Visa and Documentation

So two weeks before I begin my travel to Japan, I get the paperwork necessary to complete the Visa application. Good thing it only takes three days to get a Visa at the consulate in L.A. It takes four days in DC.

~What you need to get an Extended Stay Visa ~
-A valid passport
-A certificate of Eligibility
(completed by someone or an organization you know in Japan)
-A Completed Visa Form

The process was pretty easy for me. For more information check out the Japanese Consulate Website

In other news

I have a new camera.



Not just a camera, but the Kodak Zi6 Digital Video Camera. I sort of going away present from my dad. I'll upload some video soon, but it is a very slick piece of hardware.



4 settings. Photo, VGA, HD, and HD 60

It takes normal pictures, 3 megapixel, pretty good considering my previous camera was only four. Drawbacks, no flash, limited zoom. Then again, I'm not exactly producing art here, I just want to document my trip, so it exceeds my needs as a camera.

It has three video settings, VGA low res, HD high res, and HD60 high res high framerate. The quality of the video on this thing is excellent. The microphone isn't half bad either. The files are stored as .MOV files, and the camera interfaces with the computer via USB. Easy drag and drop transfer, and it even comes with software to upload the videos quickly and easily to youtube. Very convenient.

On my Gig SD card, I've reached about 15 minutes for the memory to fill up on HD60. That drained the batteries a bit, it runs off AA, and came with a couple rechargables and a charger. Pretty good for $160. A solid investment for my dad, who wants to see every step of my adventure in Japan.

I'll be posting the first video soon, with many more to come. I'm excited, two weeks to Japan.


-Mack