I hate spam.  I detest it.  And I'm not talking about the scrumptious processed meat product.  I think you all know the spam I'm referring to—the kind peddling cheap viagra, phony rolexes, and desperate but gorgeous Russian girls pining for your love.

Most people I know pack up and leave an email address after it starts getting loads of spam, but being a dedicated IT nerd I didn't want to throw in the towel that easily.  I made it my life's mission to stop all spam from getting into my inbox.  Well, maybe not my life's mission, but my primary home IT project for the next few months or so.  This was my mission, and this is my story.  Maybe you'll see this in theaters next summer.

Read more: My Adventures in Spam Blocking

A permanent resident visa (aka "PR") is the Mr. Miagi black belt of visas in Japan.  Why?  Well, I'll tell you why:

* Almost all work visas in Japan require some kind of sponsor, usually a company or a spouse.  The problem here is that if something happens to your sponsor--e.g. your company suffers a financial crisis, or sweet love turns sour--then your visa could go bye-bye.  PR does not have this problem.  You're your own sponsor.
* You don't have to renew it every 1~3 years.
* You can get stuff like credit cards and home loans.  While it's not impossible to get these without PR, you can enjoy more options and higher credit limits closer to what Japanese citizens enjoy.
* You can work in any industry.  Company-sponsored visas usually lock you to a particular industry, but with PR you're free to do whatever you want.
* It's about as close to becoming a Japanese citizen without actually becoming a citizen.
* PR makes you instantly awesome.

As you'd expect, getting something as all-powerful as a permanent residence visa in Japan isn't easy.  Unfortunately, it's made even more difficult since the Immigration Bureau's website (esp. the English one) provides very little information as to what's required.  Having gone through the process myself, I thought I'd outline it--potentially saving you a headache or two.

Read more: Life in Japan - How to Get Permanent Residence

２００９年の夏にITの仕事から解雇された後、次の仕事を探すまでの期間、少しでも収入を得ようと稲川素子事務所と契約することにした。リーマン ショックの影響で正社員の仕事を見つけるのは非常に困難な渦中、日本に住む外国人にとってエンターテインメントの仕事は安定していると聞いたから である。困難で、かつ莫大な時間を要する就職活動中、長期の安定した仕事を得られるまではエンターテインメントの仕事をして低迷していた収入の埋 め合わせをできれば、と思ったのだ。ちょうど自由の身だった私は、与えられたどんな仕事でも引き受けることができた。

初めてもらった仕事は、外国人がよく出る歴史劇のテレビでの仕事だった。撮影中、この業界で仕事をしている他の外国人に会った。彼らに、これは私 の最初の仕事で自分は稲川素子事務所に入ったばかりだ、と言ったところ、１人の友好的なアメリカ人の男性が、気を付けるようにとアドバイスをくれ た。彼は私よりも日本のエンターテインメント業界での経験があったので、詳しいことを聞いてみた。すると彼は、“給料をもらうのはいつだと言われ た？”と私に聞いた。“２か月後と言われた”と私は答えた。彼は“６か月くらい見たほうがいい。給料をもらうために、何度も電話をかけて催促し た”と言った。それを言われて心配になり、英語の教師の仕事を探そうかとも考えた。

Read more: 稲川素子事務所での経験談

• You bow when talking on the phone.
• You've figured out kanji for your name.
• You have a personal inkan and a koseki, and you know what those are.
• You've accidentally said 「お疲れ様です」 to a friend from your native country.
• You take your shoes off when visiting your native country.
• You get upset when having to use a toilet without a heated seat and butt spray.
• You forget to tip when visiting your native country.
• You've gotten stuck in the door when rushing for the train on multiple occasions
• You've been scolded by train station staff for rushing into the train on multiple occasions.
• The first thing that

  Read more: How You Know You've Been in Japan Too Long