So I'm studying abroad in Japan right now, and I need to talk about bank transactions and transfers with my local office; however, I know none of the vocabulary! Perhaps someone here can help me with a few basic things I'll need to convey...

First I need to ask if it is possible to do direct payments and not use a bank transfer when paying rent fees. So the words for bank transfer and direct payments are the most important here.

Then I need to know the phrase for "Open a bank account". And does anyone have any insight on opening a bank account in Japan? I would only need a basic account that would allow for bank transfers to my university, and for me to deposit money, that's it.

Thanks to anyone who can help out!

P.S. - Bank recommendations are welcome too!

I've never had any experience with that so I can unfortunately not help you out.

What I can do is tell you what I would do in your situation: Get a hold of bank stuff in Japanese. Search Japanese wikipedia for 銀行 for example. Go to some big japanese bank websites.

Basically, expose yourself to a lot of bank related Japanese and mine it. As long as you have a week or two to spend on it, you should get enough vocabulary to get by fine.

I had to open up a few different accounts whilst i was in Japan, this was becuase many companies insist that you have an account with one particular bank.

Although they have the fewest cash machines, I found the post-office to be the most helpfull when opening the account and for any further queries etc. So, I would go with the post office.

As for the vocab, can't help there i'm afraid.

口座　bank account, and I think you use ひらく for opening a bank account. 振り込み/振り込む bank transfer. That's all I can remember off the top of my head.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

And yes, cracky, that's exactly what I needed! Unfortunately, I don't have a week or so to dedicate to learning bank vocab, I have... today ;-)

Well, let's see how it goes!

Just ask the bank to talk to someone who can speak English and your problem is solved. Or an interpretor at the bank.

Ofurikae is "Direct Bank Transfer" and Ofurikomi is "Transfer from your Bank Account": お振り替え　おふりかえ and お振り込み　おふりこみ。 I've only ever done furikomis, not sure what a furikae even is. It could be the direct payment you are looking for.

smujohnson Wrote:Just ask the bank to talk to someone who can speak English [...]

good luck with that one!

From some notes:

At the ATM

お預け入れ　(ご入金) - deposit
お引き出し　(払戻し) - withdrawal
通帳記入 - passbook update
残高紹会 - Balance Inquiry

千 - 1,000 yen
万 - 10,000 yen

確認 - OK / confirm
訂正 - Make a correction
手続取消 - Cancel

[Sorry for the double post.]

Ryuujin27 Wrote:P.S. - Bank recommendations are welcome too!

Mitsubishi UFJ - http://www.mufg.jp/english/ is recommended. They have branches all over the country and their ATMs stay open normal hours (for Japan) and are found in most of Japan.
If you go with a regional bank like Shizuoka bank, Osaka bank etc you will only be able to use you ATM card within their areas or at some conbinis if you're lucky.

Do not use 'JA (Japan Agriculture?) Bank' they are some kind of country bumpkin setup and their ATMs close for the weekends!!! they are a good place to get Car Insurance from though.

If you have a Post Office account you will be able to use your card all over the country.
Most ATMs will not accept foreign cards. 7/11 ATMs are open (nearly) 24 hours and will accept some foregn credit cards.

note: here the ATMs actually have opening and closing hours, typically 8am to 8pm.

Banking, like web design, is in the stone age here so be ready for some surprises. Also the washing machines only use cold water, so be ready for that too

Oh don't get me started on the washing machines! Why do they only tumble dry? I just went out and bought a drying rack so I just skip the dryer completely... it's a waste of 100円.

But thanks to everyone for all that help! There's some vocab I already knew in there, but a lot I didn't in regards to the more banking aspects. Also, the direct payment I was referring to was whether or not I can pay in cash to the university so I don't have to make a bank account, which as it turns out I asked today and I can.

However, I'm sure that knowledge of banking terms will come in handy at a later date! Now at least I'll be able to look through some banking websites and taking my time to learn all the terms

Quote:Just ask the bank to talk to someone who can speak English and your problem is solved. Or an interpretor at the bank.

Where's the fun in that though!? I'm in Japan to speak Japanese

Ryuujin27 Wrote:Oh don't get me started on the washing machines! Why do they only tumble dry? I just went out and bought a drying rack so I just skip the dryer completely... it's a waste of 100円.

Electric dryers are a waste of (expensive in Japan) electricity. Almost everyone just hangs their clothes on their veranda (there are usually mounts for a few laundry poles). Same deal with dishwashers, almost no one has one.

I'm surprised that no one has said this, but the post office will take any debit card with the PLUS logo on it (plus some others), and apparently 7-11's ATMs also take PLUS network debit cards now too. What this means is that you can likely use the debit card from your home bank (incurring a $5 service charge per transaction).

Ryuujin27 Wrote:Where's the fun in that though!? I'm in Japan to speak Japanese

Absolutely, and I discovered for most of the complicated stuff if I just went with my dictionary and the idea that this was gonna take a looooooong time it always worked out. They never give up on you until it's all settle and figured out, such nice customer service.

