ICS info - Accessing cash

The following is some info on the availability of funds in Japan.

Japan is a cash country. There's no way i can stress this enough. In Sydney if you run out of cash you're most likely to swipe your bank or credit card. The 'cash card' is never available to use in this manner. NEVER.
Department stores and large stores of course accept credit card but considering Japan tends to have more small businesses they won't have those kind of facilities.

Who cares? I hear you say. Just go to an ATM! WELL. Banks are very localised in Japan, every prefecture will have at least two of their own bank, which means they also have their own set of ATMs - which aren't terribly numerous. These banks are NOT national!!! The only relatively national financial institution is the Japan Post bank account.
Another option is to use the ATMs in convenience stores that accept a variety of banks. However they do charge an ATM fee of 210yen (as at november 2008) and only particular convenience stores will accept your cash card.

If you want to withdraw directly from your Australian bank account 7eleven ATMs will work. They also accept Visa and Cirrus. Japan mostly utilises Visa.

Another thing to remember is that ATMs have opening and closing times in Japan, especially the smaller ATMs and in smaller cities. Public holidays are usually closing times.
Although for KIT students there is a Fukuoka Bank one that's open on the road to Tobata - walkable distance on public holidays.

I have been transferring funds online from my Australian bank account to my Fukuoka bank account ever since the cash i brought over in the beginning ran out.
It does take a while to set up though. After receiving your Alien Registration card and getting your inkan (stamp) made your tutor will take you to a bank - usually your local one)
I notified my bank but without the bank account details they couldn't do much, so after setting up a bank account i filled out the forms and faxed them over, the first transaction took a month!!! but after that it took a week.