Three Concerns about Living in Japan. Can you help me?

Question

I'm a college student about to attend a university in Japan for one semester. I've been doing research on these three questions, but I can't seem to find a satisfying answer for any of them.

1. Can I purchase calling cards here (in the US) to use in Japan? Or do I have to purchase calling cards once I get there? Which country will have the best rates to offer? And if I do purchase them here, are they called "International Calling Cards" or something specific?

2. Is opening a bank account difficult? I have to pay rent in cash every month, so is it wise to bring all my money in traveler's checks and then use ALL the traveler's checks to start the account? I want to know the easiest way to manage my money.

3. What's the easiest and/or safest way for my parents to send me money?

I only have a student visa, not a working visa. So because I won't have a job, I will have a set amount of money I'm bringing with me. I'd appreciate any websites or advice that you have. Thanks!

Answer 1

1. Wait until you come to Japan to get the calling cards and don't go for the NTT / KDDI ones that are sold everywhere (v. expensice). Look for a "Brastel" card, really cheap rates to the US. They have an internet site too.

2. Bank account is easy, foreign registration card AND "hanko" a personal seal that you can purchase from a department store for around 1000 yen which people here use instead of a signature. Other people have said don't bother with the bank account, and use your American cash/credit cards but I think this will be very inconvenient, there aren't many places that accept these cards and you won't be able to get money 24 hours a day.

3. Post Office transfers are relatively cheap and fairly speedy. I have only used them for sending money FROM Japan but I'm sure you can send into Japan too. I have tried a bank transfer (into Japan) before but I had to pay the bank in Japan a huge fee to process it.

Hope everything works out, and have fun in Japan.

Answer 2

1. as others have mentioned, buy cards there. or better yet, get broadband service and use skype.

2. yes you can open a bank account. it is not difficult. you will need to show your foreigner registration card, but you are legally obliged to get that anyway, so while it may take a week or two it wont be a problem. if you cannot read/write/speak japanese, bring a friend who can to help you. you will need to get a seal (inkan) made too, but that is easily accomplished for about 1000 yen.

as far as traveller's checks go, remember you lose money each time you exchange currencies. so exchange it as you need it.

3. safest/easiest way is a wire transfer. you can get the necessary routing informatino from your bank. also consider getting a US credit card that is paid from a US bank account. most shopping can be done via credit card in japan and you get the best exchange rate that way.

as a student you CAN work. you need to apply for permission, but it is a simple matter and your school's international office can help you with it. you can work up to 4 hours a day when school is in session, 8 hours/day during spring and summer breaks.

hope this helps

ps - Citibank has branches in tokyo and aroudn the country so that might be the easiest solution.

Answer 3

I did not do the exchange student program, so I am not familiar with the rules of the student visa. To open a bank account, you will need a foreign registration card, which all foreigners must have (Except tourists). WIth this card you should be able to open a bank account. Opening an account with Citibank is pretty easy since they speak English.
With the bank account, your parents can wire you money.
A while ago, I had a calling card from AT&T. The bill was sent to my home for calls made around the world.
Calling cards are available here in Japan, but with the low cost of internet, most people just use an IP phone. In your case, you can buy pre paid phone cards from convenience stores. With the foreign regsitration card, you can buy a prepaid mobile phone and use that for overseas calls also. I did that for my first two weeks here in Japan.

I would hope your host school could assist you with more details.

Answer 4

my concern is to help,
1. I dont think you can purchase calling cards from US to use in Japan, if you arrive in Japan, you can purchase calling cards at the airport..and if you attend school, your classmate would be a good help to find the cheapest international calling cards.
they would know you are a foreigner and Japanese are helpful, so just keep relax and take the extra stress out going there..there are english explanation on the back of the card, if you dont know.how to use one..you can ask someone.. not a big problem.. .internet cafes are cheap and have private rooms, more time and you can send as many emails as you want..
2.I don't think opening bank account would be possible for you in Japan. so many requirements needed and quite complicated if you are a foreigner.. you can use ATM from the bank where you from..safe and fast.don't charge much. Yes, citibank is a good suggestion from Wuzaracer.. I mentioned it would be complicated opening account as you have to get your permanent address first, if you decided to open an account be sure to have sponsor as it would be the case for you..as a foreigner renting a house is not as easy as we think, even you have some documents.
3.Western Union.. safe and fast..I just did it today and they got it the same day.you can pay rent soon and not worry of carrying too much travellers cash or travelers check on your way there..
good luck and hope you enjoy your studies there and learn a lot from your experience.

Answer 5

Quite frankly, you shouldn't bother with a Japanese bank account if you're only going to be here for one semester. Get a VISA cash card from your bank in the US, and then you can withdraw money any time from a post office ATM. (There's a cap of a few hundred dollars a day but that's the only limitation.) If your parents want to send you more money, they can just transfer it to your account in the US, which is usually free. The exchange rate for withdrawals is pretty good.

The only reason to get a bank account here is if you need to send or receive transfers to/from Japanese accounts (that's how you usually get paid if you work here). But if you don't need to do that, just use your account from home.

And yes, as the previous poster said, you can work on a student visa. Last time I checked, you can work 24 hours a week during the semester and 40 hours a week during break periods. You have to get a special permit from the immigration office, but that's easy. Many employers don't care about this rule, though...

Answer 6

1. No I dont think so. You can purchase them in Japan-not expensive, widely available.

2. Yes, but watch the rate, it fluctuates.

3. Wire transfer.

I think on a student visa, you can work part time teching English etc for 10-20 hours a month? Im not exactly sure. Maybe depends on your home country. Check with immigration or a consulate

Answer 7

1). Are you needing a card to call primarily within Japan or back home to the USA? You can buy the cards anywhere really, but you gotta do your research. You can actually get cards with Instant PINs online.

An International Calling Card with the versatility and reliability of the MCI World Traveler, http://speedypin.com/prepaid/phone-card/TRV12, is a good idea. With the MCI World Traveler, you can make calls:

1). to the Continental USA for 21.3¢/min when calling from Japan.
http://speedypin.com/phone/cards?originationcountry=Japan&destinationcountry=USA+-+Continental&x=25&y=1

2). to Japan from 32.5¢/min when calling from Japan.
http://speedypin.com/phone/cards?originationcountry=Japan&destinationcountry=Japan&x=16&y=28

The rates aren't exceptional, but you get a lot of versatility and quality. No fees, no taxes, and 1 minute billing.

Answer 8

If there is PLUS mark in the back of your cash card of US, you can withdraw cash at ATMs of Citibank and Sinsei bank in Japan.

PLUS/VISA
http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp

Cirrus/Mastercard
http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/cardholderservices/atmlocations/index.html