New Life Bank

Today I opened an account with New Life Bank, also known as Shinsei Bank 新生銀行. Since I am starting a new life in Japan, this bank was appropriately named for me. And, to top things off, my ATM card is "tea green".

When trying to get a bank account in Japan, all but Citibank and Shinsei Bank requires what is called a "hannko （判子）". Instead of a signature the Japanese use this hannko name stamp. This old tool carries the modern rational that a secret name stamp is more secure than a signature. Imagine your initials writen with every letter a different size. If anything this is less secure, because a stamp font is easier to copy than a hand-writen signature.

Another backwards day in Japan.