While border control in the United States has become stricter year by year under the Trump Administration’s policies, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, is implementing Trusted Traveler Programs, or TTP, to alleviate long waiting lines at U.S. airport security checkpoints by granting eligibility for fast lanes to relatively low-risk travelers. Since most of these programs, such as TSA PreCheck, are open only to U.S. citizens, non-U.S. citizens like me receive no benefits from them. The Global Entry Program, however, allows even non-U.S. citizens to qualify for expedited processing equivalent to TSA PreCheck, provided they are nationals of DHS-approved countries. Earlier this year, I saw a post on Facebook announcing that Japan had been added to the list of eligible countries. That prompted me to apply for the program. Being approved for Global Entry not only makes my travel within the United States more convenient; it also means receiving an official endorsement from the U.S. government that I am a trustworthy individual.
(more…)Category: Traveling
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Kudos to Flight Attendants
I have long been fond of airline flight attendants not only because of their charming appearance and graceful behavior on board but also because of their professionalism as security personnel who protect the cabin and passengers during emergencies. Their dignified appearance, backed up by their readiness to risk their lives to fulfill their duties in times of emergency, fascinates me.
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Visiting Taipei and the National Palace Museum
I visited Taipei last week. It was the first time I had gone abroad in four years, as the coronavirus pandemic, which began in 2020, had prevented people from crossing borders. Since the border opened this year, I wanted to travel somewhere overseas. I chose Taiwan for this trip because I wanted to see the entire National Palace Museum exhibition in Taipei. I also wanted to enjoy Taiwan before it was too late, given the possible unrest in Taiwan in the near future.
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Changes of the World From COVID-19
COVID-19 is dreadfully spreading throughout the world, hospitalizing more than 3,100,000 people and taking the lives of more than 200,000 patients as of April 29, according to Johns Hopkins University. It is no exception here in Tokyo.
The virus is forcing all people in the world to change their lifestyles. Many have been grounded for months. Essential workers, such as doctors, healthcare workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, supermarket clerks, garbage collectors, delivery service personnel, and staff involved in public transportation, work outside facing the fear of infection.
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Prelude to WWIII
The second year of the Reiwa period began with a nightmare. More precisely, at the beginning of the year, nobody could predict what would be going on just two months later. I am talking about what the entire world is fighting against—COVID-19.
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Visiting Hong Kong
A few weeks ago, I visited Hong Kong to deposit part of my fixed amount savings, deposited in Japan’s post office and matured last month, in HSBC Hong Kong, where I’ve had my bank account for 13 years, and to buy some gold, which was a bit less expensive than what you buy in Japan. Since nobody can predict what will happen to Japan and its economy in the future, I think it is reasonable to diversify assets both nationally and internationally to reduce the risk of loss due to possible economic uncertainty.
I found out two notable things through this trip. One is that Kagoshima is, in fact, one of the important gateways to Japan for some foreign travelers. From a Tokyoite’s point of view, Kagoshima looks like the southernmost far end of Japan, but for some people, it is not. I heard that a sales clerk at Chow Sang Sang’s Central store was selling me a gold necklace, saying she had been to Japan for leisure, entering Japan at Kagoshima Airport, then traveling east to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo, where she departed. She also said that it was a golden route for travelers from China and Hong Kong. Those facts suggest that cities like Kagoshima, Nagasaki, and Fukuoka should look at Asian countries rather than Tokyo to survive in the future.
The other thing is my lack of ability in English conversation. When I talked to the sales clerk or any other people in Hong Kong, all I could say to those people was one-to-two-word sentences like “Yeah,” “No,” “Thank you,” “Oh really?” or something like that. Response speed in English was apparently slower than it was a few years ago. Clearly, it was because I hadn’t used English so much for years, as it is now irrelevant to me in the workplace. All I can do (and need to do) is to at least have my home Englishized to get accustomed to the English environment and to help me live in an English way.