Quote:
Originally Posted by Misericordias
Would it be best to apply for a credit card over there, or is that too risky/not worth it for a student staying only for a year?
|
Visa is indeed your best bet, but I wouldn`t even bother trying to apply for one while you`re in Japan. You`ll be a non-citizen student with no income - banks don`t exactly jump to hand cards out to that set. I would get the card before coming to Japan.
Quote:
|
I have been thinking about opening an HSBC account because they have banks in Japan, but how widespread is HSBC? Is the bank and its ATM machines only located in Tokyo and other metropolitan areas, or is it widespread?
|
HSBC offers a
nice map of where all their ATMs are.
Several around Tokyo and one in Kobe. None elsewhere, not even in metropolitan areas.
Quote:
|
Would there be another international bank that would be better for me to use in Japan?
|
Unfortunately I can`t help you here. Citibank seems to be recommended fairly often, but having taken several people to their "ATM"s around... I would be very wary of believing they really have locations where they SAY they have locations. Every one I have been to involved a very short window of time in which you could hand over your bank information, fill out a bunch of forms, and wait an hour while someone in a strange little office did your transaction for you... If you can even find their branch as it`s never called Citibank, and tends to be in some tiny office in a nondescript building. I`m sure they`re better in Tokyo, but probably little different than HSBC.