For Americans who moved to Japan..?

Question

What steps did you take as soon as you arrived? Do you have any pointers? If I save up US dollars, is there a way for me to exchange it for yen?

Answer 1

As soon as you arrive, you have to get your alien registration card. You cannot open a bank account nor can you buy a phone without one. Japan uses Yen. It doesn't use US dollars. You must exchange your money before you come to Japan.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Wow, this is a question that could take books to answer, but I will do my best to keep my comments to the bare minimum.
First thing I did was to start the process of adapting. I needed to keep telling myself that things in Japan are different from what I am used to and that I need to accept them for what they are. If you do that, your experience will be a whole lot more fulfilling. If you are here always comparing things to your home, things like customs and prices will put pressure on you, and make your stay more frustrating than enjoyable.

One correction to "dd97....." You do not get your Alien Registration Card at immigration, you get it a city hall. Immigration deals with your visa, re-entry permits, etc. At city hall, they will usually have people that can speak English marginally well so you don't need to bring a Japanese friend with you, but everything you do there is pretty basic and self-explanatory, you know, filling out papers, etc. You will need to bring your passport and the address of where you are staying, and if you are working, their name and address also. It has been a while since I went to city hall for the ARC but if memory serves correctly, it will only take you about 20 minutes, barring any problems.

As for Exchanging yen to $'s, The exchange rate in the US updates weekly, while the exchange rate in Japan updates real time. What I mean is this, if you are leaving for Japan on Friday and you exchange your money in the US on Wednesday at the rate of 116yen=$1.00, but there is some international incident on Thursday that sends the yen soaring so when you arrive in Japan the rate is 90yen=$1.00, you just lost 26yen to the dollar. That is just an example, but the exchange rate IS quite volatile and rises and drops according to global trends. I would recommend you to exchange your money here in Japan. the chances of getting a better rate just run in your favor, but it is not 100% sure that you will. It is all about timing. So, you could exchange some money in the US, just some living money, then when you get to Japan, wait and see what happens to the rate, usually you can get a better rate. Now, that being said, I highly doubt that the rate will go much lower than it is now. Now, it is about 116yen=$1.00 but with fees and such, you will actually be getting 119yen=$1.00 it has been pretty steady for the past month and a half or so. So if you wanted to exchange money in the US for security reasons, that would also be a good idea, and easier on the communication side.

If you are coming over on a working visa, your employer should have taken care of everything for you, as far as a place to stay is concerned. They will know everything you need to do, so just follow their lead.

Enjoy your stay.

Answer 3

Adam is right... you need to get your card, that's a few hours at the Immigration, and if you can take a friend (Nipponjin) with you to help.

Exchange your U.S. money if you can before you leave. If not you can go to a bank and they will exchange money for you, but it's nice to have some yen on you at arrival.

Good luck.

Answer 4

first thing is maybe think of opening a bank account with CITI and then when you go there, you can withdrawl in yen.
second thing i would do is tell my employer when you coming so he can point out the hotel or corp aprtment yo ucan stay at.
third was get all yoru work visa stuff outta the way.
fourth was remember to take gifts esp if you working with japanese
fifth was.. damn, this place is expensive. if you dont have an apartment yet,. dont worry about depositing money.. with the key money, the one month deposit and the rent, good luck!