Florence

Bonjour Spygirl,

you write:

"Message: Nope, disagree totally, Florence. You need to get plenty of cash from the Citibank ATMs at Narita, because first off, if you plan to take the Keisei skyliner into Tokyo, THAT private train company does NOT take credit cards. If you want to go to Nikko, for example, THAT train ALSO does not take credit cards"

I've been taking the Skyliner from Narita since it is in operation and always paid with my mastercard. Same with Tobu line to Nikko - I was there last May.


"Back to Tokyo: in Asakusa: there are virtually NO shops in, or around, the Nakamise-Dori that take credit cards- if you want to buy some of the authentically Japanese items from shops that have been in the same families for several generations, you'll have to pay in cash."

That's not what my credit card statement says ... been buying kimono fabric, papers, dolls, bamboo craft, woodcraft, clothes, books, etc, paying in restaurants and hotels, all with my mastercard, and for years. There are some smaller shops that prefer cash, and you will obviously not pay a 1000 yen purchase with CC, or course.


"And as for those post offices that have ATMs that take foreign credit cards? The post office in Asakusa, on the same road with Kaminarimon Gate? That's the first place I went, and guess what, that ATM did NOT take foreign credit cards. "

The one I'm talking about is the big one, located in Asakusa-dori, the main street leading to Ueno, parallel to the one passing Kaminarimon. From Kaminarimon, you turn right, then left at the lights, then right to the subway station and it is 100 m or so on the right.

Your problem may have to do with the network your card belongs to. Mine is a "Maestro" (debit and credit - I used debit mostly). I didn't try my visa-electron, though.

kuranosuke

ok, heres my take on tc. two years ago, i bought 1k of tc, and i still have 5 hundred left. i used the 5 here at home. i think that with atm, tc is getting obsolete. the last time i used tc in japan, i had to go to a bank to get the best rate. if you do this, don't forget your passport. i was in bkk this past may and went to the big c and to a money changer to cash 2hund in tc. i had to show my passport which i didn't have, so i went to an atm to get the baht. in jp, i usually go to a citibank atm and get my yen. no problem. perhaps your hotel might be able to change your tc or usd for you, but of course, at a bad rate, so change enough to get you by. i have never tried to use a tc in a store/rest.

on another note, if you stay at the shigetsu ryokan(i stayed there) in asakusa, i recommend having a bowl of ramen and the best kaiten sushi i ever had. as you exist the ryokan, turn to your right, and walk about 5-10 min. you will come upon a ramen shop on your left that has a 290yen for a bowl of ramen sign on the walk way, you can't miss it. its the best bowl of 290 ramen i had. after that as you exist, take a left and turn left again, and head to the maguro hito kaiten sushi bar. excellent quality, and cheap!! i ate at both of these places this past may during sanja matsuri. the ramen was a warmup for the sushi.

if you stay at the keio plaza, i believe thats in shinjuku, a great place with lots of yakitori places. i stayed at the nearby hyatt, across from the park, great location. be careful if you go to a bar, as you might end up in a hostess bar, and may have to give up your first born to pay for your tab.

i also stayed in roppongi, a fun and crazy place. the thing i remember about roppongi is that some south african guy trying to get me to spend 4000 yen to go into a strip bar(no, i didn't go in). my friends tell me that i can get a bud lite for $3 for the same entertaiment at home.

i think hakone is worth an overnight stay, as its a great place to relax, and enjoy the many onsens. i stayed at the kowakien hotel. excellent property.

bout kyoto, it was a long time since i went there, but the one thing i remember about kyoto was temples, temples, temples, temples..........

i will be in tokyo a week after you leave, and i will indeed, have the bowl of ramen, and sushi at maguro hito. by the way, a cold sake is delicious with the sushi.

oct weather is nice and cool. warm enough to get around without a jacket.
have a good time.

lcuy

dgruzew- Travellers checks can be as difficult to use as credit cards in some places. Whether you use dollar bills or TCs, when you find a place to exchange them, exchange a lot. It is quite safe in Japan, and carrying wads of cash is not unusual.

If you have credit cards, always ask to use them (credito?) before you offer cash. Visa is by far the most accepted of the western cards, and accepted in more places all the time. It does get scary when you start running low on cash, so don't wait until Friday afternoon to start hunting down ATMs or banks!

