Azamara Japan intensive

[ShopperfiendTO]

12 hours ago, NC&KY said:

Why must you have it on you when you land? I always go straight to an ATM when I land and get local currency. Will that approach not work in Tokyo?

 

Sorry, you don't need to have cash on you when you land.  I meant to say that you will need to have cash on you pretty soon after you arrive.  For example, you can't use your credit card to buy the IC smart cards (e.g., Suica, Passmo) that you tap to take most kinds of public transportation including the Tokyo subways.

 

Your approach will work in Tokyo.

 

I just recommended having cash before arriving because it is something that can be done before the outbound flight and is one less thing to have to deal with when you just land after a long flight with jet lag and possibly not much sleep.  Yes, the conversion rate is likely worse exchanging currency beforehand than when withdrawing the funds while in Japan, but you are not converting that much, only enough to allow you a couple of days to conveniently come across one during your daily exploration of the city (or ask your hotel where the closest one is).

 

Here is a website for the ATMs at Haneda (note there are 3 terminals):

https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/service/facilities/bank.html

Maps of terminals (under "Floor Map" section):

https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/service/foreign_visitors.html

 

Here is a website for the ATMs at Narita (note there are 3 terminals as well):

https://www.narita-airport.jp/en/service/svc_12

If you click on the link of the ATM in the location column, it should take you to a floorplan map.  

[gardenbunny]

16 hours ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

Although you haven't asked, a tip I offer when travelling to Japan is for you to ensure you have cash on you when you land, so you might want to watch currency trends and exchange when favourable leading up to your departure.  Although the country is hyper-technologically advanced, it is still very much a cash society.

Good to know they still use cash.

After numerous cruises in foreign ports (and 2 WC) we always get foreign currency from our bank before we leave.  Learned that lesson on our first WC - now we don’t have to worry about finding ATMs, having enough to buy small magnet souveniers, using public transportation, tipping guides,  get a soft drink or snack…

Plus, we had a breach on our ATM at a Deutsche Bank in Bellagio on Lake Como - $800 was taken out of our account!!  Our credit union was able to trace it back to Italy and put our money back.  And even though it was an inside ATM, credit union said it probably had a skimmer.  I have been scared to use one ever since.

And we take unused money back to bank after trip and convert back to US

[azjoy]

I was also wary of the potential “skimming” problems with ATM’s, until I found a bank offering a checking account that charges no fees (ATM, or monthly/annual maintenance fees) and also rebates ATM fees from other banks.  I deposit enough money for a single trip, which limits the theft exposure and eliminates the threat of someone stealing my pension and having legitimate bills rejected from my main checking account.

And yes, there is additional tracking required with a separate account.  But we make several international trips a year and we find it easier than getting foreign currency locally.  And since tracking/reconciliation was part of my professional life, it’s not a big deal for me. 

I used to track the conversion rate but I always found it to match the average for the day and it was better than what our local bank quoted to get the foreign currency up front (with lots of fees!)

 

Caution: This may only apply to the U.S.   Don't know if CC rules allow me to post the name of the bank?    

[uktog]

We tend to carry enough cash for small incidentals which we get delivered to the house by the provider in the UK ahead of leaving home.  I have read there is less acceptance of credit cards in some areas in Japan so we will probably need to up what we take with us.  It is only carried on our person (in a hidden place) for the flight, it is then straight to the hotel safe and then the ships safe.  We take small amounts out with us each day depending on what our day plan is.  Lets hope that works in Japan if we get there

[Roel94]

4 hours ago, uktog said:

We tend to carry enough cash for small incidentals which we get delivered to the house by the provider in the UK ahead of leaving home.  I have read there is less acceptance of credit cards in some areas in Japan so we will probably need to up what we take with us.  It is only carried on our person (in a hidden place) for the flight, it is then straight to the hotel safe and then the ships safe.  We take small amounts out with us each day depending on what our day plan is.  Lets hope that works in Japan if we get there

I found all my lunches out were cash only. Dinners if in a posh place I used a Card.