Discussion Forum

#1

• お迎え
• mail
• 2026/04/24 16:59

I will be picking up a friend coming from Japan at LAX soon.
If you have recently picked up someone to LAX who is not a US citizen or Global Entry yourself, how long did it take you to get there ？
I would appreciate it if you could tell me.

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書き込めなくなるまであと45日

#7

• M
• 2026/06/03 (Wed) 20:48
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MPC application, I used it last year to enter the country. I am a green card holder and my son is a citizen, but we were able to use it.
You can register your family together. It was summer vacation, but the MPC lane was very fast and very empty, so I recommend it.

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#8

• K
• mail
• 2026/06/08 (Mon) 11:27
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Can MPC be used at any terminal ？?

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#9

• YY
• 2026/06/09 (Tue) 15:02
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＃ 7 I checked again about MPC based on K's information.

Below is the updated information.　

＝ ＝ Who can use MPC ＝ ＝

US citizens
US permanent residents
Canadian citizens with US B1/B2 visa
Those traveling for the second or later time with ESTA authorization

（ Therefore, green card holders were also okay ！ (happy ） ）

＝ ＝ Examples of available airports ＝ ＝

John ・ F ・ Kennedy International （ JFK ） , Los Angeles International （ LAX ） , San Francisco International （ SFO ） , Daniel ・ K ・ Inouye International （ HNL ）, Chicago ・ O'Hare International （ ORD ）, Seattle ・ Tacoma International （ SEA ）, Harry ・ Reed International Airport （ LAS ） etc

＃ 8 K asked a question.

What about if you are at LAX （ international but land at ） UA terminal or something.

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#11

• Limonada
• mail
• 2026/06/10 (Wed) 07:30
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＃ 9
Yes ！ Green card holders can also use it.

I was ready to use it and installed it, but the wifi at EWR was unstable and I could not use it. Canadian citizens, US citizens, and permanent residents were in the same line, so it took almost no time at all.
On a side note, when I told immigration that I had been to Morocco, they asked me if I had ridden a camel ？. （ Bomb ）

By the way, when I pick you up at LAX, I wait in the parking lot of the nearby Carl's Jr. and when I get my luggage, I get a call and head curbside.

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#12

• Mr.倍金萬
• 2026/06/10 (Wed) 10:23
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＞ I'll try to get a call when I receive the package and head curbside.

Good idea.

Still, last time （ I returned to LAX last May ） everything was full of private cars, including curbside, and the Flyaway Bus from SFV took extra time before stopping in front of me. But thanks to that bus, I didn't have to be picked up privately, and I was able to get back to the Van Nuys terminal without a hitch.

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#1

• ライム
• mail
• 2026/06/10 00:03

Let's show off our cats in this topic ！
We have two cats. Their tsundere parts are very cute ～ ！

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書き込めなくなるまであと45日

#1

• Tammy
• mail
• 2026/06/08 12:57

Nice to meet you😊
I am Tammy, a housewife in her 30s.
I am currently living in Connecticut due to my husband's work, but I don't have many Japanese friends around me and would love to make some! I would like to participate in any cooking classes held by Japanese people.
If you know of any cooking classes in the New York area that you would recommend, I would be very happy to hear about them ！
Thank you 🌸.

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書き込めなくなるまであと44日

#1

• Aloha
• mail
• 2026/06/06 12:00

Finally next week ⚽️ ！
Japan 🇯🇵 game
Please let me know
if you know where I can watch the game with live viewing ！
(Sports bar etc.)

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書き込めなくなるまであと42日

#1

• Homie
• mail
• 2026/04/02 19:54

I used to look forward to watching Fuji Television's Japanese-language newscasts in the morning, but the broadcast has come to an end. As I get older, Japanese TV is pleasant to my ears, regardless of the quality of the content. If anyone knows of a way to watch Japanese language news in the U.S., please let me know!

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書き込めなくなるまであと40日

#6

• Moja2
• 2026/04/21 (Tue) 19:51
• Report

The University of Tsukuba has a VPN that you can use for free. It is a little tricky to connect, but I always use it to watch TVer.

https://www.vpngate.net/ja/howto_openvpn.aspx

I use SoftEther VPN Client.

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#7

• VPNのこと
• 2026/04/22 (Wed) 21:23
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Thank you Moja2😊

Is this something I have to do every time ？ I don't understand it at a glance and I think I will fail before I start💦

I'm grateful that it is free to use and I will try my best but what you wrote seems a bit difficult😅😅 I'll try my best, but what it says seems a bit difficult 😅.

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#8

• Moja2
• 2026/04/23 (Thu) 19:46
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In my case, I only connect to a VPN when I want to watch TVer or Japanese Amapura, and disconnect it when I'm done.
The trick is to choose a VPN from the list that has a speed of 100Mbps or more, and to choose a VPN that does not have "public" at the beginning. Also, sometimes the connection is lost in the middle, so you have to reconnect to another VPN. Well, anyway, it's free, so I'm willing to overlook a few inconveniences.

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#10

• ブルー
• mail
• 2026/05/27 (Wed) 20:05
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I thought a company called Sankaku connection was doing this.

