Before you start

Residence card with your address written on the back
Ward registration completed
A Japanese phone number
A personal seal (inkan), still requested by some institutions

Step-by-step

1
Complete ward registration before attempting a bank
Your address must be printed on the back of the residence card, which happens at ward registration. Banks will refuse an application without it.
In personWho: YouBefore the bank visit
2
Start with Japan Post Bank or SBI Shinsei
Yūcho and SBI Shinsei reliably open accounts for newly arrived foreign residents without a six-month wait — Yūcho from around three months of residence period, with a student ID if your status is student. Yūcho branches are everywhere including inside post offices, and the account is accepted for salary payment. Sony Bank and SMBC Trust (Prestia), which older guides recommend, both apply the six-month rule themselves.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Ask your employer or university which bank they use
Kyoto University and several large local employers have relationships with specific banks — often Kyoto Bank — and will sometimes arrange an account as part of onboarding, bypassing the usual friction entirely. Ask before opening one yourself.
Via employerWho: You
4
Get an inkan if you will deal with traditional institutions
The personal seal is being phased out of government procedures but remains in use at some banks, for property contracts and for certain employers. A simple unregistered one is inexpensive; a registered jitsuin is needed for major contracts and is registered at the ward office.
In personWho: You
5
Get an ICOCA card on day one
The Kansai IC card covers trains, subways, buses, convenience stores and vending machines, and is interoperable with Suica and Pasmo across the country. In Kyoto it also covers the city buses, which is the single most useful thing about it.
In personWho: YouDay 1
6
Keep cash despite the digital progress
QR and IC payments are widespread, but small restaurants, older shops, many temples and shrines, and some clinics remain cash-only. Temple entry fees in particular are almost universally cash.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Residence card with address printed on the reverse
Passport
Japanese phone number
Inkan, for some institutions
Employment or enrolment certificate, sometimes requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

Several major banks will not open a full account until you have six months of residence.

Bank policy varies by institution and sometimes by branch, but it tracks a real legal line: under the Foreign Exchange Act a foreign national is a 'resident' only once employed at an office in Japan or resident here six months, and until then is limited to a restricted non-resident yen account. MUFG's own guidance sorts applicants into exactly those categories. Japan Post Bank and SBI Shinsei will open an ordinary account earlier, which is why nearly every foreign resident's first Japanese account is one of those.

Source: community-reported; MUFG official guidance

An institutional introduction bypasses most of the friction.

Kyoto's universities and large employers maintain relationships with particular banks, and an introduction from them frequently removes the residence-period requirement and the language barrier at once. Given how many foreign residents arrive here through an institution, this is a more available shortcut in Kyoto than in most Japanese cities — but only if you ask before opening an account on your own.

Source: community-reported

Temples and shrines are cash-only, and there are a lot of them.

Japan has moved quickly on contactless and QR payment, but entry fees at temples and shrines, goshuin seal-book calligraphy, and offerings are almost universally cash. In a city where those are part of ordinary life rather than an occasional outing, carrying small notes and coins is a practical necessity rather than a quirk.

Source: community-reported

Close your accounts and settle your taxes before you leave, not after.

Closing a Japanese bank account from overseas is extremely difficult, and residence tax obligations can survive your departure. Anyone leaving should appoint a tax representative or settle the outstanding residence tax, claim the pension lump-sum withdrawal, and close accounts in person.

Source: National Tax Agency

Common mistakes to avoid

Attempting a bank account before ward registration puts your address on the residence card.
Walking into a major city bank in your first week and being refused without explanation.
Not asking whether your employer or university can introduce you to a bank.
Using a Japanese bank for international transfers instead of a specialist service.
Leaving Japan without closing accounts, settling residence tax and claiming the pension refund.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.