Comments on: Stranded in Japan

By: David

David — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:48:28 +0000

Or 7-11 ATMs for that matter which are open at ALL times, and you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting. They work with most American ATM cards as of this previous Summer. I was there before, and when the switch happened. It made getting money FAR easier the 2nd half of my trip. More than likely their problem was rooted in that they didn’t call their respective banks to let them know they’d be in Japan. It’s a fairly normal thing to do in order to keep fraud from going on. Kinda lame these people had a honeymoon in Japan yet not being smart enough to know enough of the language to get through such a situation. Only so much can be expected of the “average” otaku that goto Japan I guess. Lesson to learn from this kids, call your bank to let them know when you’ll be outside the country (exact dates with specific countries, even Mexico & Canada), and Japan is a cash based society. This is NOT a country of people who look for the fastest way possible to get themselves into debt (credit cards). Theres some cash card stuff there (card, and cellphone based), but they aren’t practical unless you live there. Oh, and checks are downright frowned upon, if not completely rejected. Always remember to carry a few hundred bucks on you. If you don’t, well I can’t say I have any sympathy for you.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:58:18 +0000

It used to be that JR East Suica and JR West Suica were separate and you could not use one card on the other. However, since Suica plays nice with Pasmo now, I would hope they have it all sorted out now.

By: psymeg

psymeg — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:31:45 +0000

thanks e for pointing that out! when i came here for the first time i brought travellers cheques with me. i changed them in tokyo which was probably a good thing, as changing them in akita would have been quite a mission i imagine, especially given the town i was in.

with the trains here, they have an honour book – so if you lose your wallet you can still get home, it is not advertised but it is there if one is ever stuck. i wonder if there are any other services like that other companies offer for people in a pinch?

By: elliott

elliott — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:03:18 +0000

And by that I mean ATMs that are usually found next to Japanese Post Offices…

By: elliott

elliott — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:02:28 +0000

The best credit card advice for anyone travelling here is actually supplied by the photo… The Japanese Post Office is probably your best port of call to withdraw funds kept in offshore accounts. They accept Visa, MasterCard and a whole bunch of others. Problem is, as the photo suggests, the ATMs aren’t usually open outside of Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Budget accordingly…

By: psymeg

psymeg — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:25:48 +0000

it is strange isn’t it. and they have so many systems for paying too – suica, or pasmo or mobile phone or eddy or what not…

new zealand as nice in that you have one system – eftpos – and you can use it just about anywhere. going out on the town all you have to take is some proof of age, such as a drivers license, and a debit card. easy as!

i imagine osaka has its own systems too?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:40:13 +0000

Too bad no one was able to tell that couple about Shinsei Bank or Citibank ATMs. It would have saved them a lot of trouble.

The financial system is holding this country back in so many ways. If technology and the banking system were tied together I suspect we’d see some interesting developments. How rediculous is it that you can buy things with your phone, but you have to keep “re-charging” your account rather than directly hooking up with your credit line and taking care of the hassle for you. You can watch TV on your phone but you can’t use a credit card at over half of the businesses you visit…simply amazing.