Hi, I’m quite new to this sub and feeling a bit lost sometimes because I’ve been preparing for spending a few months in Japan for some time now and it still seems I read about something new and really important all the time. Not a particularly easy country to travel to, I guess. But suica cards, shinkansen and ATMs are something that people seem to talk about a lot. However, I’m still quite lost.
When I checked suica cards from Google I read they work for a month or so, being a good choice for a tourist trip. Can I get something similar that would last about 4 months?
And what about shinkansen, is it worth it and do I have to buy the JR pass beforehand? Have I understood correct that it’s an expensive card for using the bullet train as much as needed, which is cheaper than buying single tickets?
I have a debit visa and I’ve understood that it should work but if it doesn’t my visa debit/credit combination card should work and if it doesn’t I can still get cash from 7/11, 7-bank and post offices. Can I trust my visa cards to get cash from the airport when I arrive? But is it really expensive to use foreign cards in Japan? Should I buy a prepaid card somewhere before going?
I’ll stay in Tokyo for the first couple of days but then I’ll move to Saitama and stay there for most of the time. I’m not sure if I’ll get chances to travel around a lot or not, but I’d like to visit other places if I have enough time as a student.
This is way more complicated than I thought it would be. Never been in Japan before and I’ll be alone for the first couple of days. Thanks for any tips!
Edit: more questions about paying
by northernRock7