ETA- they only take a certain number per day and that number resets at noon Eastern time (I think it's noon, but it might be 11:00 or 1:00. I can't remember.) so if you check right after that you'll likely get in.
Well, I have "getting up before 2 or 3 (depending on US daylight saving time) to get ready for renewal" to look forward to. I'm not sure if that's better than the time/money to travel to Tokyo.