Jeju Car Rental through Trazy

On a recent trip to Jeju, my husband wanted to drive instead of us taking public transportation (because of the time that will be wasted waiting for buses) so we rented a car. We booked the car rental through Trazy (www.trazy.com) which offered a rate of $32 per day for a small car (Kia Morning). We also rented an English GPS for an additional $10 per day. When the voucher came, it stated that the car will be coming from Sixt. I have read a few bad reviews about Sixt online so I sent an e-mail to Trazy expressing my concerns. They replied that if we encounter any problems, we can contact them and they will assist us.

We did not have any major problems during the process of getting the car. When the car was turned over to us, the gas tank was full and we had English GPS. The staff took pictures of the car before we left but I also made sure to take pictures as well. We decided to get additional full coverage insurance which cost a total of 64,000 won for 3 days. The car itself though had issues (there were times when the car kept losing speed and we were not moving at all) which we informed the staff about when we returned the car. Upon return, we also made sure that the tank was full so we will not be charged additionally.

I find the color of this car really cute!

Amenities at the Daegu International Airport

When my husband and I travel, we usually use the Gimhae International Airport (PUS). However, for a recent trip to Jeju, we flew from Daegu International Airport (TAE). It was both our first time to use that airport so, prior to the flight, we were wondering what amenities to expect at the airport.

The Daegu International Airport is quite small with only two floors. The check-in counters and arrival area are on the first floor whereas the departure area is on the second floor. Here are the different amenities that are inside the airport (as of August 2017):

1^st Floor

• Dunkin Donuts
• Baskin Robbins
• GS 25 (convenience store)
• Tourist Information
• Rent-a-car Booth
• Daegu Bank and ATM machines
• Restroom

2^nd Floor

• Massa Coffee
• Angel-in-us (coffee shop)
• Pharmacy
• Restroom
• Porridge and Bibimbap Café

Inside the domestic gate, there is a Cantata coffee shop that also sells basic stuff like ice cream, soda, and cookies.

After landing back at Daegu Airport, we were told by the flight crew not to take any photos outside as the airport is also being used by the South Korean and US military.

Applying for a Japanese Tourist Visa while on a D-10 visa in South Korea

Note: Please be aware that I am holding a Philippine passport so I need to apply for a visa before visiting Japan. I am sharing this experience to hopefully help out others who are on a D-10 visa in South Korea and wants to visit Japan but would need a visa to do so. I have no idea about the process for other nationalities on a D-10 visa in South Korea that can visit Japan without needing a visa.

Sadly, the short answer to this post is that you cannot. You are not allowed to apply for a Japanese Tourist Visa while on a D-10 visa in South Korea. Unfortunately, I was not aware of this rule and only found out when I was passing my documents at the Consulate of Japan in Busan. I told the lady at the counter that I did not see any information about it and that it was not on their website. The lady at the Consulate confirmed that that information is not posted on their website. Even if my husband will be the one paying for all the expenses, it seems there is no exception. It appears that they base it on the visa status of the applicant.

However, for those who have a different visa status in South Korea but would need to apply for a visa before visiting Japan, here are the requirements from the Japanese Embassy website: (Disclaimer: I translated the information from Korean to English using Naver Translate and Google Translate so it may not be totally accurate. This is just to give you an idea.)

1. passport

2. application form (1 copy)

3. picture (1 piece) - within 6 months and pasted on the form

4. flight and/or accommodation booking confirmation/certificate

5. ability to pay for travel to Japan. One of the following:

            - income certificate from public organizations (maybe work place)

            - bank certificate/statement issued by bank or copy of passbook (for 3 months basis)

6. schedule of stay

7. copy of alien registration card (front and back)

           - include copy of accompanying family members

           - marriage certificate

Other Information:

Individual applications: 9:30-11:30 and 13:30-16:00

Issuance of visa result: Mon to Fri, 9:30-11:30 and 13:30-17:00

* For non-Koreans, a visa issuance fee (32,000 won for a single visa, 63,000 won for a multiple visa, 7,000 won for a pass visa) is required when issuing a visa.

* The application documents are not returned when applying for a visa.

The information above was collected around June-July 2017. 

Rates for sending money using Daegu Bank-Western Union Transfer Service

I usually do not send money to the Philippines from Korea but when I do, I use bank to bank services. That is, I send money through a bank here in South Korea straight to a bank account in the Philippines. To try and reduce the service charge I pay for sending money, I tried the services of Sentbe last year. However, that experience did not go so well and left me unsatisfied with their service. I am not sure if anything has changed since then. At that time, a lot of people were complaining because their money was taking longer than expected to arrive and Sentbe was not giving any updates.  

I had been considering Western Union since I have used them years ago. However, I was not able to find information online on how much their service charge is. In order to find out, I tried their services again. I went to Daegu Bank and sent money via Western Union. I got a pamphlet which shows their pricing scheme. I am sharing it here to help out others who might be thinking of sending money through them.

For additional information, the pamphlet provides the following contact numbers:

Daegu Bank Customer Service Center: 1566-5050

Western Union Customer Service Hotline: 00798-8521-3000

Extending your D-10 visa

These are the requirements for extending the D-10 visa which was provided by the Graduate School Office of the university where I graduated:

• Application Form
• Plan for Seeking Employment Form
• Alien Registration Card (ARC)
• Tuberculosis Test Results
• Evidence of what you have done for the past 6 months (interview record, business card, etc.)
• Document to verify your place of sojourn

I did not bring my passport since I have my alien registration card with me. However, the Immigration Officer asked for it. Good thing that she did not ask me to come back because I did not have my passport. Next time, it will be better to bring it.

The tuberculosis test and results can be obtained from a Korean Public Health Center. I visited the Dong-gu Public Health Center because of its proximity to the Daegu Immigration Office. When I finished the chest X-ray, I was told by the lady at the reception that I should have done it closer to where I live. I just thought that I can immediately get the results and apply for the extension at the Immigration after. It turns out, it takes a bit of time before the results come out. I did the test on a Thursday and got the results Wednesday the following week. The test costs 500 won.

As for the evidence of what I have done, I provided them with the e-mail confirmation of the companies I applied for. I saw the Immigration Officer highlighting the dates of the e-mail to make sure they were within the past 6 months.

I applied for the extension less than two weeks before the validity of my ARC ends. I noticed that the new validity date was six months from the first validity date given. The validity of my card was August 21 and when I extended it, the new validity given was February 21, 2018.

To those applying for an extension of their D-10 visa, goodluck!