not feeling useless
Every so often you have one of those days where you don't feel useless here. Today I opened up a new bank account, paid for my car insurance (which was more complicated than it sounds) and sent a cash envelope (you can send cash through the mail here! ... in a special envelope). It was pretty exciting. I'm particularly happy about the bank account. As it was before I had one bank account at a bank that, while is nationwide, doesn't have branches anywhere. In addition you can't use their ATM cards at any ATMs but their own, which are impossible to find and open only at specific hours.There have been a few times where I've been in Tokyo with no money because of this. Since JR has a better deal on a round-trip ticket for short trips, I usually buy it so I've yet to be actually STUCK in Tokyo with no money... but it's still inconvenient when you want to buy things. One solution I found was the iD system. Essentially it turns my phone into a low limit credit card. It's pretty awesome, as it's accepted at vending machines, AEON (chain) malls, convenience stores and lots of other places in Tokyo. At the very least it has helped me conserve cash, if not sustain my stomach for the train ride home. It's cool, but no replacement for real money. It does have a neat little application on the phone that gives you a quick view of your balance, so at least you know how much you've spent.
Another solution is the Suica card. It was originally designed to be used as a rechargeable train pass, but has since grown into a simple rechargeable cash card accepted in many of the same places that iD is (plus on trains and buses). Around the time I got here they also launched a mobile equivalent that uses your phone as the pass. I set it up, but have yet to get it to work. I'm trying a bit more in earnest now... but I forgot my password... and my the answers to my security questions. Although this may not be a big deal. I didn't realize you could charge your account at a convenience store, so my project for the weekend is to try that out.
All that aside, the bank account is the best. I can split my savings and spending and have a card that will actually work outside of Kurabuchi.