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.
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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.
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JP Post seems to be the easiest option but most people advise changing to another one when possible. Can't really understand why though.
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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.