And here I thought the availability of ATMs that take foreign cards was an improvement over the olden days. That was when visitors had no option except taking traveler's check to an "authorized foreign exchange bank," going to the international section of the bank, filling out the form, handing it and the traveler's checks over in a plastic tray, and then watching as the checks made the rounds of the desks in back to be stamped by various functionaries who barely looked at them, after which the visitor received a voucher and was instructed to take it to the main teller lobby. There the visitor waited, until a teller with a voice like Minnie Mouse called his or her name.

Japan had ATMs before much of the U.S. did, but they were for Japanese bank cards only and hours when they were open and closed. Some of my fellow foreign residents at the time wondered if there was a little person inside who went home in the evenings.

The first change i noticed was the availability of credit card advances ("kyashingu") by around 1990, followed shortly by the installation of Citibank ATMs. You can be sure I looked up the location of the Citibank ATMs in every region I visited. Then, when Japan hosted the World Cup, the post offices installed international ATMs, which made it possible for foreigners to obtain cash anywhere in the country.

I do not miss the traveler's check-only era at all.