Job Discussion Forums

[gyunyu]

I read somewhere that it is very difficult to access a US bank account from Japanese ATM. Probably even more difficult in rural Japan. Can anybody confirm this? If so, in what form did you bring money with you? Travellers Checks?

I'll be flying into Tokyo and need some money for the shower.

Thanks all

[buffy]

look at the back of your atm card and see what network you can use it on..eg. cirrus, star, etc. then look at the homepages of those networks and locate atm's in japan. i have a debit card and can access my account for withdrawals only at any post office in the country.

[Blackmaninjapan]

Maybe you should open an account with Citibank. They have locations all over tokyo. I am from Canada and I used the ATM there, there might be a slight service charge..

[As Das Fads]

well it's not impossible in rural Japan but just difficult. Post offices are the only places I know that have functioning international ATMs, and while Citibank is a good choice there are no branches in the boonies...so you are stuck using the post office again. The hours of opening vary from branch to branch, and some ATMs are not open on weekends (found that out the hard way). However the Post office ATMs do have an English option so that is a helpful thing when you first arrive.

If you open a Japanese bank account make sure it is with a big name bank, I opened an account with what turns out to be a prefectural bank so it is pretty much impossible for me to get money out from an ATM anywhere beyond Ibaraki. I have to use my international account to access any funds in the big smoke.

Travellers' cheques are also a problem in rural Japan. The local branches of most banks won't cash them, you have to go to the main branch in the main town. Even then, I had travellers' cheques in Yen from Visa and it caused all sorts of conniptions at the bank. The best part of that two hour wait was when four bank employees got out a ruler to measure my travellers' cheques against the size of the cheques in their 30000 page "how to cash a tc" manual.

Or you could just do what seems to be the in way of getting access to money recently, and "borrow" some construction equipment to demolish your local ATM, and get unlimited free withdrawals.

[JimDunlop2]

Citibank (major centers only) or Postal Savings ATMs (throughout Japan)..... Between those two you should have no trouble, providing that your card has either a Plus symbol (owned by VISA) or Cirrus (owned by MC)..... Otherwise..... good luck. Really...