Quote:
Originally Posted by Gwen_Goth
one problem we sometimes had was finding ATMs that took our cards; Citibank definatly takes them, but are sometimes hard to find; when all else fails the easiest way to find help is at a post office - theres alway someone who speaks english, and they usually have ATMs that take foriegn cards
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This is true and one of the biggest potential problems you might face. The PO wouldn't work for any of my cards (not in the city I live in, never tried it in Tokyo) because US ATM cards use the magnetic strip vs. Japan which uses the smart card (a chip embedded in the card). This is a little gold looking thing on your card as opposed to the black strip on the back. But yes, Citi will take your card or should (I have a Citi account) and their banks are usually conviently located close to rail stations. In Tokyo they are, I don't know about the others. Once you leave Tokyo there are possibly only two to three other cities that have Citibank branches. Just pull the cash you need before leaving Tokyo and you will be okay. Japan is very, very safe. The only rumoring of pitpockets I have heard is the Osaka area, but again this is only a rumor spread through who knows who and I don't know of anyone actually being pitpocketed.