I like Kyoto Central Inn if I'm not staying in a ryokan in Kyoto. Ask for a Japanese style room, and don't be put off by the dark hallways...the rooms are nice and big with private bath.

In Tokyo we've stayed many times at Ryokan Shigetsu. Its a nice inn, but the area closes up very early at night. Tokyo subways do stop running fairly early- some lines shut down about 11:30. If you plan to be out really late, cabs are your only option. Check with your hotel, as some like Shigetsu lock up early and you need to make prior arrangements for late entry.

There was quite a bit of comment on the Mansions at Roppongi a while back. BigFeat stayed there and seemed very happy.


October is really nice weather in Japan...not quite fall foliage time, but usually sunny and warm.

Take lots of money...even if you do really well eating cheaply and do more sight-seeing than sight-entering (entry fees tend to be high), you will still find really great stuff to buy!

Spygirl

Florence: I'm not going to argue with you about the lack of credit card use in Japan-that's well documented. You need to get cash, and not traveler's checks, dgruzew-because traveler's checks are even harder to use than credit cards-I believe only certain banks will cash them-but no stores or restaurants.

And Florence, if you're so sure that the Keisei takes credit cards, then that should be on their website under "how to buy a ticket" no? It isn't. It says you can reserve a seat, but nothing about payment-meaning you can reserve a number of ways, but then must show up and pay for the ticket in cash. The same for the Tobu line to Nikko. There were no less than two Japanese (I remember this very clearly) this past April who were standing there in the station solely to help tourists buy tickets. They spoke perfect English- and I had to buy my ticket with cash. The same for the return in Nikko-do you seriously think that when I handed my credit card (I have them all) to the person in the ticket booth, and he says to me in English no credit cards-when I'm seriously low on yen that I'm going to pay in cash? I had no choice!

And I don't know what shops Florence went to, but I bought an awful lot of items in and around Asakusa, and almost none of the items were paid for by credit cards. Gloria and Icuy agree here, you DO need lots of cash-credit cards have still not penetrated Japanese society the way they have in the rest of the world-China was easier by far to use credit cards (in the major cities of course) than Japan-and to get cash from Chinese ATMs.

kuranosuke

florence: as always, gracious. btw, did you ever go to the chankonabe rest called waka's?

Spygirl

And this on the money situation in Japan from the Japan National Tourist Office:

12. Travellers' cheques, cash or credit card? What is the best way to carry money in Japan?

Japan is very much a cash society. Although credit cards are becoming more widely used, foreign credit cards are not always accepted and even in major cities you will still find that most transactions are settled in cash. It is possible to get a cash advance on your credit card or withdraw money from a bank account using ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) in Japan, however the number of ATMs that accept foreign credit and cash cards is limited and most have restricted operating hours.

Florence

Spygirl,

I agree that you do indeed need cash, and that TC are "passé". I also agree that finding an ATM can be a problem, and that you should make the best use of any one you find on your way.

I agree that the use of credit card is not as prevalent in Japan as it is in other countries, but I also happen to have been travelling there regularly (like in "at least 3-4 weeks every year and a half, and a few months at a time on a couple of occasions&quot for the last 20 years. Except for my last two trips, I usually stay in Tokyo with Japanese friends in Yanaka, Asakusa and Sumida ward. I can therefore very confidently say that I've seen Japanese use their credit cards extremely frequently, and so did I.

Last May, I went to Nikko from Tobu Asakusa and bought my tickets (return) at the window witn my MC. I don't know about Nikko since I obviously didn't need to buy them there, and you are certainly right in this instance.

I bought my Keisei skyliner ticket at the window in Keisei Ueno station with my MC, and you may be right about it being impossible in Narita (went through Kansai, left through Narita on my last 3 trips).

In Asakusa, I paid all my important purchases (= more than yen 5000) with MC, except in the two shops selling tableware that didn't take credit card at all (one in the covered arcade at the corner of Chuo street, the other at the corner of the main street).

My advice is therefore: bring lots of cash, various debit and credit cards, try the ATM at the post offices to see if it accepts one of your cards, ask the tourist office for places with ATMs that do (million cards places, etc.), always ask the clerk in shops and tickets windows if paying with a card is ok ("Creditto, daijobu ?&quot.


