I just passed through immigration and they punched a hole in my residence card, so now it's official. Still my home, but not a Japanese resident any longer. Such a strange world that can exist this way...On the one hand, it's a bit of a bummer that I couldn't find a way that works with my lifestyle to keep my residency but on the other, being a tourist comes with some privileges. I can now get a JR pass when I return in a month, I can buy things tax free (at least for a while until new changes take effect). So, it's not all sadness on my part.
I just passed through immigration and they punched a hole in my residence card, so now it's official. Still my home, but not a Japanese resident any longer. Such a strange world that can exist this way...On the one hand, it's a bit of a bummer that I couldn't find a way that works with my lifestyle to keep my residency but on the other, being a tourist comes with some privileges. I can now get a JR pass when I return in a month, I can buy things tax free (at least for a while until new changes take effect). So, it's not all sadness on my part.