[noodle]

Reading all this about people carrying large sums of cash is making worried. Is there lots of crime/aggression tied to this? As in, are people getting mugged a common thing in japan/tokyo.

As for HSBC (going way back), i believe that opening a foreign bank account in your home country costs A LOT more than opening it in Japan. At least this was the case when i came to live in france and when i went to china for some time!!!