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asvodel posted:Can someone tell me what is the best foreigner oriented apartment/guest house in terms of I think the most common one is Sakura House, but from what I hear they are sort of hit or miss with regard to quality. It might be worth checking the Tokyo craigslist of all things as well. I don't think you'll have any problems related to your visa/period of stay unless you look into actual apartments, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for anyway. Shibawanko posted:So... Shinsei or Citibank? I don't have much experience with Citibank, but Shinsei is alright. Their cutoff time for same-day transfers is earlier in the day than the other big banks for some reason, but they should be a pretty safe bet. edit: Also apparently what Aredna said re: Citibank. I've had zero problems using my US credit card to buy stuff online, I don't think you'd really need a Japanese one unless you want to have one linked to your Japanese bank account.
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Jun 23, 2015 07:10
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Shibawanko posted:So... Shinsei or Citibank? Citibank announced an intention to withdraw from the Japanese market. I'm not sure what the status of that is right now, but you should probably be aware of it. Shinsei is generally fine and easy as orenronen stated. However, their cash cards pretty much are just 'cards for drawing cash' and can't be used in many stores or online. Your Mastercard should be fine online, but if not, most online stores/purchases places accept conbini payments, cash-on-delivery and/or bank transfers, so shouldn't be a problem.
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Jun 23, 2015 07:14
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Foreign credit cards are fine for most online shopping, but there are some notable exceptions, like the Japanese iTunes and app stores and the PSN store. You can always buy gift cards, but if you want to pay exact prices a Japanese credit card is the only way.
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Jun 23, 2015 07:37
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asvodel posted:Can someone tell me what is the best foreigner oriented apartment/guest house in terms of Could I interest you in staying in Fukuoka? There is this share house that a few of my friends are staying in and they seem to be quite pleased with it. The quality of life for what you pay here is really great and in general it is much easier to make friends.
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Jun 23, 2015 09:23
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Ned posted:Could I interest you in staying in Fukuoka? There is this share house that a few of my friends are staying in and they seem to be quite pleased with it. The quality of life for what you pay here is really great and in general it is much easier to make friends. I really appreciate the offer, it sounds really nice and I will consider it though I wanted to spend time with some acquaintances who live in the Tokyo and Chiba area... I am thinking of the type of place like Sakura house, I found it online but then read in the OP that it was bad or something
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Jun 23, 2015 16:42
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asvodel posted:I really appreciate the offer, it sounds really nice and I will consider it though I wanted to spend time with some acquaintances who live in the Tokyo and Chiba area... Sakura house is not going to be very nice. Not much community at all. This site might be more up your alley. If you come here you will have an instant social life though. I do a weekly drinking event and a bowling event every other week and a lot of people who come are always looking for new friends and we don't have a lot of new foreigners show up in town so they get all excited when they meet someone now.
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Jun 23, 2015 17:02
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Edit
Busy Bee fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Jun 29, 2015 |
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Jun 29, 2015 01:22
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I'm heading to Japan soon as part of a broader Asia trip, and I've got a good grasp on most stuff but I am curious how most of you guys handle currency conversion. I saw the brief blurb in the OP but figured it was a big enough question to be worth exploring a bit. I use Bank of America and have a visa debit card, and in the past I was able to use the ATM's at 7-11's and in post offices to withdraw yen from my bank account (from us dollars). I paid some fees at a decent conversion rate, but I wanted to know if there were any better ways to handle currency conversion in Japan. I'd rather not rely on using my card because that means more fees, and we all know how weird Japan is with using credit/debit cards. Any advice or resources on how best to convert my dollars to yen? Or should I just stick with the post office ATM strategy?
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Jul 2, 2015 06:58
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JosefStalinator posted:I'm heading to Japan soon as part of a broader Asia trip, and I've got a good grasp on most stuff but I am curious how most of you guys handle currency conversion. I saw the brief blurb in the OP but figured it was a big enough question to be worth exploring a bit. Airport conversion rates are ok in Japan, post office ATM is best. Let your bank know you're going overseas, try the ATMs at the airport (I assume there's a Post Office or 7-11 one there), if there's any trouble convert some of your cash to yen until you can get the problem straightened out. Most of the time though the Post and 7-11 ATMs will handle a visa debit card fine.
