Use Bank of America ATM card in Japan

Several questions about using my Bank of America ATM card in Japan...
1) Is it guaranteed I can get cash at any 7-11 store in Japan? Any other location?
2) Are there any fees by 7-11 for the withdrawal, besides my own bank charging me?
3) How many PIN digits does the ATM machine take? I have a 6 digit PIN. Will this work?
4) What is the minimum and maximum amount of yen I can withdraw?
5) Are there specific times I can withdraw cash?

I will be in Tokyo and Hokkaido and want to make sure my ATM card works. Thanks!

Yes, you can withdraw money from any Japan Post or 7-11 convenience store ATM. Citibank and Shinsei Bank ATMs will also work, but they're not nearly as common. Most other ATMs will not work with international ATM cards.

Be careful, though, Bank of America charges a $5 fee for each withdrawal from an international ATM, so you might want to take out as much as you can each time. It's generally safe to carry around cash in Japan, so don't worry about that.

If you have yen left over, be sure to exchange it in Japan, because the bank fees for currency exchange are much lower in Japan than in the USA.. also be aware of exchange rates from usa to yen. some machines close for the night but most are 24 hour.

Withdraw limits in japan are huge dont worry about caps, only caps are from your home branch.

pin is the same.

best bet is major hotels.

no sure on pin number length but you could always make it shorter before you go.

some atms dont run overnight

no guarantees in life but airports, hotels, post office, then 7-11 best places to take out money, you have to look for international atms.

cash is still the holy grail of spending, japan you wont get mugged but you could lose it only catch, but

AND WATCH HOW MANY 0's you put in 1000 is 10 bucks etc.

min withdraw from atm.
For seven-eleven ATMs 10,000 yen minimum for foreign cards.

All other ATMs, eg Post Office, Citibank, Shinsei Bank, 1000yen.

As others have said there are many ATMs that do not accept foreign cards, and the fees can really add up.
I suggest you change your money into Yen at the airport in Japan. I've found you get a better exchange rate. Also, everyone carries cash in Japan. Don't worry it's safe.

I haven't encountered a max withdrawal limit on Japanese ATMs. That may depend on your bank. I've gotten the equivalent of $600 out in one withdrawal. (One day I took out $1200 in a single day, but I happened to get the money at two separate times. I don't know if I could have gotten it all at once from one ATM.) However, I've got a different bank, and Bank of America may have a withdrawal limit.

Yes there are many ATMs that don't take foreign cards, but there are also many 7-11's. Of course Post Offices are everywhere, even in smaller towns that might not merit a 7-11.

With my ATM card, I get the same exchange rate I see when I google rates on the internet (I'm sure there's an official term for that rate :-)). The airport exchange is a few yen per dollar worse than this rate, which can add up for large amounts of money. However, if you are charged ATM withdrawal fees by your bank, the airport exchange may end-up being cheaper overall.

I believe pin numbers internationally must be 4 digits.
The 7-11 ATM website is http://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/service2.html .
The currency that it dispenses is 10,000 yen and you are limited to 50. So that comes out to 500,000 yen.
However, you need to check with BofA for ATM withdrawl amount per day. I have Wells Fargo and I was limited to $400 per day from ATM machine. I increase it to $1000 just for the trip to Japan and back to $400 after I got back. The limitation is to protect you if your card is stolen. Do not make it too much.
You need to call the bank to tell them exact dates when you are going, where you are going, and to increase the max amount of withdraw. If you don't tell the bank and there is a sudden request for withdraw in foreign country, your ATM withdraw may be rejected.
I had the problem of withdrawing from 7-11 bank in Narita Airport and I had to call Wells Fargo in states (using international calling card I purchased in Narita airport). They ask for recent deposit and expense from your checking account so you may want to write down the figures just before you leave the states.
Hope this will help.

I believe pin numbers internationally must be 4 digits.
The 7-11 ATM website is http://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/service2.html .
The currency that it dispenses is 10,000 yen and you are limited to 50. So that comes out to 500,000 yen.
However, you need to check with BofA for ATM withdrawl amount per day. I have Wells Fargo and I was limited to $400 per day from ATM machine. I increase it to $1000 just for the trip to Japan and back to $400 after I got back. The limitation is to protect you if your card is stolen. Do not make it too much.
You need to call the bank to tell them exact dates when you are going, where you are going, and to increase the max amount of withdraw. If you don't tell the bank and there is a sudden request for withdraw in foreign country, your ATM withdraw may be rejected.
I had the problem of withdrawing from 7-11 bank in Narita Airport and I had to call Wells Fargo in states (using international calling card I purchased in Narita airport). They ask for recent deposit and expense from your checking account so you may want to write down the figures just before you leave the states.
Hope this will help.

I called BOA the other day to let them know I was traveling and the gentleman I spoke with said the PIN should be 4 digits and cannot start with a 0. I arrive in Japan next week so I haven't tried my card yet. I would definitely call them to let them know you are traveling or they may freeze your card.

If you are in Tokyo and some major areas, Bank of America debit cards also work on Shinsei Bank ATMs.

They also work on Japan Post ATMs, Citibank ATMs, and 7-11 Atms (as mentioned by people).

On 7-11 ATMs you are limited to 10,000 increments at a time, so you can't pull out 25000yen, you have to pull out 30000yen (for example).

As mentioned check with your bank on what your daily withdrawal limit is. Each account is different. I got into trouble once when I was using BofA once where my limit was only 700USD per day from the ATM. They had to "lift" the limit for me.

ALSO Note that the times they reset the daily limits are USA Mountain Time. Note that if you need to call them in Japan as well. Also note that it was incredibly difficult to find a international number to call them, had to use Skype and call them in the late evening Japan time using their US based telephone number (because of course they operate on US time).

Be careful if it is a check card and you try to make large purchases or large ATM withdrawals. I called B of A before I moved to Japan and told them I was moving here. They said they made a note of it, but they blocked my card like 5 times in the first month and I was denied purchases (like when I tried to spend $900 to buy new tires for my car).

I had to call them every time and confirm I live in Japan, so bring the number with you just in case, it is 24 hours service. If you are only taking a few hundred at a time out of an ATM (I recommend Japan post ATM) you probably won't have any problems. Bof A told me there would be an automatic block about every 6 months because the computers freak out when there are too many international purchases, I now have a different bank. :) I don't know if they changed their policies, that was a few years ago.
If you can trust yourself not to lose it, I agree with everyone bringing cash is no problem, everyone carries large amounts compared to the US.

Just make sure to call BofA to let them know you'll be vacation and going to those areas in Japan. Otherwise they will think your card is stolen.

And the minimum is a little over $100( depending on exchange rate.. ) so you won't be able to get $20 equivelant or anything.
No worries though because a cash society is equipt to handle when you throw down a 10000 yen note for a stick of gum. I wouldn't bat an eye. I notice most usa citizens tend to gasp and apologize for using a big bill, but they are used to it so don't feel bad.

I have used my bofa card in Japan for both of my trips, just took money out of 7-11 atms and had no issues. I also let my bank know I was going out of country.

Just got back from my Japan trip. Thanks for the pointers. Yes, 7-11 lets me take cash out, yet they charge USD$5 per transaction and BofA charged 1% of the withdrawed amount/ The 1% is standard. To maximize the $5 charged by 7-11, its best to have BofA increase your credit line temporarily so you can take out more cash at once.
Thanks all!