I just meant it will work at the Citibank ATMs, but you will be charged a fee.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I've heard from other people that Shinsei is good as well and the location is convenient. Do you know if they've got a lot of ATMs, or is it going to be a bit of a hunt to find one when I'm not in central tokyo?

What do you use to get to Ueno? I've gotta make my way to the Tokyo Eki ultimately, but if it's only $10 go to Ueno I can afford to pay for the extra train ride...

Does anyon know what the alien registration card is called in japanese? Likewise, what should I ask for to get the certificate?


You guys are life-savers

There are 2 train going from the Airport to Ueno. One will be around $20 and will be a bit faster and the other one is a local train wich stopps everywhere and cost around $10.
From Ueno to Tokyo its only a short train ride with the Yamanote or the Keihei Line (4 stations) so it´ll cost something around $3, but i think even less.

The Alien Registration Card is called Gaikokujin Shomesho (im not sure how to write it) but its something like this in Japanese 外国人登録.
To get that you will need to find out where the ward office for your House will be (ask your company or the ppl you rent your room from). Im not sure how that other document is called and im also not sure if you can open a bankaccount with it, but give it a try. It is like a certification that you aplied for the Alien certification.

Edit: It took me 80 min from Narita to Ueno and cost 1000yen. Im not sure if there isnt a train running directly to Tokyo Eki, just ask at the desk.

Where will you be living in Tokyo? Ueno is only 4 or 5 stops from Tokyo station, and the fare is only 180 yen.

The alien registration (gaijin) card is known as the gaikokujin toroukushou. In order to get one, you need your passport, visa, and hanko (ymmv, some offices want you to hanko your paperwork, others will let you simply sign it).

You apply for the card at your local city office. You'll need your residence address, and your employer's address as well. You'll also need to bring passport photos, which you can get for 700 yen at photo booths located at or around train stations and such.

Processing the card generally takes less than two weeks. You'll be given a receipt to carry while your card is being made. Most banks will not accept this receipt to open an account, so you'll most likely need to wait for the card. When the card is finished, you can pick it up in person from the city office.

There are Shinsei bank ATMs in many major stations, but you can access your account from pretty much all convenience stores. ATM fees from "outside" machines are usually 210 yen.

I've been to Tokyo a couple of times before, so i'm decently familiar with the main parts of the city, transporation system, etc. I've only gone in from Narita once though, so i'm still looking for a best method for that.

I'll be living in 南砂町, which is in 江東区 a few stops east of 東京駅 on the 東西線. I've already looked up the city office for applying for the 登録書, so that shouldn't be a problem either.

Is there anything I need for opening a bank account besides my passport, alien registration, and hanko?

the certificate of alien registration (alien registration card) is called, or rather the name for it is, "gaikukujin touroku shoumeisho" 外国人登録証明書.

and concerning the original content of ur post, u don't necessarily need ur alien registration card to open a bank account. a driving license or the "insurance card" will do just fine. i would actually recommend that, since they don't have an "entry-into-the-country-date".

Yes, you can use a license or an insurance card at some banks to open an account. But neither of those options apply to someone who is just entering the country. It may take longer for your employer to get your insurance card than it does for you to get your alien registration card. As for getting a license, that's a significant step to take, and will certainly take more time and be much more expensive to get than an alien registration card.

Save yourself the travel and the trouble. Apply for your alien registration card the day after you arrive. It should be ready within ten days.

1. sangetsu, we r not all holders of a US driving license. getting a driving license took me all together, 4-5 h. unfortunately i forgot how much i paid for it. 4,000 yen perhaps. a bonus for the poster is that one of the two driving license centres in Tokyo is close to minami-sunamachi. now, if he or she (the poster) has no driving license or only has a driving license from a country without a mutual recognition agreement with japan it is indeed a wee bit more complicated.

2. the insurance card, as a regular employee u don't have to do anything.
unfortunately i don't remember how soon u get it.

3. my understanding is that u can open a bank account at any bank using either a driving license or the insurance card.　pls, prove me wrong.

4. why i recommend not using an alien registration card is that some major domestic banks won't let ppl with less than 6 months in japan open up a bank account.

Yes, you can get open an account with a license (and in come cases, an insurance card), but even so, you need the residency card to get the license, right?

good question, i don't remember.