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Jul 2, 2015 07:15
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The airports in Japan don't have horrible rates compared to most airports. Other than that just use the ATMs. The rates are pretty close and you can take up to 100,000 yen out at once assuming your bank allows you to do so as well, which will minimize your fees. I'm sure you know, but make sure to call your bank ahead of time.
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Jul 2, 2015 07:16
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If you still have time, open a Schwab account and use their checking account. No fees for withdrawals worldwide, no minimum balance, and basically it's a really nice card to carry while traveling.
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Jul 2, 2015 13:01
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Ned posted:Sakura house is not going to be very nice. Not much community at all. This site might be more up your alley. If you come here you will have an instant social life though. I do a weekly drinking event and a bowling event every other week and a lot of people who come are always looking for new friends and we don't have a lot of new foreigners show up in town so they get all excited when they meet someone now. I think it sounds really nice and am thinking of doing it. I don't really know anything about Fukuoka or Kyushu in general, can you tell me a bit about it and why it would be good compared to other areas?
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Jul 3, 2015 18:23
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asvodel posted:I think it sounds really nice and am thinking of doing it. I don't really know anything about Fukuoka or Kyushu in general, can you tell me a bit about it and why it would be good compared to other areas? I have lived here for 5 years now and I have been up to Tokyo to work off and on but I think the quality of life you get for what you pay in Fukuoka is much better. First of all you can live easily without having to take the train all the time. That share house is actually further away than I would prefer to live but it is still not that bad. It has easy access to two train lines that will get you to Tenjin or Hakata and a taxi ride home from either area should be around 2000 yen. The vast majority of the people you will meet also live within the same distance of the city center so it means most people don't have to go home on the last train. This is very different from a place like Tokyo where people live all over the place and a taxi ride home costs lots more money so it is easy to have an active social life that goes beyond 11 PM on weeknights. Fukuoka is also a lot cheaper than Tokyo or Osaka and in my opinion the food is better but other people may disagree. Fukuoka city also has a much younger average age than other major cities and the population of the city has a lot more females than males so there are a lot of businesses that cater towards women. The foreign community here is also pretty friendly and is largely made up of teachers and students. The nightlife is also quite good and we don't have Nigerian touts trying to scam you. We also have Yatai which are outside food stalls and they are really great. At the same time Fukuoka is missing a lot of things that exist in Tokyo and Osaka. Your food choices are more limited and there isn't a lot of stuff to do as a tourist. We don't have a castle - we have castle ruins. There isn't much of a live music scene either. You can get to beaches and mountains very easily and if you want to travel around Kyushu there are many interesting cities to visit. I think one of the main things Fukuoka offers for someone who wants to spend some time in Japan is you still kind of get to be a novelty as a foreigner. If your heart isn't set on Tokyo/Chiba I think you would be quite pleased with Fukuoka. It is strange how much people love this place.
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Jul 3, 2015 18:56
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air- posted:If you still have time, open a Schwab account and use their checking account. No fees for withdrawals worldwide, no minimum balance, and basically it's a really nice card to carry while traveling. Not to be a Debbie downer but banks like this might offer sub par rate. But at least it's convenient, the most friendly ATM and beats carrying 300k yen. Fees and forex suck but I think it's OK to eat the fees and all unless you are taking out a lot of money. My relatives do exchange 1000k at once at specialty exchange shops for the sake of saving of saving 3k for an extra sushi zanmai meal. Where as I just use plastic and rack up points for more miles. Man I'm getting old, just want to use money to make things more convenient
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Jul 4, 2015 02:37
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caberham posted:Not to be a Debbie downer but banks like this might offer sub par rate. But at least it's convenient, the most friendly ATM and beats carrying 300k yen. I've found that using an atm at a convenience store gets close to spot exchange rates, plus when I say free withdrawals, that means any atm! Schwab only has a few locations within the US and most of their presence is online, so that's a big part of how they can provide these services to their accountholders.
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Jul 4, 2015 13:39
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caberham posted:Not to be a Debbie downer but banks like this might offer sub par rate. But at least it's convenient, the most friendly ATM and beats carrying 300k yen. Nope, Schwab is an exception and offers one of the best rates for foreign ex conversion.
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Jul 5, 2015 18:59
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What are the general prices for a cell phone plan in Japan for Japanese people? All I can find online are renting SIMs for tourists and what not. How much do Japanese people pay for unlimited data + 100~500 minutes a month? Can you generally get this contract free if you bring your own unlocked phone?