Bonjour Kuranosuke,

thanks for the kind words. I unfortunately didn't go to a chanko place this time, Mom was on a diet ;-)

We returned to the tonkatsu restaurant "Katsu Kichi" we found last year in Asakusa (Chuo dori, the street crossing the covered arcade on the west side), where we had one of the best tonkatsu I've tasted and the best welcome I could dream of, since the chef and all his family recognised us, gave us small gifts (banzuke of May sumo tournament, tenugui) and told their daughter to accompany us back to our hotel, buying us bottles of water to drink during the night.

emd

FLorence: did you use Master Card because that is one that is taken in more places? I am taking lots of cash but also want to take the right cards to use as often as possible, and MC is the one card I don't have.

mrwunrfl

You'll be fine with a Visa card for credit card purchases. For cash, I used the ATM at Narita and ATMs at the train stations. They are easy enough to find.

Florence

Bonjour Emd,

I use MC because that's the only one I used to have until recently. I also use a debit card (eurocard) for ATMs. Note that I use Swiss cards since that's where I work, so conditions may vary for other countries.

I've always heard that Visa was more accepted, but I've never had any problem with MC. It seems there are some accords and MC is a member of the "DC" or "UC" network in Japan.

Spygirl

MC is probably a little less accepted than Visa is, Visa is the card you'll see predominantly if a place takes credit cards.

But like I said, you'll have a great deal of difficulty in finding establishments, restaurants included, that take credit cards. There were NO ATMS in Nikko train station, I saw no ATMs in Ueno-and even if there were any, I'm reasonably sure they did not take foreign credit cards-so I don't understand why the poster above would say that you can find ATMs that take foreign cc's in train stations, or that you will "be fine" using a credit card for purchases-indicating that nearly every place takes credit cards. Wrong. That's the whole point of warning people in advance that you need to have lots of cash in Japan. If the JNTO states that you will find few places that do, even in major cities, and the ATM machines you do find won't take your card, I think you can take that to the bank-because they're not in the business of misleading the tourist into thinking that the credit card is all powerful in Japan when it is clearly not.

No dgruzew-as far as Tokyo, if you find one of those elusive post offices that take your foreign ATMs-then all well and good-otherwise, you can look up the address, as I did for the downtown 24 hour Citibank-all the taxi drivers know where it is- and use those to get cash. Post office ATMs generally close at around 7 pm.

Florence

"I don't understand why the poster above would say that you can find ATMs that take foreign cc's in train stations, or that you will "be fine" using a credit card for purchases-indicating that nearly every place takes credit cards."

Maybe because he DID find those elusive ATMs, and he WAS fine shopping with his cc ...


" If the JNTO states that you will find few places that do, even in major cities, "

I found out on a number of occasions that the informations on their website was outdated or incomplete. This particular bit has been left as it is for years, although conditions have changed. The last example was when they announced their office in Kyoto was closed together with the Welcome inns reservation center, whereas they had merely been moved inside the station building.

Anyway, there is no reason to fight on this forum: experiences vary, and we're all here to share them, ideally to help each others, so take plenty of cash, share good addresses, and enjoy your trips.

mrwunrfl

What nonsense this discussion has become.

What I meant by "fine with a Visa" was to suggest that emd need not go out and get a MC. I used a Visa Check Card and withdrew Y80,000 - Y100,000 upon arrival at NRT (this is like a Cirrus/Plus ATM card and comes from my checking account, not a credit card that has extra fees for cash advances). Then I used a Visa card, may Amex, to pay for most lodging. Had JR Pass so never needed to buy a rail ticket.

Spygirl

If there were ATMs in train stations in Tokyo that took foreign credit cards, I'm sure there would be some information to that effect, and I was in 3 stations in Tokyo, and saw none.

It seems Florence, that you're the only that has had no problem using credit cards in Tokyo and Kyoto-so good for you. But I for one, am not going to leave anyone with the misimpression that "you'll be fine" using credit cards there when that's simply not the case. As Gloria said, it's very frustrating to go running around looking for a foreign ATM machine.

