Requirement 1: Have a Japanese bank account for your salary

If during your Working Holiday you want to do remunerated work, you typically need a Japanese bank account, as employers don’t pay out salaries in cash or to foreign bank accounts.

There are only a few banks in Japan that open bank accounts for foreigners from the beginning of your stay. Most banks won’t do it at all and some only after you have spent at least 6 months in Japan. The banks that open accounts from the beginning of your stay have further restrictions about new accounts, e.g. usually you cannot transfer funds from outside of Japan to your Japanese account within the first 6 months of your stay.

Requirement 2: Bring a Credit Card from home

So to avoid you have to bring a lot of money in cash and in order to cover your living expenses before you get paid out for the first time, which usually happens on a monthly base after having done the work, it is advisable to bring a credit card from your home country with you.

You also need a Credit Card in order to get a mobile phone contract. At some, but not all mobile phone providers this can be a foreign credit card. There is no chance for anyone who is on a Working Holiday visa to get a Japanese credit card.

Also it important to know that many ATMs don’t accept foreign Credit Cards, even if they have the VISA or Mastercard logo. They only work with VISA and Mastercards issued in Japan.

At areas where there are usually many tourists, you can find ATMs accepting foreign-issued credit cards (and even some foreign debit cards such as Maestro and Visa Plus), and also at Japan Postbank and 7Eleven Convenience stores.