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Jul 6, 2015 02:31
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I'm soon returning to Japan for the first time in 3 years for a short work-related trip...has the country made any forward progress on credit card acceptance or anything that isn't cash? I won't be near any large cities and will be in Mishima-shi in Shizuoka. Not total inaka but still small enough. Going from previous inaka experience I'm expecting to need to carry an amount of cash around with me that, as an American, makes me irrationally uncomfortable.
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Jul 6, 2015 02:40
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paperwind posted:I'm soon returning to Japan for the first time in 3 years for a short work-related trip...has the country made any forward progress on credit card acceptance or anything that isn't cash? I won't be near any large cities and will be in Mishima-shi in Shizuoka. Not total inaka but still small enough. Going from previous inaka experience I'm expecting to need to carry an amount of cash around with me that, as an American, makes me irrationally uncomfortable. No idea about Shizuoka, but unless they're better about it than Tokyo you're going to want to have cash. Chain retailers/restaurants will take cards, convenience stores will have one of 3 or 4 different proprietary IC card systems, but for the most part cash is still king.
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Jul 6, 2015 02:43
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ntan1 posted:Nope, Schwab is an exception and offers one of the best rates for foreign ex conversion. New thread title for all the travel threads: get Charles Schwab. My Citibank is soso but at least no fees
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Jul 6, 2015 02:52
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Busy Bee posted:What are the general prices for a cell phone plan in Japan for Japanese people? All I can find online are renting SIMs for tourists and what not. How much do Japanese people pay for unlimited data + 100~500 minutes a month? Can you generally get this contract free if you bring your own unlocked phone? Budget $100/month for a 2-year smartphone contract on a major carrier (au, softbank, docomo.) Cheaper is available on tiny carriers (b mobile, yahoo etc.) The laws have been updated to allow unlocked phones, but I don't think they're in effect yet, at least not for the 3 big carriers.
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Jul 6, 2015 03:12
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peanut posted:Budget $100/month for a 2-year smartphone contract on a major carrier (au, softbank, docomo.) Wow that's expensive - just for one line? I wonder how much data-only prices. I assume a lot of people just go data only since they use LINE?
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Jul 6, 2015 03:16
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Busy Bee posted:Wow that's expensive - just for one line? I wonder how much data-only prices. I assume a lot of people just go data only since they use LINE? If you feel like doing the legwork you can try to sort this out: http://www.mondaiji.com/blog/japan/general/10181-life-in-japan-how-i-cut-my-mobile-phone-bill-in-half
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Jul 6, 2015 03:18
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paperwind posted:I'm soon returning to Japan for the first time in 3 years for a short work-related trip...has the country made any forward progress on credit card acceptance or anything that isn't cash? I won't be near any large cities and will be in Mishima-shi in Shizuoka. Not total inaka but still small enough. Going from previous inaka experience I'm expecting to need to carry an amount of cash around with me that, as an American, makes me irrationally uncomfortable. Hey hey Mishima is a pretty nice town with Chain stores. So if you stick with big names you should be able to use a CC, I was able to for a few days. But if you're going to be further from downtown Mishima, or go out of town a little bit it is going to benefit you to have cash. Depending on which direction you go convenience stores are not as plentiful. For example I was able to use my CC at a electronics store but not at several gas stations. I hope you enjoy your stay. You'll be very close to mt Fuji if you're interested.
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Jul 6, 2015 03:37
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Busy Bee posted:What are the general prices for a cell phone plan in Japan for Japanese people? All I can find online are renting SIMs for tourists and what not. How much do Japanese people pay for unlimited data + 100~500 minutes a month? Can you generally get this contract free if you bring your own unlocked phone? I wish to know this too so I know to sell my phone or keep it.
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Jul 6, 2015 03:40
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peanut posted:The laws have been updated to allow unlocked phones, but I don't think they're in effect yet, at least not for the 3 big carriers. My understanding from this was that the only thing that changed is carriers were required to remove the SIM lock on your phone if you asked. They are allowed to charge you a reasonable fee to cover expenses, which the carries are charging around 3000-4000 yen. Also I think there is a 90day or 180day waiting period from the time you purchase the phone to the time they will be required to unlock your phone by law. As far as I know the big 3 are doing just enough to follow the law and nothing more - as it does nothing to help them with business and only helps MVNOs that they don't necessarily want taking too many customers away.
