September 19, 2019. Exactly one year ago today, my wife came to Japan for the first time. I'm not sure how she felt before arriving in Japan, but I'm sure it was a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
I couldn't have a clear image of our new life together, I was more worried because I didn't know when and how to get my wife's residence card to enter Japan. I looked it up on the Internet, but there was no such information.
I have used Narita Airport many times, but I have no idea how to get a residence card, because I am Japanese and I can get a free pass at the immigration checkpoint, and even when I go abroad, I am a tourist and they just stamp my passport at the immigration checkpoint.
I found out later that the residence card was made on the spot at the immigration checkpoint and handed to her. So it took more than an hour for my wife to come out to the lobby after her plane arrived.
Come to think of it, it's been years since I've waited at the airport to be picked up like this. In the movie "Love Actually", which ends with the scene of loved ones reuniting with each other in the arrival hall of the airport, I remember waiting with such a scene in mind.
My wife finally appeared in the lobby and I headed home with her. We took a train from Narita Airport to our house, but since the airport itself is located far from the city, Our train had to run through the countryside. We couldn't see any city-like skyscrapers, and I felt bad for my wife. She came to Japan, the one of most developed country in the world, but it's more rural than Cebu City.
One year has passed since then. It has flown by. I'm grateful that we haven't had a single quarrel, and that we're living a peaceful life.