But dgruzew-like I said, you can have peace of mind in Tokyo knowing that there are several ATMs in the big downtown Citibank that will take your card, and they are in fact open 24 hours a day.

dgruzew

guys,
thanks for the info but I am not that worried about finding ATM's . I will take your advice and alot of cash quickly. Should I just plan on getting my money from Citibank at narita, or should I bring USD ro USD Travelers checks and change them at a Currency exchange?

I asked earlier about Nikon Lenses? is anyone a photographer(amatour or pro)? I want to buy a Nikkor 24-120 ED VR 3.5-5.6 lens - this runs about 600 USD + here in the states and I was woderding if I would be able find a good deal on this (and other photo and computer things) in the Akihabara electronics district? does anyone know? what other things would I expect to find there? Video games? CPU chips? etc

What would a reccomended budget be? I don't plan on eating at fancy resturants (except mabye one time -we will be there for our 2nd wedding anaversary)I have no problem with eating japanese food the whole time I am there (I.E. I really don't want to eat italian or mexican)


Also - since I am flying into NRT and our of KIX, I don't think I need a railpass. Should I buy shikansen tickets in japan or here through an agency (JTB has an office here in chicago)

Spygirl

Dgruzew-let me just add one final word on this: you should definitely get the maximum amount from the Citibank ATM at Narita-which is located on the lower level arrivals hall under the escalators, and very near the desk for leaving luggage (the left luggage desk is very useful if you're planning a few days hop into Tokyo). As for currency exchanges, Tokyo is not like Europe in that regard-where you can find a Bureau de Change on every corner-I didn't see any when I was there-and believe me, I was looking! Large international banks are your best option for changing money and using travelers checks, but the use of travelers checks is becoming markedly more difficult if not impossible-even in Europe- and at any rate they'll charge you considerable transaction fees based on larger amounts of currency. Your best bet to exchange currency in Tokyo is a bank-and again, I would say Citibank.

It's always hard to advise someone you don't know about a budget-but my advice is, watch your cash carefully-and take a good guidebook with you, because if you need to find a restaurant or other store that takes credit cards-it will list those that do.

And if JTB has a travel bureau there in Chicago, then by all means, go and seek advice from them on the shinkansen tickets, as well as other money matters. I don't know whether it is more advantageous to buy tickets in the US or not, it's been too long since I last did it.

Akihabara is the electronics section of Tokyo-but I don't know anything about the cost of Nikon lenses there-you might want to type the word into a search engine and see what information you can find about the electronics and camera equipment sold there.

kuranosuke

florence:

i have added kastu kichi to my list of where to eat. i love tonkatsu and i can't good ones here at home. i am also on the lookout for a good soba place. preferably where they make their own soba. any tips?

dgruzew:

i think the word "discount" is foreign(pun intended)in jp. other that the 100yen shops, i don't recall seeing many shops offering discounts. on my last trip, i saw a sony digital camera selling for $100 more at a shop at narita, then what i paid for at home. i don't think you will get any significant bargins on cameras, and lenses in jp.

as far as getting a railpass, others here have more experience on that issue than i. the last time i used a railpass, i used it to go to the tohoku region, and on up to hokkaido. for me, it was worth it.

if you plan on changing your usd or tc for yen, i think you have to go to a bank, as i don't think you can find a money changer on the street like you see in singapore, bangkok, etc.

emd

Thank you mrwunrfl. I understood what you said.

Florence

Bonjour Dgruzew,

One of the main new camera shop in Tokyo is Yodobashi camera in Shinjuku http://www.yodobashi.co.jp/ . New equipment is rather expensive and I don't think you'll save much by buying in Japan. However, you'll find a number of very good second hand camera shops, mostly in Ginza. Given the prices of new material, I've always heard that those were the only place where you'll find a good bargain. I've been in two of them for maintenance and trying to find a lens (own a Nikon FE2), and I've found good prices, compared to France and Switzerland, material in excellent condition and excellent service.

Here's a listing of used camera stores in Tokyo:

http://www.asbcreative.com/tokyo_used_cameras.html

laurieco

Hi dgruzew,

My husband and I stayed at the Mansions when we were in Japan this past March. We loved it and wouldn't stay anywhere else in Tokyo. I've posted several times on this forum about the hotel, just put in a search for Mansions at Roponngi and you should see them come up.