Where there's a will,...

As I wrote yesterday, I am not rich enough to set up a bank account in Japan from UK. But it doesn't necessarily mean that I can't have an account in Japan.

I asked my father for help yesterday, and he gave me good news today. According to him, I can open an account at a bank where he has accounts. He visited the bank and was told that all I needed to bring was a valid Japanese passport and myself (and a name stamp and my father), and everything would be fine. Surprised, indeed, after reading too many "Banks said no" by Japanese expats on the net.

It seems that banks in Japan are very wary of non-resident applicants, due to the possibility of crimes such as money laundering and fraud. Understandable. But as long as they can trust the applicant well enough, they wouldn't mind setting up an account. So, it sounds that we, expats, should have more chance of hearing "OK, you can" from Japanese banks when we choose banks which our close relatives already have accounts, and when the relatives visit the banks for a face-to-face enquiry. I doubt this would work every time, but it's worth a try surely.

So, I'm just praying that the bank won't change their mind when I go to Japan this spring. Fingers crossed.