A bank transfer in this complicated country?

Hi everyone!

I need to do a bank transfer, I need to do it quick, and I need to do it by cash. I went to the post office, I was told I can't do it without a yucho ginko card. I went to the konbini ATM, same there, I need a card. I went to the bank, was told that it is possible with cash, but only on weekdays until 6 in the evening. I work until 6 and can't take a day off.

My only acquaintance who owns a card is out of town, so asking someone else to do it is not an option. Is everything impossible in this country...? Is there any option left I didn't think of?

I'm getting really discouraged. I need to pay something extremely important and the deadline is soon...

It sounds like the 'complicated' is your hurry, wanting to use cash and not having a bank card. Nothing to do with the country.

Can't you do a bank to bank TTS (telegraphic transfer) using cash? I do that with bank card, but don't know about cash.

Western Union?

Please note that even if you were able to initiate a transfer now (Sunday almost noon) it will not be until 9am of the following business day that the money reaches the recipient's account, in this case it will be 9am on Tuesday morning, as Monday is a national holiday.

Not everyone has a card. Isn't it complicated (and useless too) to make cash transfers possible only until 6, when most people are still at work?

Anyway, this is not the point. Western Union is not an option, I need to make the transfer to a Mizuho Bank account.

Does anyone happen to know a bank where I can make a cash transfer after 6?

Also, if i do manage to get this done, should I expect to be asked for an ID? I am doing this for a friend who is not in Japan and her name needs to show up as the sender.

@AK: Thanks for the reply! I need to do this until next Friday. But it's impossible to leave work before 6...

Any way you can get out at lunch time? And where are you? If you are in Chiba, try Keiyo bank, or Kanagawa bank if you are in Kanagawa. They allow transfer on the weekend too.
And yes if you do money transfer with cash from a bank ATM, you can enter the sender's name and phone number.

Also, if i do manage to get this done, should I expect to be asked for an ID? I am doing this for a friend who is not in Japan and her name needs to show up as the sender.

Good luck with that!

I think they call that money laundering...

Money laundering...? She just won a ticket for an event that is really important to her. But she can't come to Japan now just to pay it. She's coming in December for the event. And her name has to appear as the sender, otherwise the ticket gets canceled. What is wrong in paying something for a friend?

...people adore talking just for the sake of it

Can someone who can help me with some useful information please answer?

Thank you AK!

I'm in Osaka unfortunately :(

Cristina,
Please see my post (two above your last one).

See if there is any Aichi Bank or Nagoya Bank branch in Osaka. They should allow remittance on the weekend too.

Found both, but they're only open on weekdays until 3 PM :(

I am very confused though. If the transfer is done at the ATM, why do I need to get there by 6 PM? The ATMs are open until night, even if the madoguchi closes early. Is there something in the system that prevents you to make the transfer after that hour? (if yes, why?)

I don't know, but I know that some services get "turned off" after certain hours at the ATM, like I cannot get my bankbook printed with recent transactions after 6 pm.

Oh, I do see that Aichi Bank's Osaka branch is only a branch/counter, no ATM. And Nagoya bank's ATM don't stay open long... I guess it must be only at those ATMs within their prefecture... Cristna, you are not a registered user here on this forum?

Ah...I see. I kept hoping I misunderstood something.

I am not registered, I usually post as a guest. Why?

Maybe it was that particular bank which accepted bank transfers only until 6pm; it is certainly not true for all banks. Just search for nearby banks on Google Maps until you find one that works. (Post office will definitely not work, even if you have an account there.)

It's really confusing because I paid a lot of things at the post office (using that blue furikomi paper), but apparently that is something different? This is why I went directly to the post office now and was shocked to hear that it's not possible. If I knew, I would've opened an account at a bank.

Oh, if the 6 PM thing is not a general rule, I will search for other banks then! Thank you!

Basically, you can only transfer at a post office to a post office account, not to account at other banks. I am not sure why this restriction exists, but it could be an antitrust measure, similat to how there's a limit on the amount of money you can have on a post office account.

I googled with "cash" and "money transfer," and the result was that MOST banks allow "cash" transfer only until 6 on weekdays at their ATM, with the exception of several banks that allow transfer on the weekends, which I listed for Cristina earlier (there are several others, but not Osaka-based banks).

Generally speaking, money transfers between a postal account and another bank's account has been possible for some time already, provided you get the postal account number converted to one that is compatible with what other banks use.

It is just not helpful for Cristina, because she is trying to do a "cash" transfer, without any bank ATM card, which is not possible from a postal bank.

Cristina, I asked about whether you are registered or not, because I wondered if you needed any off-line help.

Looks like the Umeda office of SMBC will work, but yes, finding one in Osaka is a lot more challenging than here, where pretty much all banks allow it.

http://www.e-map.ne.jp/pc/print.htm?cid=smbcbank&kid=5801010200127
http://www.smbc.co.jp/kojin/tenpo/atm/honshiten.html