Originally Posted by
BigFlyer
Any idea why it is so difficult to use a foreign card in an advanced country like Japan? Xenophobia? Hatred of foreigners?
It's nothing like that at all. The problem exists even for the Japanese residents.
The ATM situation in Japan is a bit ridiculous. In the UK, for example, virtually all bank ATMs are part of the LINK network which is a collective agreement between banks to allow usage of other banks cards in their ATMs.
Nothing like this exists in Japan. Instead, there are lots of bilateral deals between banks. If you stop one time and look at the typical conbini ATM and see just how many different bank/card logos are on it, you'll understand.
I bank with Shinsei and know that I can use Shinsei, Seven Bank and SMBC ATMs pretty much freely; that means I'm good in a 7/11 conbini but not in a Lawson or a Sunkus.
It's more or less an accepted fact of life for a Japanese resident that your card won't work in 70% of the ATMs out there; and the same is true of international cards.