Sending money out of Japan is exactly the kind of decision where "my bank is easiest" quietly costs you thousands of yen every single transfer. Mio doesn't care about convenience — here's the math.
Every international transfer has a fixed fee (a flat charge, sometimes plus intermediary-bank and receiving fees) and an exchange-rate markup: the gap between the "real" mid-market rate and the worse rate you're actually given. The fee is printed in big letters. The markup is baked silently into the rate, so it feels free — but on a large transfer it's usually the bigger cost.
Say you send ¥100,000. A bank telegraphic transfer might charge a fee and apply a rate roughly 2–3% worse than mid-market. A mid-market specialist service might charge a small transparent fee and a markup closer to 0.5–1%. Those are illustrative figures, not current quotes — but they show why the difference can be several thousand yen per transfer.
| Cost component (on ¥100,000) | Bank telegraphic transfer | Mid-market specialist |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee (illustrative) | higher, often several ¥1,000s | lower, transparent |
| Rate markup (illustrative) | ~2–3% ≈ ¥2,000–3,000 | ~0.5–1% ≈ ¥500–1,000 |
| Rough total drag (illustrative) | can be several ¥1,000s+ | usually noticeably less |
So per transfer the gap can be several thousand yen, and if you send home monthly, that compounds into real money over a year. Rates and fees change constantly — compare current rates yourself before every large transfer.
This is the one that catches people. A Wise (or similar) "JPY account" is built for sending money out and holding balances — it generally cannot receive your Japanese salary. Employers in Japan pay into a normal Japanese bank account, and payroll systems often won't accept a service like Wise as your salary destination.
The practical setup: keep a regular Japanese bank account for your salary, then move money from that account into the remittance service when you want to send it home. Wise is the pipe out, not the account your wages land in. If you don't have a Japanese account yet, that comes first — see the bank-account guide.
All legitimate remittance providers run identity and anti-money-laundering (AML) checks — expect to submit your residence card, My Number, and sometimes proof of the source of funds, especially for larger amounts. There are usually per-transfer and periodic sending limits, and new accounts may be capped lower until verified. Speed varies too: some transfers land in hours, bank wires can take days. Factor all three — cost, limit, speed — not just the headline fee.
For most routine transfers home, a transparent mid-market specialist usually beats a bank telegraphic transfer once you count the hidden rate markup. But keep a normal Japanese bank account for your salary — the specialist service is only for sending out. And because providers change their fees and rates constantly, Mio's rule is simple: compare the quote against the mid-market rate for the day, every time. See the full arrival checklist →