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#11

• Nika
• 2026/06/04 (Thu) 16:43
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I want to watch Japanese TV programs, but recently I can't watch the free ones, so I switched to Jme, but I can't watch most of the variety shows.
What kind of sites do you subscribe to ？ Are you able to watch variety shows ？ Please let me know.

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#1

• Akasuri
• mail
• 2026/01/30 16:06

Do you know of any spas in OC with red scrubbing ？?

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書き込めなくなるまであと37日

#3

• .
• 2026/04/26 (Sun) 22:10
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Nah, you don't ！.

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#4

• nori
• 2026/05/11 (Mon) 03:24
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I only use ， Gade na,, soul sauna,
male, but,

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#5

• Maru
• 2026/05/27 (Wed) 19:57
• Report

Torrance but Riviera Spa is good.

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#1

• きーふぉぶ
• 2026/05/27 10:28

I tried to make a duplicate of my car's FOB key, but the dealer's estimate was too much … I was wondering what to do, and then I got information that I could buy a third-party FOB key and have it made at a locksmith in town.
However, I could not find a good locksmith, and I was wondering what to do with it, and finally found one.
FOB duplication program and key cutting （ internal groove type ＝ laser cutting ） and it was $ 120.
A place called keymastersla.com. There was no travel fee. I will share the information.
The car is a 2022 Toyota push start system.

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書き込めなくなるまであと33日

#2

• キー
• 2026/05/29 (Fri) 08:56
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I've been there myself. I finally found a small locksmith shop on Lomita Street in Torrence after many searches. It is a very friendly store and I highly recommend it.
The car is a 2010 LEXUS RX450H
I bought the FOB key on eBay beforehand and had it programmed at the small locksmith shop.
As an experience, the first key I bought was defective and unusable （ Locksmith no charge ） The second key I bought was programmed but did not open the hatchback but I still use it.
without key cut ＄ it was about 120.　Dealer prices are certainly high.

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#1

• Yotamura
• mail
• 2026/05/29 06:46

Nice to meet you. I am the mother of a high school freshman living in Japan.
My 15-year-old son is pursuing his dream of becoming a professional football player and will be attending the Nike Football Camp at Stonehill College from July 26-30 by himself.
I finished arranging his airline ticket, but due to strict age restrictions in the U.S., the hotel where he was scheduled to stay for two nights （ July 25 and July 30 before and after his flight ） refused to allow him to check in alone at age 15. We were also refused an extension of the camp dormitory, and we are not allowed to accompany our parents.
So, this is a very impolite request, but we are looking for a kind Japanese person living near Boston who would be willing to let us stay at his/her home for a total of two nights (July 25th and July 30th) for a fee （ even sleeping together ）. We will, of course, pay for your stay, actual expenses, gratuities, etc.
My son is very polite and stoic, devoted to sports. We are looking for someone who can help us.
Contact ： yotata0806@gmail.com （ Tamura ）

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書き込めなくなるまであと33日

#1

• T
• mail
• 2026/04/30 01:14

I am a working person who has been in the U.S. for more than 10 years.
I work for an American company, so there are few Japanese people of my generation and they are all married.
Please tell me where I can meet Japanese people.
I have used Japanese machiap, but I am tired of starting from a long distance.
I wish there was a place or app where singles in the US could meet. Or is there a marriage agency etc. ？

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書き込めなくなるまであと31日

#2

• #２
• 2026/04/30 (Thu) 17:11
• Report

You can find it in the Town Guide.

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#3

• nori
• 2026/05/11 (Mon) 03:14
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Volunteer, join various groups and contribute to them
and participate in learning, in short, put yourself in contact with others
and you will meet the right person for you
in harmony.
If your human power improves, they will come to you!

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#4

• Maru
• 2026/05/26 (Tue) 11:58
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We recommend that you find a fellow Bibinavi member.

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#1

• HM
• mail
• 2026/05/07 16:53

Please tell me about OPT tax returns.

I am currently on OPT (F1 visa) and working as an independent contractor （ signed W8BEN ）. The company does not deduct taxes in advance, so I will pay them all by myself on my tax return next year.

I understand that I am usually exempt from Medicare tax and Social Security tax （ FICA tax ） as I have been in the US less than 5 years.
However, I have also heard that independent contractors are not exempt, so I am confused as to what is really going on.

Also, if I am not exempt, what percentage of my income should I keep for tax purposes ？

I would like to know if anyone is on OPT working as an independent contractor or is familiar with tax returns. I would like to know if you are working as an independent contractor on OPT or if you are familiar with tax return. Thank you ！

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書き込めなくなるまであと28日

#4

• 2026Tax
• 2026/05/12 (Tue) 13:02
• Report

FICA Tax is 15.3% and is calculated and paid on Tax Return.

If you are an Independent Contractor, you will pay W-9 instead of W8Ben.
Income Tax is not withheld, so you pay the following rate, （ maybe 10% ） on Tax Return, depending on your annual income.
https://www.irs.gov/filing/federal-income-tax-rates-and-brackets

OPT is exempt from FICA Tax, so you can get a Refund if your W-2 was withheld. However, it is difficult to explain to the IRS that you are not paying FICA because you are an OPT but an Independent Contractor ） who performs work without the direction of an employer, which is inconsistent.　It is best to hire them as employees.

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