Credit and debit cards are far more widely accepted in Japan than they were a few years ago. The most useful cards to carry are Visa and American Express, followed closely by Mastercard, then Diners Club, which you should be able to use in those hotels, restaurants, shops and travel agencies where they're used to serving foreigners. However, many retailers only accept locally issued cards, so it's never safe to assume you'll be able to use your foreign plastic.

Perhaps the biggest single improvement for visitors concerns cash withdrawals . Citibank have teamed up with the Post Office to operate ATM s accepting foreign-issued credit and debit cards in thousands of post offices - and a few other handy locations such as department stores and public buildings - throughout the country. The machines are identified with a sticker saying "International ATM Service" and you can opt for instructions in English. They handle cards in nine networks, including Visa, PLUS, Mastercard, Cirrus, American Express and Diners Club; you'll need your PIN to make a withdrawal, which can be anywhere between ¥1000 and ¥999,000, depending on the issuer and your individual credit limit. The card must be inserted face up and with the strip to the right. In major post offices the ATMs are accessible at weekends and after the counters have closed, though none are open 24 hours. This is all excellent news - but there's a proviso. It is a new system and some people report being unable to get their cards to work at all, while others found it hit-or-miss. With any luck these are merely teething troubles, but it's still safest not to be totally reliant on your card.

In addition, Visa and Mastercard now have a fairly good spread of international ATMs in major cities, while Citibank operates a number of its own ATM corners in Tokyo and a few other cities. JNTO can provide lists of locations, or consult the relevant Web sites: www.visa.com , www.mastercard.com and www.citibank.co.jp . Most of these machines are accessible outside normal banking hours and some are open 24 hours. The minimum withdrawal is normally ¥10,000. If you're having problems, pick up the phone beside the ATM and ask to speak to someone in English.

In an emergency, wiring money is the quickest option. You'll need to contact one of the major Japanese banks to check exactly how they handle these transfers and the charges they levy, then call on a reliable friend to make the arrangements at the other end. The whole process can take several days, and hefty charges are made at both ends (in Japan, typically around ¥2500 for yen transfers, while charges for other currencies are generally built into the exchange rate employed). Alternatively, you can use MoneyGram ( www.moneygram.com ), whereby you receive the transfer via a MoneyGram agent; charges vary according to the amount, but can be up to ten percent.