You have just arrived in Tokyo, or Osaka or Kobe.  You plan to work in the city for 6 months and save some money.  Then spend the next 6 months studying karate in Okinawa or hiking in the Japanese Alps or skiing in Hokkaido.  Whatever your plans are, you will need a savings account for your salary to be paid into.

So why would you choose a Post Office Savings Account over a Bank Account?

1.      The Post Office Bank is the biggest bank in Japan.

2.      There are post offices in every tiny village and city throughout Japan.

3.      Recently they also started offering a credit card service.

4.      Post office ATM’s accept foreign bank cards so you can use your local account or in case of emergency, your home country account.

Next, how do you open a Post Office Savings Account?

1.      You will need some form of ID such as your passport, a driver’s license with photo or your Alien Registration card.1 

2.      You can either sign on your account or do as the Japanese do and get an inkan2 or name stamp made.  Although it may seem easier to sign your application form, this can cause problems in the future.  The Japanese system accepts the inkan2 much more readily than signatures so is more useful, especially in smaller towns and villages.

3.      Go to the post office and fill in an application form.  This is all in Japanese but staff are extremely helpful and will tell you what to write, where.

4.      You will be given a savings account book and an ATM card so will be able to start using your account straight away.

Alien Registration card – This is a compulsory form of identification required by Japanese law for all foreign residents of Japan.

2Inkan – This is known as a name stamp, a personal seal in English.  For official purposes such as opening an account you will need to register your inkan at the local municipal office. 

This content was provided by one of our users, Penny