How I got my Japan Visa without an ITR

It has been a year since I have written on this blog. I just want to introduce myself again.
My name is Ikeng and I'm currently living in Cagayan de Oro. At this time, I am helping in my father's business but I'm a tour organizer by profession.

I would like to share with you guys, how I was able to get my Japan visa. For Filipinos, getting a Japan visa is proven to be a difficult task. This is because of the previous anomalies involving the illegal recruitment of Filipinas as entertainers. I really do not have anything against that profession because I know times are tough and people resort to different things when they have no money. However, it has tarnished the image of Filipinos in general that we will possibly become illegal aliens or  TNT (tago ng tago) once we set foot in Japan. Because of that, the Japanese Embassy has become stricter in processing VISAs.

Anyway, when I was still studying in UP as a Masters student, I became friends with two amazing Japanese girls. I might have included some of their pictures on the previous posts. These two friends gave me an invitation to go to Japan. Along with the invitation, they sent their residence certificate. Please check out the Japan Embassy site to get all the requirements.

Although they have provided me the invitation, both of them are not my guarantors. Of course, it is given that they will accommodate me in Japan. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan said that I need not get any documentation regarding my friend's financial status even if they accommodate me. I think it's only needed when if they have purchased the tickets for me.

I do not have my own ITR so I have used my mother's ITR and made a letter to the Ambassador that my mother will pay for my expenses. I think that worked because 2 days after I sent my papers (via Friendship tours, Makati), they have already gave me the VISA. I got a 15 day visa and now planning for the trip of my dreams!

Hope this helps any Filipino traveler who wants to go to Japan.

Cagayan-Davao-Manila-Davao-Cagayan de Oro

Okay so I haven't written anything in a span of 4 months or so. Lots of things has happened. Lots of things that I want to happen, didn't happen. 


I'm dividing my time between Davao and Cagayan de Oro now.  But most of the time I am here in Cagayan de Oro.  My father has decided to open a store here and I'm gonna be the one manning the site.  I don't think I will be able to travel a lot now.  On the other hand, that is fine too because well, it STILL does feel that I'm travelling mainly because of the fact that, I haven't really explored Cagayan de Oro that much.  And Bukidnon is another part of Mindanao that I want to be familiar with. It is the next town after Cagayan de Oro.  I do miss Manila sometimes.  I have friends back home that I miss a lot, cafes like Pan de Americana and Qizia, and just our house in Marikina which is near to everything! Now, I live in this small apartment, just right across this tower of a cellphone network provider.I thought at first it is a good thing. But living near a tower doesn't necessarily guarantee a fast connection/signal.  Anyway, I get chat hiccups a lot of times but that's fine.  There's nothing that I can do about it.



My Bisaya is getting better. I can say that I can pretty much comprehend what the locals say to me and I can already advise the cab driver the best route to use when I'm going home.  I think that's really important.  I'm working on my Bisaya accent like saying EKING for IKENG. I love how they change the I to E. And how they say tricyKOL for tricycle, peanut BRITOL when they mean peanut brittle, goGGOLS for goggles. You get the drift.  It sounds funny at first but I love the exaggeration.


My favorite word, I think I have mentioned this before, is LIBOG. Libog means "confused" in Bisaya.

But Libog in Tagalog, means totally different. It means HORNY. I love saying it most of the time without getting in trouble. Nalibog ko just means I'm confused but if you say that in Manila, I think people would really stare at me. Or maybe they think I have Tourette's.


This year Shao went back to Malaysia. But I met two new friends, Hans from Davao and Lester from Manila. I'm really happy to meet them! Hans told me that I should come and visit him in Seoul. I really want to try the Bunjee jumping there and ride the biggest rollercoaster in South Korea!


The last trip to Manila is hella tiring for me.  I think I might have abused my body too much, this will definitely haunt me when I'm 50.  Hans and Yong, his friend homestayed for two days. I wish I could've cooked them a nice Filipino meal.

Hans told me that Yong looks like a bear. I don't know why he said that...I don't know if it's because he had limited English. I wonder how he would described Yong if his English has gotten better. Actually for me, Yong looked like a hamster. Maybe the bear hamster.

I've been reading a lot. I have tons of books to finish.  I really should have make list.  I got a new Murakami book that I'm itching to read. But I'm trying to do a delayed gratification thing hee hee. One thing that I'm happy about--I think I will be getting my hands on Geek Love soon which is an awesome book about carnivals and freaks. The dark humour is a big come-on for me. My friend Les has agreed that I can ship it to his house in Alaska, same with what I've done with Pinball 1973 by Murakami when I asked Tom if I can have it shipped to Fukuoka. But Tom, being a good friend that he is, still hasn't asked his mom to mail it. But that's fine, as long as I know it's not lost or anything.

