Job Discussion Forums

[seklarwia]

So I want to make a payment through a transfer at a JP Post ATM. Its not going abroad, but it is going to a different bank.

I've got all the details of the receiver such as bank name, branch name, account type and account number.

One of the JTEs kindly wrote out an indepth set of instructions of what I should see and the kanji for what I need to press.

I head on down to the machine and I can't find an option for furikomi anywhere. PayEasy is there, remittance is there, but I can't find the transfer option.

I wouldn't have the problem if I was able to get to a post office during banking times and deal with a person instead of a machine, but I need to have made the transfer by Friday and I won't be able to get into a branch early enough this week.

Has anyone been able to do this from a JP ATM? Is the transfer options called something else?

[wayne432]

I have done transfers to another account/bank before.
I use MUFJ atms (since that's my bank) and it has the furikomi 振り込み　option on the first screen.

Just want to double check but, you are doing everything through the Japanese side, right? Since the English side won't have the correct options.

[seklarwia]

Yup. I'm trying to use the Japanese not the English menu..
When I try to input kanji it often displays as unicode when I press submit unless I copy and paste the kanji from other sites, which I'm too lazy to do Sorry if that was confusing.

I'm guessing most ATMs display the transfer option as furikomi (My JTE wrote the same kanji as you did but with no "ri" or "mi"), but apparently not JP Post ATMs which is what I need to use since my account is with them.

[wayne432]

It could be listed as with it or without...
振込
振込み
振り込み

Basically it's the kanji to look for. My best advice... take someone who knows Japanese well with you and have them help you.

[seklarwia]

I didn't see the kanji at all. I even checked sub-menus for anything that could be furikomi.

I'll just take someone with me... if I could only find that intial option I know I could make the rest work. Its kind of infuriating. Some of the teachers at school were saying that they bet I time out at least 3 times before succeeding. They are going to laugh when they find out I couldn't get passed the main menu.

EDIT: I did it. In a 2nd sub menu after the main menu I found the an option for "furikae nyukin". After that it was fine. And I only timed out once... whilst I was changing how my name would be displayed from katakana to romaaji

[MTR]

Hey Seklarwia,

Glad you managed to deal with the ATM problem in the end. The business hours of Japanese banks drive me crazy at times. Its almost impossible for me to pay my cell phone bill (with T1) on time each month.

I remember a thread you started to make contact with new Interac staff. It was around five months ago (I think) when you were peparing to head to Japan. How have your first few months gone? Did you get a post you are happy with?

[seklarwia]

Luckily my phone bills are automatically taken from my account. But I need to actually get into a bank to make my health insurance payment...speaking of which, I need to get in touch with good ol' yakusho because this months bill hasn't turned up.

You have a very good memory... I didn't even remember that thread!
First few months have been great - thanks for asking. I really like both my location and my school.

I am looking forward to the break though. School may be fun, but walking around looking like a wet poodle isn't. I haven't felt this uncomfortably sweaty since arriving in Beijing in summer 2007 (landed on my birthday. Stepping off the plane and being hit by that heat and humidity was not the best start to my special day!!!)
To make matters worse, an ever growing number or first years have taking to sniffing at me like puppies. Apparently they like the smell of lux soap, sanex roll on, tsubaki shampoo and menthol cigerettes.

Just out of interest, did you come out with Interac or take another offer in the end? And how are you liking your placement? And are you going to go home in the break?

[Apsara]

MTR, do you not have the option of paying your phone bill at a convenience store? Or none around?

[MTR]

My memory is actually quite poor to be honest. The only reason I remember is that although I spent quite a bit of time reading the forums that may well have been the first time I added anything.

Good to know that you have settled in well. I can relate to the humidity being a problem. As I type this I am contemplating taking my third shower of the day.

In the end I did go with Interac. I'm glad I did because I love my location and all three of my schools. The local bars are a little bit quiet for my taste but besides that it's pretty much ideal.

Not going back to the UK this summer. Spent three months there at the start of the year and that is plenty for the time being. I will be going a couple of short trips within Japan plus heading to Beijing for a week. Wouldn't want to head anywhere without insane levels of humidity.

How about you? Heading back to the UK during the break?

Apsara, I can only pay my cell phone phone from an ATM within my bank. There are convenience stores around but they are no help. They are also unable to set up a direct debit. I have told them how unhappy I am about this but they say they can offer no other service.

[seklarwia]

Beijing? Summer? Better you than me. Have fun in the smog and humidity and watch petty criminals, scam artists and cars

I was never a fan of the major cities there. Everyone just treated foreigners like easy money. I much prefered some of the smaller towns, cities and villages.

I'll be going on a couple of trips in Japan but will also spend a week in the UK. I need to buy clothes and some other stuff, plus I am being forced to attend my own birthday celebrations this year


When you say you can only use the ATM in your bank, is there not an ATM lobby that you can access until the evening?

If you don't mind me asking, how much are you paying and for what type of mobile sevice? Perhaps, it might be worth changing service provider if you haven't got a fixed period contract. I know all of the big providers around here provide direct debit as an option. Softbank insisted on it when I got my phone.

[MTR]

You may wellbe right about Beijing not being the most sensible place to go in summer but I am desperate to go see the great wall and that seemed like a good accss point. I may well stay out of the city most of the time if can find some interesting places to go (without a massive journey).

My bank does have an ATM in the lobby but that closes very shortly after the cashiers close. I find it hard to get my head round how the service can be so poor.

My mobile phone contract is with a company that Interac put their staff in contct with called T1. To begin with I tried going directly to Softbank but my application failed because at that time I did not have a alien registration card. This copany was willing to give me a contract without the need to wait. Desperate for a link to friends and family (I had no internet at that point) I went with T1. I forget theprice of line rental but the deal was packeged in a way that was cheaper than going directly to Softbank (who are atually the network providers) for the same service. The down side was that they did not offer a range of payment plans. All they offered was a premium package at a slightly discounted rate. I thnk they have since introducd a cheaper plan that I will need to look into.

I have a two year cell phone contract. I can leave the plan early but will have to pay about 10,000 yen to do so. It might be worth it!

[seklarwia]

T1... Are they the same people who were trying sell phones at training?

I guess it does depend what you use your phone for, but the basic white plan on Softbank plan is 980 yen/month + about 400 yen/month if you use email which will allow you free calls and mail to other Softbank phones between 1am and 9pm.

If a few of the people you contact most are Softbank users, you might want to consider it, then you'd have the added bonus of not having to go to the bank to pay every month.

What you said about not having your ARC... I got my phone the day I arrived in my placement city. First we went to get my apartment keys, then we went to register for my ARC, then came openning my bank account, then finally mobile. It all took about 6 hours. I didn't have my ARC either, but an official document that cost the IC 300 yen to prove I had already been to register. I needed the same thing to open the JP bank account since they would accept the paper that told me when to return to collect my ARC.

But I thought that our ATMs being shut at 7pm was sucky. Let me gues, there is no way you can pa before school because the ATM opens at 9am? I don't understand why not even the ATM lobby at the post office is not avaliable in the morning.

[MTR]

Sorry for the late reply. It's been a busy few days.

You called it right! T1 are the very company who were at training. I didn't know I hadhe option of buying that document. If I had done then it would have made things far more simple.

You are also right about the opening time for access to the ATM. I might well change to Softbank because this could prove to be a real headache.