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Jul 6, 2015 04:32
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riderkick posted:I hope you enjoy your stay. You'll be very close to mt Fuji if you're interested. Not gonna climb, but I will be taking a day to ride up on my road bike and ascend up to the Subashiri 5th station. I will probably die.
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Jul 6, 2015 05:03
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Busy Bee posted:What are the general prices for a cell phone plan in Japan for Japanese people? All I can find online are renting SIMs for tourists and what not. How much do Japanese people pay for unlimited data + 100~500 minutes a month? Can you generally get this contract free if you bring your own unlocked phone? http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/market/index.html here are some SIM only plans.
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Jul 6, 2015 07:22
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Busy Bee posted:What are the general prices for a cell phone plan in Japan for Japanese people? All I can find online are renting SIMs for tourists and what not. How much do Japanese people pay for unlimited data + 100~500 minutes a month? Can you generally get this contract free if you bring your own unlocked phone? Here's what I'm probably gonna go with: http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/fd/plan.html There's a contract of 5 months, but if you bump it up to a year you get a gb of data for free.
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Jul 6, 2015 08:02
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I use b-mobile with a SIM-free iPhone. Registration is painless. I pay by the minute for calls (which I hardly ever use) but have a few gigs of data a month, bill is 3370 a month.
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Jul 6, 2015 08:54
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Yeah using a SIM-free phone here too. 1800 yen a month for 3GB data and no minutes, Rakuten Mobile. If you already have an unlocked phone there's little justification to use a regular provider at this point, just use a MVNO.
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Jul 6, 2015 10:09
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Y!Mobile here because Bmobile seemed to not like my Moto X (worked fine with the Nexus 4). I think MVNO is a good choice in most cases if you want a functional phone outside of Japan. If you travel anywhere that has visitor sims they won't work with a Softbank or Doco phone.
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Jul 6, 2015 10:29
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Aredna posted:My understanding from this was that the only thing that changed is carriers were required to remove the SIM lock on your phone if you asked. They are allowed to charge you a reasonable fee to cover expenses, which the carries are charging around 3000-4000 yen. Also I think there is a 90day or 180day waiting period from the time you purchase the phone to the time they will be required to unlock your phone by law. Basically, yeah. I asked docomo about it when I signed up ~4 years ago and they said they could unlock it for 3k, but it would void my warranty/insurance on the phone, so I waited until I left to do it. Not sure about other carriers but my buddy rolled up to docomo with an unlocked iPhone he got off Yahoo Auctions in late 2011 or early 2012 and got service for it, although the clerk was adorably perplexed when she couldn't find the battery to remove during the setup process.
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Jul 6, 2015 13:26
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Speaking of which what is my best option for phones if I am staying for 3 months? I should only need data... I had to use one of the rental phones the last time I was there, it ended up costing a fortune even though I used it for less than 2 weeks.. I am a bit wary of the international SIM cards since I destroyed the sim pins on my phone somehow with the last one I had. Also what are the chances of being able to use some kind of loophole to stay longer? I was talking about it with a friend who mentioned that in some countries people do things like make "visa runs" where they leave the country for a day or a week or so in order to get another visa when they come back, but Japan seems like the kind of country that takes that sort of immigration stuff a lot more seriously...
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Jul 6, 2015 19:15
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asvodel posted:Speaking of which what is my best option for phones if I am staying for 3 months? Literately look a few posts above yours.
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Jul 6, 2015 22:23
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Visa runs to Korea or Taiwan are easier than ever. You'll only get poo poo if you try it twice.
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Jul 7, 2015 00:21
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Anyone have any experience with TD debit cards in Tokyo? I'll be visiting there next weekend for four weeks and I'd rather not have to withdraw/carry around a pile of cash to last me that long. I was hoping just to hit up the post office ATMs for cash as I need it, but there's a thread with updates as recently as a month ago on the TD support site with people who can't get any ATMs to work with their debit cards in Japan at all.
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Jul 7, 2015 21:57
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Looking at going to Nikko in late November. Would like to do a day trip, would the 2 day Nikko pass allow us to travel there and back on the same day? http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/pass/2day_nikko_pass.html Or should we plan on do the whole two days because it's dumb to try to see Nikko in one?
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Jul 9, 2015 01:56
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Spend a night in Nikko. It's really nice there. Onsens are much more affordable and you get good food
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Jul 9, 2015 02:12
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There's no problem with using a 2-day pass for just one day, but it is nicer to go up the night before and enjoy a full day in town.
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Jul 9, 2015 06:43
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