Very excited. Will be doing a lot of snail mails from now until the the end of November.  Not so excited about Christmas though.



 

Davao foodtrip third part: Italian restaurants

La Toscana Restaurant

Salutti

 

   

   

  

Davao foodtrip second part: The Sutokil Experience

EDCIL's SUTOKIL

After the great day we had at Isla Reta, Talicud Beach, Karla decided to have our dinner at a Sutokil Restaurant.  This is really my first time to have Sutokil. For some Bisdak or Bisayans, Sutokil is similar to Tapsilog in a sense that Sutokil actually means a combination of Sugba, Tola, and Kinilaw whereas Tapsilog is Tapa, Sinangag and Itlog. I had Imbao Tola, Tuna Belly Sugba and Kinilaw! So yummy! The price was only 179 pesos and it was good for two persons! WOW!

Laguna Food trip with Tom

My friend Tom studies in UP Los Banos. I visited him to go on a Laguna foodtrip! All the way from Marikina yo!  I really can't pass this up.  We rode on his motorbike and literally hopped from one cool restaurant to another.


Mio Cusina, Los Banos, Laguna

First stop is in Mio Cucina which is a classy small Italian restaurant.  Most of their clientele are professors from UPLB or probably researchers from IRRI.  The interiors are sort of Asian. The whole area used to be a bodega so you can imagine how small the space is.  They did a pretty good job though, maximizing the space.

                                           Tom playing with the flowers while waiting for our meal.

I ordered Pasta with Brocolli. I think Tom ordered Beef Stroganoff.  We also had Pako salad and 2 tall glasses of apple iced tea. Yummy.

We started off with Pako Salad which is extremely fresh. The salad also has sweet turnips and the pako, which are fern shoots, are so soft.  I like how the salad is topped with kesong  puti too. The vinaigrette is also great---not too sweet, not too sour.

 The pasta was great! I loved it. I am a fan of olives and this pasta has generous amounts of it.

After I finished my pasta, I went around the room outside so I can take pictures of it.

                                                                 This is a nice spot for two

                                                      The flowers seem to invite you in.

New Malaya Restaurant (Malaysian Restaurant)

It is extremely hot and we would have liked it if they had airconditioning.  This place serves the best Malaysian authentic cuisine. I really want to try this despite the warm weather. Chilis in summer? Why not. 

We ordered Beef Rendang and Mango and Apple Kerabu. We washed it all down with yummy milk tea.  

 Tom said we had to order something sweet to balance the spicyness of the Beef Rendang. He was right. For every bite of beef rendang, I had about a mouthful of rice and a spoonful of the kerabu. The Kerabu by the way is sort of a salad.

 

 I know this is a poor image by my camera phone but this is the Beef Rendang.

 

 Mango and Apple Kerabu!

 

 Milk tea to wash all the chili down.

Tom said that a woman cooks for this restaurant but I think she was not there when I visited.  I liked the food but I wish we had gone there in the evening.  I was drenched in sweat after we ate due to the weather. Every bite was like throwing another log in the fire! Nice time with my friend though. Thanks tom!

Okay, all in all, my Laguna food trip was really great because I get to sample authentic Asian cuisines. There is one restaurant that we went to, Baan Thai, which is my favorite. However, my camera battery went dead on me so I didnt have pictures of what we ate. I loved the Sotanghon Salad! Great Thai cuisine :) People from Los Banos are really lucky because they have wide selection of cuisines, like you can go for Italian then Asian the next. The price are okay too. But well, my friend treated me so.... hehehe. Anyway, try these restaurants when you're in LB.

Cafes

Roxas Avenue, Davao is  peppered with cafes and grills.  This is Chicco di Cafe and inside you can see nice comfy chairs for lounging. I'm not a big fan of coffee but I like chilling in airconditioned cafes.

They have a wide selection of cakes and pastries. They also have free wifi!

Davao foodtrip first part: Pastillan sa Ponce

I asked my friend Kim if she can go with me on a foodtrip around Davao.
Our first stop is Pastillan sa Ponce which is near Ateneo de Davao.
Of course, UP's Mang Larry still comes to my mind when we're talking about Isaw.

But I have to try this Pastel!  Nooo, this isn't the yummy buns from Camiguin. These are in fact, chicken innards that are cooked pretty much like adobo which you have as a rice topping.

There are tables and chairs that are set up outside and inside. We stayed inside the Pastillan though boy, it was extremely hot!


The Pastel is great, it's goes perfect with rice.  The isaw however, is just okay. I guess having the tastebuds of a UP isaw eater makes it difficult for me to forget Mang Larry's goodies.  There is one isaw that I really like though which is from Marikina. It is 10 pesos per stick, a bit pricey. I'll tell you more about it next time.