My most important travel tip for Japan
During my recent visit I arrived in the middle of a national holiday - Golden Week. For one week stores and restaurants were open but no banks. I arrived with a few Yen that I exchanged at the Minneapolis airport but that didn’t last long. I was hoping to find an exchange house, hotel or ATM to get more money.
Well, you may know this but I didn’t; there are no “cambios” or exchange houses in Japan and hotels do not exchange money.There was a money exchange booth at the airport but I did not use it because it was very late and I thought I would have other options in town. I passed many, many ATMs on the street but none accepted US cards and unlike the United States where you can ask for cash back on an check card purchase that is not an option in Japan. As invaluable transportation links like buses and trains accept only cash, I needed more cash to continue with my trip.
A Good Samaritan changed $50 dollars for me from his pocket which was enough to get to my destination of Koyasan. There I discovered that Post Offices in Japan have US- friendly ATMS! They have options in English and accept all major US ATM cards! I am not sure that I can “all” post offices offer this service but from I have now observed so far that has been true. So, if you find yourself walking around Tokyo or Hakodate with a yearning for Yen, look for the “JP” sign or ask, “yu-bin kyoku wa doko desu ka?”