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[yapc::asia::2008] Did I mention I was going to Japan? 15 Comments More | Login | Reply /

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  • Hell Yes!
  • Where are you staying? I'm also looking for accommodation, so address, URL, price - any information would be good. Thanks.
    • Unfortunately, I think I won't be able to help you there. I'm staying with some friends who live there :-)
  • Japan is a very cash-oriented place, and it's not as easy to find a foreign-friendly ATM as it is in other places I've been to. Bring a few hundred euros worth of cash with you when you go to make your life a little easier.
    • Hum... Does that mean that people will accept my money, or will I have to buy some Yens first?
      • Assuming you are flying through Narita, there are a few Citibank ATMs there that seem pretty international-friendly. There is also a place to change your money.

        The best way, I think, to get from NRT to Tokyo is the Airport Limousine Bus [limousinebus.co.jp].

        It seems like I will be traveling to Tokyo twice a year now, for work. My second trip will be at the end of February, though, so I doubt I will be there in May for YAPC::Asia. (I may get to go to YAPC::NA, though!)

        • The best way, I think, to get from NRT to Tokyo is the Airport Limousine Bus.
          I disagree. The NEX or Skyliner is much better.
          • The main advantage of the Airport Bus is that they take you directly to your hotel. If you are not staying in a hotel, an express train may be the better option. It also depends on if you are traveling during rush hour traffic.
      • I meant bring some Yen. As the other followup pointed out, there are ATMs in the airport, but you may be too tired to want to deal with it. I've never taken the bus mentioned. There's a train that goes from NRT to the Tokyo train station [jreast.co.jp]. If you're staying at Dan's place, you can catch a cab from that train station to his place for cheap.

        If you're staying in Japan for a while, you can get a really good deal where you buy a train ticket and some pre-paid subway/train fare on a Suica card for a good price. He
        • One more thing. To buy that combo Nex + Suica package, you can only do it at one ticket counter, even though you'll probably see a bunch of others. There's little maps on the page I linked to above.
    • Japan is very cash-oriented, but it is much easier to find foreign-friendly ATMs now than it was a few years ago.
      • Define "a few years ago". When I was there in 2007 it was still significantly harder than I'd expect. Most of the major Japanese banks do not work with US ATM standards, at least. Maybe it's different for European standards. I ended up having to either find an American bank branch (Chase) or a Japanese post office. Fortunately, the post offices are very common, but still not nearly as common as Japanese banks.

        I compare this to Taiwan, where since I first went there in 2000 pretty much every large Taiwanese
        • Usual Bank ATMs are sometimes useless in terms of pulling money from foreign BANK accounts like you describe, but Post Office ATMs, as well as Seven Bank (those you can find in 7-11 convenience) might be more useful and you can withdraw from networks such as PLUS, VISA, Master Card and Citrus. http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html [japanpost.jp]
        • By "a few years ago" I meant 2002. If I'd heard about your problem last year I would have told you to ignore most of the banks and do what Miyagawa-san suggested in another reply: use the post office or 7-11.

          7-11 are particularly good because they are more common than banks, accept foreign cards, and (unlike many major banks) are open 24 hours.
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