Help me withdraw cash from Japan in Seattle

December 18, 2010 3:54 PM

I have a Japan Post bank account with a cash card (not credit card or debit card, however. An ATM card, basically). I will arrive in Seattle just before I get paid in Japan. Is there anywhere in the Seattle area where I can access my Japan Post account and pull out some money?
posted by gc to Work & Money (12 answers total)

Does your card have any symbols on the back, such as those listed here? If so, you can generally match up your card with the ATM, which lists which services it can connect to.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:03 PM on December 18, 2010

Response by poster: No such luck. The only symbol on the back is the JP Bank symbol. That page is more or less for going the opposite direction: accessing money from America while in Japan.
posted by gc at 5:12 PM on December 18, 2010

Do you use GoLloyds? Can a trusted friend hold onto your bank card and transfer the money for you from an ATM in Japan?
posted by pinetree at 5:25 PM on December 18, 2010

Response by poster: When it comes down to it, I can wait until I get back from the States to make a transfer, but it'd be more convenient to do it where my bank actually is. Plus, no waiting time while the wire transfer goes through.
posted by gc at 5:50 PM on December 18, 2010

I asked a very similar question some time ago with no luck. Im fairly sure that Japan Post offers an international card that's compatible with the Plus system, so if you can manage to get one of those before you leave from them or another bank, that will give you the least hassle. Your options to make this easy diminish significantly once you leave Japan. After you've left for the US, your best option may be to transfer the money to somebody else in Japan online, and have them arrange an international transfer into an account you can access in Seattle.
posted by mariokrat at 5:55 PM on December 18, 2010

Response by poster: Ugh, let me rephrase that: No waiting for the wire transfer to go through.
posted by gc at 5:57 PM on December 18, 2010

You could contact the Customer Service Dept. at Uwajimaya, the Japanese megastore in Seattle. They may be able to help you, or point you to a resource that could.
posted by spinifex23 at 6:11 PM on December 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I've heard rumors that Uwajimaya can do all kinds of wonderful things like that. In fact, we've had packages sent over from the States from Uwajimaya, but I've never done much more than shopping there. I'll give them a call when I'm there.
posted by gc at 6:41 PM on December 18, 2010

Good luck - Uwajimaya is indistinguishable from magic on some days.
posted by spinifex23 at 7:14 PM on December 18, 2010

Really the only thing you can do is give your Japan Post cash card to a trusted friend before you leave, and have them either wire the money to you (expensive) or send it as cash (not generally allowed).
posted by KokuRyu at 2:48 PM on December 19, 2010

Another possible source: North American Post. It's the Seattle newspaper for the local Nikkei community. There might be some info in there.
posted by spinifex23 at 7:39 PM on December 19, 2010

Unless you have an older card, I'm pretty sure the JP Bank card only has an IC chip in it and no magstripe. And unless I'm mistaken, there are practically no ATMs in the US that can read IC chip bank cards.
posted by armage at 12:12 AM on December 20, 2010