money – cash or debit

3 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **money – cash or debit**

   hi so I’ll be moving to japan next month and my main concern is about carrying money

   i have an international debit card and forex so far.

   1)JP post bank

   the uni has asked to open a JP post bank account. now the minimum first deposit for the bank account should be given in cash or can I present a check from my bank in home country? or a wire transfer

   2) Travel

   i will be taking the ic card + haruka so I’m assuming the whole thing would cost around 4000 yen for it + I’m thinking of recharging the card with 10,000 yen. This card can be used for buses + stores right?

   Taxi

   I’m also supposed to take taxi to the Uni which would cost about 1-2k yen. Is it possible to pay the taxi with the icoca card or do I need to carry cash for that too?

   ultimately my question would be what would be the appropriate amount of cash a student should hold until they reach university?

   *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*

2. Checks are really not a thing in Japan and can be difficult to use even at a bank. Set up a Wise account with your current bank info before you leave for Japan. Bring cash to open your JP Post account then use Wise to transfer money from home country to Japan.

   I would really not be too concerned about the safety of carrying cash around. Yes, it’s weird to many westerners and many places accept payment through a multitude of app based payment systems but it’s still so handy in Japan to carry cash.

3. 1) you’d mostly get a cash card when you open a bank account with JP post bank, a card card is an ATM only card. The whole JP post bank situation after updating your address on your residence card and everything will take up to a month or so. You need a Japanese phone number (your friends/Someone from Uni) so make sure you have someones number which is a mobile phone, cause you’ll receive a certain OTP to login into your bank app. JP post bank can be a pain, so just wanna give you a heads-up, don’t lose hope 😂Also there are certain timings at the ATM in which you can withdraw and deposit money, otherwise there’s a charge per transaction.

   2) I havent heard of Haruka, but yes IC card will mostly work in public transport and convincece stores, although not all stores. I have a HDFC forex card, it works just fine. Although I suggest always have atleast 4000-5000 yen on you for safety, cause you might fall in trouble when you suddenly realise that a place doesn’t accept cards. Also you need cash to recharge your Ic card

   When it comes to what is the amount of money a student should carry, id say you should carry ATLEAST 50,000 yen in cash+ 100,000yen on card (that’s what I had got) because you’ll be spending a lot of money, food and travel till you actually understand the prices of goods and what will be cheaper etc.