I have variously heard that opening a bank account in Japan can be tricky if one does not know how to speak Japanese especially well. I've heard that this is even true of some of the more foreigner-friendly banks here like City Bank. For instance, when daid went to open a bank account on his own he ended up with someone using Google translate on individual words, despite trying to go to a branch that was supposed to have English speakers. The other bank accounts that he's opened were both done with assistance.
I'd heard of a new-ish bank called Shinsei, which actually has a fairly good English website (a rarity in Japan). The website indicates locations where there are supposed to be employees who speak English, though it also warns that if one is concerned about communication, one might want to bring someone to translate anyway.
Despite the warning, I went to the location in Roppongi Hills (which seems to be a ridiculously fancy place) on my own hoping to muddle through. It turns out that I had absolutely no reason to be concerned at all because of the four employees I saw there, three of them seemed to speak pretty much perfect English (the fourth was working with a Japanese woman so English was not necessary).
I'm also not sure, but I think it was easier to open a bank account there than it generally is in North America. I just passed the clerk my residency card, typed my name on a computer a few times (it had to be put into katakana as well as romanji) as well as my postal code (which filled in most of my address). Then she got me to choose a PIN and give an example of my signature (giving a hanko was an option, but I don't have one) and she explained a few features of the bank and how their online banking works, gave me a card and sent me on my way.
It was a very pleasant experience and I definitely recommend Shinsei to anyone who needs to open a bank account in Japan. Not only because of the relative ease when it comes to opening an account in English, but also because they don't have monthly fees or service fees on a lot of ATMs, including the ones in all major convenience stores.
Note: I'll put up another post on Saturday-ish. I was going to post something on Monday, but it's been hard to write and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging.
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