Today I had a very pleasant surprise in Osaka. I had to go to the US Consulate to renew my US passport. Although the expiration year was 2023, due to frequent travel from my prior job, most of the pages were used and stamped so I had to get a new passport. I made a passport appointment for 9:30 am this morning. I wanted to be sure not to be late and miss my appointment so I left my apartment extra early. Yesterday I had gotten all the required things needed: the photo, the filled in application printed out, and a checkbook to pay (only credit card now accepted). But I was dreading that this type of government processing would take 2-3 hours, like at the Uji Tax Office that I had just been to last week. I left Kyotanabe around 7:00 am and arrived at the Consulate around 8:00 am, about an hour and a half early so I had another breakfast of a “morning set” at the Holly’s Cafe across the street from the US Consulate and waited there. At a little before 9:00 am, I left the coffeeshop and crossed the street to the consulate. There was a large police security bus in the front and the outside security people were ordering people around and sounded very strict. There were other people lining up in front of the building. I asked the security person that I had an appointment for a renewal of my passport “Koushin” for 9:30 am and is that the line I had to wait in. Although I was very early, surprisingly they took me before anyone else and I went to the security screening inside the building. Usually at any airport security, I do not remove anything from my backpack except my laptop. But the consulate security screening was very meticulous and so strict. Every time they ran my backpack through the x-ray machine, they found something else that I had to take out. It started with earphones, then it was microphone cords, then several USBs, and even my selfie stick which the security people who were older, did not even know what it was. They only had one x-ray machine and so my backpack had to be run through the x-ray machine over an over for five times. I was holding up the line behind me as there was only this one line. Finally, after removing everything from the backpack, about 15 minutes later I finally cleared security. The security guards were so anal and picky that they had me remove a small nail clipper that was connected to my bicycle lock key. I had to leave the nail clipper and the selfie stick at the guard station. Now I don’t know how you could do any damage or injury at the consulate with a small nail clipper or a selfie stick. Even umbrellas had to be left outside. It reminded me of the security check right after 9/11 at the airports. After finally clearing security, I literally dumped everything that came out of my backpack back into the backpack without sorting things and went to the 4th floor. On the 4th floor, there were some people sitting and waiting and there was a sign that said “check in” at window one. I went to window one and handed in my application and Jet Pack envelope (so they could mail the new passport back to me and I would not have to come back to pick the passport up). The consulate staff person quickly looked over my application and told me it would take two weeks and to go and pay at window three. I then went to window three and paid with a credit card the renewal fee of $110. Then the staff at window three told me to sit and wait until they process the final receipt and they will call my name. I went to sit down and within two minutes they called my name. I then went back to window one to pick up the final receipt and I was done! It was 9:21 am! My appointment was for 9:30 am! The renewal of my passport had taken just over five minutes! The security check had taken longer than the process to renew my passport. I couldn’t believe it! If this kind of process was done in a Japanese government or bureaucracy system it would take at least an hour or more of waiting at different stations. This is one time that I thought that the US (when they get their act together) can be extremely efficient when they are willing to do what works. I think what I experienced at the US Consulate is more about critical thinking and working in a results-based culture. In Japan there are lots of people and there are a lot of rules which the staff always follow strictly. There are many systems set up to keep everyone in order but it is usually not very efficient or effective. For example, if I had an appointment for 9:30 am, I am certain that if this were any other Japanese organization, no matter what, they would not have taken me earlier than my reservation time of 9:30 am and their reasoning would be that it would not be “Fair.” Also the Japanese working systems are built on “Kakunin” (confirmation). Japan’s management systems are based on many layers of “confirmation,” to be sure everything is done and confirmed exactly right, and then the confirmation of the confirmation. This is where many Japanese company and management systems are very inefficient and tend to just follow the rules as they are written. As I left the last window, I said to the staff person, “Is that it?” She nodded and said the passport would be delivered in two weeks to my apartment in Kyotanabe. Wow, it will come from Washington DC and still I can get it delivered to my apartment in two weeks? Unbelievable. I gave her a big smile, thanked her and said “Sasuga, America!” ;)
I was done with the renewal process at 9:21 am. My passport appointment was for 9:30 am. This doesn't happen in Japan.
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