You’ve made it to Japan. You have a job that is paying you in actual yen. Now you need to know how to handle all your money. There are many banks in Japan but the most common ones for Nagasaki ALTs are JP Post Bank, Shinwa, and 18bank. Which bank you use depend mostly on your area and where your supervisor/school takes you. Your supervisor/school should help you set up a bank account but that might also be something sempai ALTs help with. 

When you sign up for a bank account you will get 2 ways to access your money. You will get a bank book and a bank card.

                                            

A bank book is a nifty little book that tracks money into and out of your account. The same way online banking works just printed in a book and not online. It can be used to deposit/withdraw money, check your balance, transfer money, and more. Most bank books only work in ATMs for the bank they are issued from. Your bank book will automatically be updated with all transaction when you use it in the ATM. If you haven’t used your bank book recently this can take a bit. Fun fact the ATM will turn the pages of your bank book while updating so don’t worry if you are near the end of a page. When you reach the end of the book just take it into the bank and a banker will be able to issue a new one.  

 

Your bank card is NOT a debit card. It will only work in ATMs. It can do all the same things your bank book can minus being a written record of all transaction in your account. The benefits of the bank card are that its a more portable size then book and it works at pretty much all ATMs.

 

How to read a bank book

Tracking money in your bank book is easy. Over time you’ll start to memorize the different names for your utilities and common transactions.  

 

Feel free to write in, highlight, or take notes however you want in your bank book. The ATM will still be able to read it as long as you don’t mess with the barcodes.  

Pay Day

We get paid on the 21st of the month for the work you did LAST month. Depending on your start date your first/last pay check might be smaller then normal. Make sure to keep that in mind with your planning. If the 21st falls on a weekend you will get paid the Friday before. Elementary and junior high school ALTs usually get paid by direct deposit. It is common for high school ALTs to get paid in cash from their office

Paying Bills

Many utilities can be set up to direct debit from your account. Check with your supervisor or ALTs in your area to help you with this as every company is different. The direct deposit set up can take a month or 2 so make sure to pay your bills for those months. The bill can usually be paid at a convenience store or sometimes an ATM. Just bring the bill in and hand it to the cashier they will take care of the rest. 

Even if you sign up for direct debit you will still get a paper bill in the mail. It will tell you your balance and the due date. Make sure to look at your bills every once in while. If something doesn’t look right with it ask. Just like anywhere mistakes happen and they won’t get fixed if you don’t say anything. 

You may be living in a jutaku or teacher housing. If this is the case you may have to pay your school for utilities instead of a company. Or you may have strange due dates for your bill. For example in my jutaku I pay my water bill twice a year 6 months at a time to a teacher who lives in the building and they pay the water company. Sometimes bills or taxes will be taken from your pay before you get it but you should be notified about that before it happens. 

If for some reason you will not be able to pay your bill TELL SOMEONE.

You might be able to set up a payment plan, someone might be able to loan you money, they might give you an extension, or there might be an option specific to your situation. As you’ve probably heard your actions can affect all ALTs current and future. One ALT missing a payment with no warning can affect how that company deals with ALTs in the future.