Before you start

Residence card with your address printed 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 an online bank
Yūcho and SBI Shinsei reliably open accounts for newly arrived foreign residents without a six-month wait. Yūcho branches and ATMs are everywhere and the account is accepted for salary payment. This is the standard first account.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Ask your employer which bank they pay into
Some Japanese employers pay salary only into particular banks. If your employer is in Tokyo it will usually be a megabank; if it is local, Saitama Resona or Musashino Bank. Asking before you open one avoids opening two.
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 your ward office.
In personWho: You
5
Get a transport IC card on day one
Suica and PASMO both work on every line you will use here and across most of Japan, plus convenience stores and vending machines. If you commute into Tokyo, load the season ticket onto the same card rather than carrying two.
In personWho: YouDay 1
6
Keep cash on you despite the digital progress
QR and IC payments are widespread, but the standing bars behind Ōmiya station, older shops and some clinics remain cash-only. Carrying ten thousand yen is normal and unremarkable.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Residence card with address printed on the reverse
Passport
Japanese phone number
Inkan, for some institutions
Employment 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. That is why nearly every foreign resident's first Japanese account is Japan Post Bank or an online bank.

Source: community-reported; Financial Services Agency framework

Working in Tokyo does not make a Tokyo branch more convenient than a local one.

Japanese banks operate nationally and a Saitama Resona or megabank account works identically wherever you opened it. What actually matters is which branch's ATMs you pass daily and whether your employer's payroll has a preference. Opening an account near a Tokyo office you may leave in two years, rather than near home, is a small mistake people here make regularly.

Source: community-reported

ATM fees outside your bank's hours are a real recurring cost and Japan is unusual in this.

Withdrawing from another bank's machine, or from your own outside daytime hours, commonly attracts a per-transaction fee. Convenience-store ATMs are ubiquitous and charge accordingly. Match the bank's fee structure to how you actually withdraw money.

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. 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 megabank in your first week and being refused without a clear explanation.
Opening the account near your Tokyo office rather than near where you live.
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.