Transferring japanese yen to and from Japan

[tippytappp]

Hello!

I’ve previously worked and resided in Japan for 7 years, and left Japan ~ 3 years ago. In my earlier years in Japan, I used to withdraw and carry back to my home country small amounts of JPY in cash (which I now regret) as I didn’t have a foreign currency account then which will allow me to remit JPY without undergoing conversion to local currency. Later on, I’d created a foreign currency account and have used that for subsequent transfers.

The savings I’ve brought back with me earlier in cash are still being kept as JPY as conversion rates have been poor these few years, and I’m currently looking for ways to get the cash into my foreign currency account (for safety).

I’ll be making a trip to Japan next month and was wondering if there’s anything I can do about this, while in Japan? Thought of carrying some cash (within the allowed limit) to Japan and depositing it back into my existing Japanese bank account (MUFG bank) and then transferring the amount to my foreign currency account, but my Japanese bank account may already be dormant due to inactivity for ~ 3 yrs. I’m also aware that with my status as a tourist I’m not permitted to open a new bank account.

Any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

[jrtokyo]

Hello Tippytappp,
You are in quite a predicament.
Normally your bank account will remain active/valid as long as your previous My Number Card and or Foreiger Card have not expired. That being said, even if your account is still active, you may need ID to complete the transactions at the window.
If you have friends in Japan, they could eventually wire you the money via Wise or their own bank accounts.

Good luck,