that sucks, good effort

I hope I can hire a Japanese woman to nurse me back to health on the days I am hungover in Japan.  What is your wife's hourly rate?

hundreds

Thanks, man ...
I did all I could, however, after the 3rd doctor, I decided my stubborn self should just let things lie ...

I really wanted to go ...

she'll be in new orleans, right?

Hundreds of yen is pretty cheap!

Then why did you get the surgery before the trip already knowing about the trip?

She's coming back from New Orleans on the Tuesday I think

Hundreds of yen is pretty cheap!

 

Waking up early makes me want to die.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukiji_fish_market

I will go if I can pick out a fish and have you cook it for me.  Also, do I need to do anything before I come money-exchange-wise?  Will my flat iron work there if I bring it?!?!?!

Bring an ATM card.

Yes, your flat iron will work.

See new money thread....

All,

Changing money is where you can lose big when traveling. Some ATM cards can be used over here, but the spread can kill you. When I use a Japanese ATM card in New Zealand the rate is 10% higher than what it is on the market. Ie, if I withdraw $1000 I lose $100 instantly.

Just ask Kyle about this, it's really important to be organized with your money. Finding an ATM that will accept your bank card may be difficult or might not even be there. Kyle had real issues with his BOA card and spent good chunks of his time dithering around trying to get money out, and when he did he didn't get enough which led to more dithering. When you can't talk the language or read street signs that's a lot of dithering.

• Japan is a CASH society. A few restaurants wont accept credit cards, and unless yours is a MasterCard or Visa you're likely to be SOL.
• Please bring at least 50,000 yen in cash with you regardless of what plastic you carry. Japan is the safest place in the world to carry cash, the only place you should need to be remotely careful is the youth hostel in Hiroshima
• I don't know which ATM cards will work within the vicinity of the Gramercy, or at the Gramercy itself. I assume you can cash advance on major credit cards (I do it with my Citi one) but not sure what the spread rate is so please check with your bank in the USA. It may pay you to send the Gramercy staff a note and asking what they support
• Make sure your Bank Card has a Cirrus/Plus mark on the back of it

Lastly, the ATM technology here isn't great. You can assume that whatever people tell you in the states will be wrong about which ATMs support your card. Dozens of friends have turned up and found that surprise surprise, their bank teller in their home town of 3,000 people was incorrect that they'd be able to get money out anywhere. I'm not joking about the 50,000 yen. It may seem like a lot but this is one of the most expensive places in the world, and also the safest.

If I bring 200,000 Yen can I just stash some of it at your house when we go to Hiroshima?

Mosh told me 7-11 ATMs will work, and he's from Melbourne.

If I bring 200,000 Yen can I just stash some of it at your house when we go to Hiroshima?

Sure. Or I can put it in my bank account which can be accessed from 7/11 ATM's (everywhere) and give it to you when you need it if that makes it easier.

Or you can put it onto Luke's CC but you should check the exchange rate first. If it doesn't make a difference then putting half onto someone's CC may be cheaper as any money you don't wind up using you wont have paid exchange fees on.

Mosh told me 7-11 ATMs will work, and he's from Melbourne.

Trust me, it's different for each bank and card. My Mother couldn't use her bank card here, even though she uses the same bank Mosh does

sasha will be happier to be independent of me, i'm sure.

Trust me, it's different for each bank and card. My Mother couldn't use her bank card here, even though she uses the same bank Mosh does

well, i'm just going to bring my BOA card, thn.  i'm sure i'll have better luck than kyle.

I will give you 50,000, keep 50,000, and give Luke 50,000 to hold for me just in case everything falls apart.  I would rather be DEPENDENT on Luke.

Because in MOST CASES the recovery is only a month, my problem is they had to SHAVE MY RETNAS with PRK before the lasik ...

I'm a rare case, and things are prohressing nicely; that said, if I knew it'd been an Xmas present to myself ...

I didn't know this would be the outcome; if I did, I'd have waited ....

my problem is they had to SHAVE MY RETNAS with PRK before the lasik ...

You knew about this BEFORE the lasik.  Why didn't you say, "what is the eta on healing if I have to shave my retinas?", and if they said an amount of time that was too long you should've said, "well then I will wait until November 8, 2009 to have this done."  Your argument is a fallacy.

awww!  


(also, i was just kidding about using my BOA card, Nick.  I don't even use BOA anymore!)

I think I'm just going to bring 100,000 yen with me and get it exchanged here before i leave.

Dave never leaves JAX. Simple as that. Facts is facts.

That's the easiest way - have a poke around and try to find the cheapest place to change your cash, they should advertise online

I've not had problems with my card in the Post Offices...

I think NAB cards will happily work in 7-11's but maybe BNZ cards wont. I'm not sure about that. Same overall company, but strictly speaking, different banks.

Some cards will work at the post office, some will work at regular ATMS and some will work in convenience store ATMS, what works where I have no clue