My passport arrived from the Japanese Consulate last Wednesday. It took them 3 business days to process and one day for the postman to bring it to me. I'm heading off this Tuesday on United Airlines, arriving on Wednesday, and beginning school on Thursday. There's this nifty video that teaches you how to buy a Japanese subway ticket. I found it quite informative. Here it is if you're interested. http://video.aol.com/video-detail/id/2428858945