nix, im from AUS too and have a few things i could share:1. Withdrawing from ATM using your Debit Card(such as the Westpac one which i also have) costs more. I think its 5% charge of the amount you draw.
2. Withdrawing from ATM using your ATM card costs abit less, i think its 2% instead of 5%.
3. Note when you withdraw from Westpac you use the CASH exchange rate which is lower than the T/T exchange rate. And not all ATM's accept Cirrus cards which are the type you are looking for.
4. I found HSBC to be cheaper in withdrawing, they charged 1.1% perhaps because they are a foreign bank, AND they had a higher exchange rate for withdrawing overseas.
5. The method i used mostly however was depositing a huge sum of money to my j-gf's account through T/T(which is $20 flat) using Westpac and withdrawing this at no extra cost plus the highest T/T exchange rate possible.
Now, this all applies to exchanging IN japan. Best luck however, is to convert as much cash in AUS before going(of course you carry the risk of carrying more cash). After visiting all the banks in 1 day, i found from best to worst:
1. Flight Centre money exchange outlet(in George St. Sydney)
2. Westpac bank
3. Comm bank
4. Travelex in HSBC
5. Independant Money exchange shops
The Flight centre outlet charged 60yen per dollar during feb when i went there and it charged NO commission, while the other banks gave 59,58,55 iirc respectively with about $10 commission. Independant Money exchange shops were appalling and not worth mentioning.
Hope that helps.
All in all, i think you shouldn't be too calculative about money to enjoy the holiday although it does get to you sometimes.
Cheers
