My college choir is going on a 2 week trip to Japan this coming Spring, the end of May/early June, to be precise. I’ve never been to Japan, so I thought I’d appeal to the Japanese dopers for some tips…
Mostly, I’m wondering about money. Should I bring only cash? Should I skip the cash and bring a credit/debit card? I’ve heard bad things about travelers checks…
If it makes a difference, I’ll be in Tokyo, Kanegasaki, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nara.
Thanks in advance!
I went to Japan a few years ago for a pleasure trip. I knew in advance that it is against the law to import inhalers. If anyone in your group has asthma and requires an inhaler for Proventil, Albuterol, etc, they’ll have to surrender it upon arrival. I had to go to a Japanese doctor shortly after arrival at Narita to get new one and as I recall, I wasn’t cheap and of course, insurance didn’t pay for it.
Eric
ATMs that dispense US$ are suprisingly hard to find in Japan. For all of Japan’s technological know-how, ATMs are just not their thing.
I would advise bringing along a fair amount of cash. Traveling with a group combined with traveling in Japan makes it unlikely that someone is going to mug you or steal your money.
People in Japan just don’t do things like steal purses or wallets.
Credit cards will work out well, but make sure you look for the sign before you go in. They aren’t accepted as widely as you would expect either.
You will have a great time and you should be avoiding the time of really unpleasant weather.
Credit cards are nice for hotels and shopping in department stores, but the majority of smaller places take cash only, even places that in America would almost definitely take cards.
As BobT said, pickpockets and purse-snatchers aren’t very common, so carry cash will probably be quite safe.
If you decide do some long-distance sightseeing, be aware that while some stations are equipped to take credit cards, many are not (or they take only a specific, local card). I’ve almost gotten stranded a couple of times because I bought my outbound bullet train ticket at Tokyo with a card, but then found that the station I was coming back from was cash-only.
A few taxis have started taking credit cards as well.
I agree, be prepared to use cash for everything. Everyone uses a lot of cash so it’s no big deal if someone sees you with a half dozen 10,000 yen bills. One time I saw an old man on the subway take out a wad of 10,000 yen bills and count them right there - at least 10 of them, maybe 20.
Why would you want US dollars in Japan? Or do you mean it’s hard to find ATMs that take US cards?
When I went (moderatly long time ago) couldn’t cash a traveler’s check anywhere. They were pretty close to worthless.
I had no problem with exchanging US$ denominated traveler’s checks for yen at the forex desk in banks. You can also change them at major hotels, but don’t bother because the exchange rate is crap. Otherwise, carry cash.
How much free time will you have? Kyoto and Nara are jam-packed with places to see–the Ryoanji Temple and the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto and Todaiji Temple in Nara are must-sees, but watch out for those vicious deer! Tokyo is pretty dull for touristy things to do, although it does have the Meiji Jingu and is convenient for making day trips to Nikko and Kamakura. A trip to the Kabuki-cho district in Tokyo, where you can find love hotels and soaplands can be…ahem…“educational.”
Also, if you are jonesing for some coffee, you can save money by buying canned coffee from vending machines for Y110. You can also buy beer in vendoing machines. If you just gotta have the real thing, the Doutor chain sells great coffee and pastries.
Re: inhalers, I think the law may have changed. When I lived in Japan, one of my friends had athsma and he brought his inhalers with him whenever he took a trip back to the States for vacation. But maybe he just didn’t “claim” them at customs? I dunno…
That being said, one of the funniest things about Japan is when you go through customs and they show you a laminated poster with pictures of guns, knives, porn, drugs and inhalers and then ask you if you have any of those things with you. As if you would say, “Well come to think of it, I HAVE stashed a bazooka filled with weed in my carry-on. Is that bad?!”
If you can get traveller’s checks in yen before you leave, then you can just cash them all at any bank - like the other posters said, I don’t think you’ll have much of a problem with pickpockets.
Watch out for the deer at Nara temple. They eat anything. I saw one in the toilet eating the paper. At least it was potty-trained. Boy, those Japanese are sticklers for discipline!
Definitely take cash. Take more than you think you are going to need, as everything is much more expenseive over there. Also don’t forget rain gear. Try to get out of the cities, if possible, there are some truly stunning landscaped to behold.
I think what BobT meant is that ATM’s that allow you to withdraw from foreign accounts are almost inexistant.
Japan can be very expensive if you’re not careful, but it doesn’t have to be, if you’re careful.
Unfortunately, you’ll likely catch the rainy season. Which means that umbrellas will pretty much be a necessity.
BTW, Gobear, canned coffee’s been up to Y120 for a few years now. Bummer.