I wanted to mention some good Japanese banks for those looking:
SBI Net Bank: If you can read Japanese, this is one of the best UIs and mobile apps around. You also get a ton of free furikomi transfers per month (I think I have about 10)
Shinsei Bank: A physical bank but also offers online options with an English UI for those that need it. This seems to be the go-to recommended bank for expats.
Sony Bank: I have this bank specifically because all incoming international money transfers are free, meaning they don’t charge you any fees to receive it. SBI used to charge be about 2500 yen every time I received international payments, even in yen. Shinsei has a system where they reimburse you each month if you have a certain amount in your account, so international money transfers will eventually be almost free.
How about you? What banks have you been happy with?
MUFJ also has decent online banking and is one of the few banks that offer debit cards.
That’s good to know. I was considering MUFJ a while back but ended up opening accounts with Sony and SBI Shinsei.