Practicalities in Japan
Doing Business
Doing Business in Japan (Asialink Business)
Japan Country Starter Pack (Asialink Business)
Japan Guide- Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette (Commisceo Global)
Doing Business- Japan (The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Passport and Visas
Australians who enter Japan as tourists may stay for up to 90 days as long as they hold an Australian passport which remains valid during their stay and is still valid when departing Japan. The remaining period of validity on your passport does not have to be at least six months. Tourists in Japan may not undertake any form of work, paid or unpaid.
Current visa requirements at: http://www.au.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/visa.html
Banking
Before You Leave
Be sure to notify your bank that you will be traveling to Japan; otherwise, it is quite common to have your account locked to protect you from suspected fraud.
Make sure your bank cards are ‘valid’ for the entire period of your travel.
It is recommended that you carry in some cash as (depending upon the length of your visit) this can save you quite a bit of money by bypassing the withdrawal fees charged by Australian banks and also removes the additional fees charged by the bank to withdraw cash as foreign currency.
Note: There is a limit of 1,000,000 Yen that can be imported into Japan.
Exchanging Money
It is suggested that you exchange a % of foreign currency that you have brought with you at the airport when you arrive. This is the easiest location to exchange money; this may not be possible if your arrival time is very late at night.
ATMs
ATMs commonly accept foreign bank cards. This is an easy way to obtain local currency. Be sure to look for GlobalAccess, Cirrus, Interlink, Plus or Star symbols before you begin.
Language
![By BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0014/2203052/red-gates.jpg "By BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
Japanese is the official language spoken and while English is widely spoken, it is not very common for locals to speak more than very basic words and phrases, especially outside of the main metropolitan areas.
Depending upon the way in which you learn there are a few of options: