From the heart of Japan, the foothills of the grand Japan Alps, I send you my greetings along with a big WELCOME !! Yes, I am afraid that due to problems in the past, things have had to be set up a little more strictly about uploading images--you know, a few rotten apples spoil the whole bunch kind of result.
The only thing you do (well not ONLY, really, but as far as PMing or posting goes) is hang out a bit, post, and after some number of posts, you can do that. I would not suggest meaninglessly posting just for that purpose, though--some things are gonna take some time. I look forward to seeing you 'round !! MM