We all have to eventually make at least one pilgrimage to the "holy land" called Akihabara. Dorks like me try to do it as often as possible. First time or not, one thing a gaijin visitor should never do is count on one banking institution when visting Japan -- especially not Bank of America.

A post on The Consumerist tells the heartbreaking/forehead-vein-popping tale of a couple who saved up to visit Japan on their honeymoon only to find that BoA locked them out of all of their savings. These folks even called ahead before leaving to make sure they would be able to access all of their funds, but they eventually found themselves hanging out in their hotel room for one whole day, stranded with only $15 in cash. Anyone that's been to Tokyo can tell you that $15 ain't sh*t.

What really sucks is that they had no idea this was coming. On the third day of their trip, a joyous Akihabara visit turned sour when their credit cards were denied. That would be embarassing enough at home, but that really has to suck in another country. They thought they just hit a daily limit, but the next day they were denied again.

From their email to The Consumerist:

We wasted an entire day on our honeymoon in Japan, wondering if we would even be able to fix the problem at all. When I called customer service when we got home, I was told that the problem was our fault because we were relying on those two cards. Their reaction to what happened was that I should've had other credit cards or cash available in case there was a problem with our Bank of America cards. It took me more than six months and countless phone calls with threats to move my accounts (two checking, two savings, a money market savings, and a mortgage loan) over to another bank for them to take any responsibility and offer me a $300 credit for the time lost and the poor experience.

So yeah, Bank of America sucks.  

I know it goes against everything we were taught about travel, but it's best to take multiple forms of money, including a lot of cash. The last couple of times I visited Japan, I took a couple thousand dollars and immediately exchaged it upon arrival. The credit and debit cards serve as backup. If you're not a money-flashing idiot, you should be okay.

Also, pack an extra duffle bag for all the extra, unplanned crap you're going to buy. Japanese readers, don't mug me.