Hi.
Will arrive to Japan on the 17th for work. My contract starts the 24th and I want to get as many essentials out of the way as possible during the few days I have.
I did some research here and elsewhere about opening a bank account but I ended up even more confused.
Especially considering how easy and straightforward it is to open one where I'm from.
My goal is to have a bank account and debit card I can use in ATMs as well as online shopping.
I'm not really interested in international transfers and while I plan on sending money back home, it will never be in large amounts so from what I understand, Wise is the better choice for that.
Now I obviously will only be in Japan for a couple of days not 6+ months so that limits my choices.
Sony Bank seems to require a health insurance card. I don't think I will have that ready fast enough. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
JP Post seems to be the easiest option but most people advise changing to another one when possible. Can't really understand why though.
SMBC and Prestia seem to also accept foreigners without much requirements.
What do you think is the best option I can get around with and how fast can I realistically expect to have my bank account and debit card.
Thanks in advance
by tofuu__
1 comment
I have a regional bank account that I was able to open the second day I arrived. I don’t live in Tokyo though, so the regional bank account is much more convenient than any of those banks.
I also have a JP bank account that I use to avoid fees when traveling Japan or using after hours. I have no problem with the JP bank account.
The catch is I don’t use online banking, because there isn’t a need to. So, people shy away from regional banks and JP banks for their poor online banking.