If you want to do "automatic withdraw" you can contact whichever company/companies you are paying and say

"自動引き出したいんですが・・・”　ji dou hi ki da shi tai n desu ga

mistamark Wrote:[Sorry for the double post.]

Ryuujin27 Wrote:P.S. - Bank recommendations are welcome too!

Mitsubishi UFJ - http://www.mufg.jp/english/ is recommended. They have branches all over the country and their ATMs stay open normal hours (for Japan) and are found in most of Japan.

True enough, but their ATMs programs are weird. Give you an example, and try it yourself.

First, use the Japanese menu. Make a withdrawal. It's going to prompt you to insert both your passbook and your cash card. The passbook is optional; the card, of course, is not. But the nice thing is that if you insert them both (passbook first), your passbook gets updated in a single operation.

Now try the English menu. This time, you'll get no option to insert your passbook. It will only allow you to insert your cash card, meaning that if you want the passbook updated you need to perform another operation.

Subliminal bottom line: Learn to read and use Japanese, I guess.

mistamark Wrote:the washing machines only use cold water, so be ready for that too

Where on earth did you ever get that idea? It's absolutely incorrect. Almost every washing machine in Japan will use hot or cold water, or a mix of both. But the poor folk who have their machines out on the veranda usually have no choice, because there is usually no hot water cock out there (cold only). But most machines are inside now (except for the one-room mansions of course), and even the old models use hot water if they are hooked up to it.

However ... they don't have a center-post agitator (almost universally, they use a bottom-of-the-drum type), so your clothes are going to come out more wrinkled and twisted than you are probably used to. Because of that, a dryer is nice (gets rid of wrinkles better than sunshine alone), and they are becoming de rigueur these days for families -- especially those where mom works, too. But you won't be buying one on an English teacher's salary.

Amazing the range of stuff that is sold in Japan. You can still buy the 1980s vintage washing machines, with a separate spinner for spin drying (no automatic spin dry), or you can buy an automatic from about 2.5 kg up to 10 kg or more, and now washer/dryer combos are very popular. It's also amazing how they keep the prices up on the vintage stuff. Of course the newest stuff is nosebleed territory for anyone on relatively low salary.

Haha, this thread has turned into an interesting discussion on washing machines, huh?

Well, I come back with one more question, quite frankly the one that worries me the most: Haircut Vocabulary!

Now, it just so happens that a good friend of mine (Japanese) has a mother and older sister who both cut hair for a living. However, as she is in the states right now, I might need a haircut before she gets back to take me to either her mother or sister's. As such, I need to know some things...

First off, with a cultural question: do you tip the haircutter? I'd imagine one would follow typical Japanese procedure here and not tip, but you never know.

Next for the vocabulary...

How would I say something like "Please make it really short on the sides and short enough on the top to match"?

I have a normal male crew cut sort of thing going, and I'd like the sides to be taken down by a buzzer to a very short level, and the top to be a little longer but not too much longer so as to look funny.

Either that or how do you say "Please clean it up, and make it a little shorter"?

Thank ya'!

I just bring pictures of what I want my hair to look like when I get a haircut, and I haven't even left America yet. My precious, precious hair is too important for me to hedge everything on the vagaries of language.

Ryuujin27 Wrote:Well, I come back with one more question, quite frankly the one that worries me the most: Haircut Vocabulary!

If you're worried, just bring a picture of yourself with your desired haircut. "この様に切ってください". In your case it sounds like you could just say "軍人の様に切ってください" though

..and no you don't tip.

I recently switched to http://www.ebank.co.jp. 2-5 free withdrawals a month at any 7/11 or yuucho, emails when money is put into or taken out of your account, a visa debit card which gives you points whenever you use it, online furikomi. Applying wasn't so difficult, but I had to go to city hall to get a paper version of the 外国人登録証明書 - I never even knew such a paper version existed until then.

As for direct debits, I believe the correct term is 引き落とし - as far as I know 引き出し means to withdraw money oneself.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/口座自動振替

One can also use おろす as in お金を下ろす.

kyotokanji Wrote:Although they have the fewest cash machines, I found the post-office to be the most helpfull when opening the account and for any further queries etc. So, I would go with the post office.

Not a bad recommendation, but I must point out that the Post Office has more ATMs than any other financial institution in Japan.

Looks like I'll probably just go the picture route. That was my original plan, but I forgot to take a picture of my hair when it was shorter, so now I'll just have to hunt for one, oh well.

Also, one last question, sorry! Anyone know where you can get Head and Shoulders shampoo in Japan? Either that or something that works exactly like it? It would be much appreciated!

I still remember my first haircut in Japan, and trying to explain to them I wanted them to shave the sides and back, even though I'd gone to a place that wasn't qualified to use a razor.