It's tough doing an "ATM" search when you need 4 letters to continue!

Can anyone advise whether there's a ATM convenient to baggage claim at NRT when arriving on JAL? Thanks.

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Yes, there are ATMs (including a Citibank ATM) in the arrivals hall after customs (i.e., after you have left the secured area). Ask for or follow the signs to the "cash machine."

You can do a three letter search by adding a wildcard 4th character, indicated by an asterisk -- in this case you could have searched on "ATM*".

Thanks, I'm ignerent!

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You aren't the only one, this isn't at all obvious. Note that if the Citibank ATM has a long line (rare) or is out of order (more likely), there are other ATM machines nearby, some of which will also take foreign cards -- usually at the exact same rate of exchange.

Make sure you get money at the airport. Finding ATMs that can "speak" English is difficult in parts of Tokyo.

Not if you use the post office ATM's which are everywhere.
Look for this symbol "〒"

This leads to a question that frequent visitors to Japan may have an answer to... I haven't been in Japan in over 35 years and then it was a very "cash-only" place.

How much Yen would you suggest be withdrawn at the airport to sustain a few days of an average, middle-class couple's out-of-pocket expenses in Tokyo for cabs, meals, and usual cash transactions? Also, I assume that credit cards are much more useable than during the time I was there years ago?

The one I used at a Post Office in the Ginza had a language change "button" and once switched to English was quite simple to use. The major adjustment is that the Post Office ATMs are more like Cash Desks than the upright Cash Machines we're used to in the rest of the world. Of course, it only spit out Y5000 bills when I requested Y10000, so I just went over to one of the "tellers" who exchanged the bills into Y1000 notes.

Since you can buy either a bus or train ticket with a credit card, you shouldn't panic if you don't get cash at NRT, as long as you don't need to get off the JR system (N'Ex tickets include a transfer onto any of the other local lines, albeit not subways...which is why the combo N'Ex/Suica deal is well worth getting). Once you get to your hotel and settled in, you can go hunting for a Post Office or CitiBank ATM.

Note that ATMs which take foreign cards may also be found 24/7 at all 7-11s, and there are a LOT of those in Japan.

I usually top up to at least Y40,000 cash at NRT. However, I keep balances for future trips, you will likely have to wait in line to convert extra Yen back at the end.

Not on Shikoku there's not. Post office only here.

Just to add that you can also withdraw cash at the ATMs located in the 7-11 Convenience Stores around Japan. I have tried once, pretty easy to use and hassle-free too.

And, BTW, these were the only ones accepting my US & EU MasterCards... all others didn't

Let me reinforce Shareholder's recommendation for Suica/Pasmo cards. On my last trip, I took the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori, since it was more convenient for my hotel, but on the second day, I bought a Pasmo card for a trip out to Chichibu in a (vain) hope of seeing some fall colors. It was wonderful being able to ride and transfer among the subways, JR and private trains, and even buses with a single debit card.

For those of you who have visited London recently, it works very much like an Oyster Card and can be topped off at a station vending machine, like the Oyster Card.

I had no problem using the Citibank ATM at NRT. There was no line and the ATM did have a button to change to English. There are numerous Citibank locations in the tourist areas of Tokyo.

The Post Office ATMs that I have seen in Tokyo all had an English option as well.

I recall that about 2 years ago, the Citibank ATM at NRT had a silent 30000JPY withdrawal limit. If you tried to withdraw more than that, you were told that "you do not have enough money in the account".

Does this problem still exist?