cell phone working, use of credit cards

WeLre going to Japan on holiday and we live in Sweden. 1. Will our cell phones work in Japan if we have ''triple band'' (donLt know the right word for it)? Have they totally different systems for cell phones there?
2. Read somewhere that credit cards may not work to get money out from cash points? How do one get out money in Japan? Can we use credit card in a bank? Can we use our credit card to pay with in shops/restaurants?Please help if you know the answer. Thank you

Do you have debit cards? They are readily accepted all over Japan, except to recharge your Suica card. If you use credit cards with a pin, and they are VISA or Mastercard, you can get cash from ATMs at most post offices.

As far as cell phones, I think you are referring to a 3G system. I am pretty sure you can use them in Japan (it may cost you quite a bit more). Check with your cell phone provider, they should be able to tell you.

Many of the smaller Japanese restaurants that we went to, even around Tokyo, did not take credit or debit cards, cash only. So be sure you take an adequate amount of yen with you every day. The further out into the countryside you go, the less likely they will be to take plastic.

Your cell phone will only work if it is a quad band phone with 2100 band (NOT 1900, 900/1800, or WCDMA 850. Check with your provider.

Swedish 3G cell phones (not triple band GPRS) will work in Japan, as we both use the same system, UMTS. However, your provider might not have a roaming agreement with a Japanese provider. Both Tre and telenor at least claim they do, but I haven't tried it for real. At any rate, it will be horribly expensive.

Japan is a highly cash based society. Very high. I lived in Tokyo for 18 months and had a grand total of zero opportunities to use my credit card. Don't expect to use your credit card much, unless you go to big stores in Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc. I'd say assume that you will have to pay in cash for all your meals and if you buy small gifts.

If you need to use an ATM, Citibank is pretty reliable, and you can look up ATM locations on their website. It is common to carry around wads of cash, like US$600, for example. Which I did regularly.

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

Tri-band usually refers to the GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz band phones commonly sold in Europe, not the latest 3G frequencies (which just recently started to become available in the USA, and use different frequencies vs. the rest of the world.).

Regular GSM tri-band roaming will be okay in Europe, USA, and most Asian countries, but not Japan.

Here, you need a 3G phone that has 3G WCDMA 2100 Mhz band to work in Japan.

Such include the Samsung Z510, Z540, Nokia N95, 6233, etc.
You can find more at gsmarena.com - phone finder

Keep in mind - EU/JP WCDMA 2100 (Band I (W-CDMA 2100)) is not the same as that used in the USA by T-Mobile's 3G (2100+1700, Band IV). Thus, you cannot use a T-Mobile 3G USA phone in the USA unless it specifically supports Band I WCDMA 2100. This is when having a multi-band 3G frequency phone comes in handy - so you can roam worldwide on the 3G networks rather than on basic GSM.

I've roamed into Japan with a Nokia 6233 and Samsung Z540, and they work fine for sure.

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Credit cards for cash?
Good luck!

Debit cards work well in most large city Post Office ATM's - no problem pulling out cash this way.

But really, you should bring at least $100-150 USD per day in cash to Japan in the first place - conversion to Yen can be done at home or in Japan. Otherwise, you'll be hunting down ATM's instead of vacationing.

Now, most major hotels, shops, etc. will take credit cards for purchases, so the basics of hotel + shopping is easily taken care of with a credit card.

Keep in mind that the trains typically take cash, so if you don't have Yen, it'll be tricky getting around by trains.

Thank you so much everyone for all the useful information ILve got! Now weLre looking forward to our holiday!!