civil. Come early and queue up. Within the 15min from 9.15-9.30, there was another 20 people joining the queue. Warning, if you come at 9.30 and expect to be the first person, that is guaranteed will never happened!

Third: 9.30am the door will open and have to go through security. No mobile phone is allowed to be used inside the office. After that, take your ticket. To apply and collect visa will need to queue and take tickets here regardless nationality, Japanese or foreigner.

Fourth: wait for your turn and your number will be shown in the screen. Go to the counter and submit your application. The staff will thoroughly check and make sure everything complete. Return to your seat and wait to be called again, after a few minutes, the staff will called your name and give a yellow confirmation slip. You will only pay for the visa on collection. That’s it!

Within the 18 mins I was there, the waiting room was already full with roughly 40+ people waiting. All seats were taken and many have to stand around.
I didn’t encounter any problem at all as I have everything ready and ticked all boxes in the checklist. This is my third visit to Japan and my third time coming to apply for visa. Only need to come once to apply every single time. Get it right at the first go and be early, then it will be a hassle free process.

Based on my visit in October 25,2017 (afternoon). It wasn’t very crowded and there were still tickets numbers available in the afternoon.

I would suggest you to stay near the elevator (the floor 12 opens at 1:50 pm ) so once floor 12 shows up in the screen, press it and take the elevator. There will be a line up so you better be early.

During my visit, there were more Japanese citizens than visa applications.

And yes, the staff in visa section are less friendly and less helpful, I was left with unanswered question, I had to call the Embassy of Japan in Canberra to get an answer.

Pros:
- Good service, they do have a ticket waiting system which is great.
- The councillors are very friendly and genuinely try to help.
- The process is quick without extra bureaucracy
- They allow to send missing documents in realtime over email from your smartphone, if you go out of the secure area.

Cons:
- it's a bit warm in the waiting area, seemed like the air conditioning was not working
- they have a sign that says something like "because of the high volume of visa applications we can stop accepting applications before the advertised hours."

Advice:
- make sure you bring all the docs as described on the website.
- if you don't have an original of the invitation letter from Japan yet but you do have a scanned version sent from an official Japanese email address, mention it, it might help.

The negative reviews remind me of my terrible experience 2 years ago…I went to this place 6 times before receiving my visa (finally…). What really annoyed me was that each time I went there they pointed out a new problem with my visa application…Why didn't they tell me all those problems at once? Probably the most time-wasting thing in the world…

There has already been qued befre 9:30am opening time. Even busy by many people, each Staff are very kind including Egyptian Security Man.

Worst experience ever, the lady behind the window was so rude. I filled in the form for sightseeing visa and the second page I wasn't sure so I didn't fill in, she said just write down N/A so I did, but I skipped two spots and she said : IF U don't understand English ,google it.
OMG to be fair, her accent was so hard to understand and no patience at all...

If you get all things prepared according to the Visa Application Requirement and Checklist, and arrive the place on time, then, you will find the service is really great. An important tip: Be responsible for yourself.

Consulate general of Japan Sydney is probs the most discriminatory authority I've been to.
Can't speak English, can't explain anything.
What a shame.

Great service, and incredibly efficient considering the great demand of work these people are under.

Its a Consulate, an auxiliary of a national government, charged with completing official documents that allow people to enter their country. Not a Migration agent that completes a paid service.

They provide clear and concise lists and instructions for what you need, follow those and know that they have to deal with a huge work flow, and you'll be fine.

Visited many consulates in the past. This is the worst ever. A waste of time with the personnel who don't know their own visa requirements. Endless refusals to give you a ticket, queues starting at the dawn, ticket swaps and no seating.

Terrible service. They are open at 9.30am but apparently you have to get there by 9am to get a ticket for the morning. I didn't know and got a ticket for the afternoon session, so I had to ring my boss and asked for a whole day off instead. I hang around and came back for my ticket at 3.30 and waited until 4.45 for my name to be called. Waited again for the staff to check my documents. I probably finished around 5pm past. Staff cant speak English well and not very keen on explaining things to you either. Bring a book because they won't let you use the phone for the whole time.

Would like to share my terrible experience.

Day 1 - Their website lists the opening hours as 9.30am. I went there at 9.45am. I was told that their queue tickets for the morning had all been distributed and that I should come earlier next time. I was even advised by the staff that some people arrived as early as 8.30am to get the tickets.

Day 2 - I went to their office the second time. Arriving at 9.15am (15 minutes before the start of business hour), I was told to come back in the afternoon as tickets are all gone again! Luckily (if you call it lucky), i can get a ticket for PM.

It's easier for me to revisit their office as I work in city. Just can't imagine how hard it will be for those who travelled 40 or 50 minutes from a suburb (please note they don't accept mailed application unless you are from regional area).

I understand that they are trying to save processing time for themselves.

What I don't understand is why can't they have an online booking system if pre-registration is so important for them? They can actually set a limited number for online booking each day. In this way, people don't have to physically travel to their office again and again just to get a ticket.

The only explanation here is that they would like to save their time, but they don't care about other people' s time.

Let me finish my story. I finally got through to the counter. I was told that I need to get a confirmation of flights. What I provided was only an itinerary with flight number and my name. Not good enough.

Again I understand and plan to return with a flight confirmation as flight tickets show that I genuinely would like to visit the country. At that time I mentioned if the lady can suggest where I might be able to get confirmation before making a payment (as I would like to get my visa first before paying for flight)? Currently all online booking requests payment first.

The lady threw these words to my face "THAT'S YOUR OWN BUSINESS."

Okay I think that's it. My journey to Japan stops here. Will not try again as it's simply NOT worth it. The way they treat people is NOT reasonable. Will just go somewhere else for my family holidays.

Japanese people are known for their efficiency, unfortunately it is the exact opposite here. Not only the processing is slow, the counters here clearly have a racial preference. Either you're Japanese and finish your business in 5 minutes, or get ready to waste a whole day waiting. They are also rude and incredibly condescending. Well done, you just lost your country a potential business partner.