Originally Posted by DoubleJ

Just recalled another possibility. A Japanese department store credit card. My first cc in Japan was from OIOI, and my second from Seibu (Saison Visa). Seibu literally pushed it on me and signed me up on the spot. (They often had someone manning the escalator landings or wandering around the store touting their credit card.) At the time I had only been in Japan a little over a year and had a 6-month renewable 4-1-16-3 visa (old-timers here will remember these), kind of a catch-all visa status, with a new job teaching English in a language school, and making all of $8000 US a year (No typo--made 180,000 JPY a month teaching 35 classes a week @ the xchng rate of 260/$). Looking back, I don't think I was the most creditworthy choice for a credit card, Japanese or otherwise, but Seibu did give me the card, and I have used it from day one with no problems.

I don't know if department stores a lot pickier nowadays, but I still see them even today manning the escalator landings pushing their cc's. In any case, just one more idea.