Louise Bremner wrote:
> Dougs <howtolearnjapanese@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>>Hi everyone,
>>
>>After finishing my JET experience last year, I'm based in Melbourne
>>Australia now but have Japanese translation clients.  They want to pay
>>me in yen (which is cool because I still have my Japanese bank account)
>>but have asked if they could pay me via PayPal instead.
>>
>>Should I get them to pay me via PayPal or should I get them to pay
>>directly into my Japanese bank account then remit it to Australia every
>>now and then?
>>
>>I'd be interested if someone could give me a run down of the pros and
>>cons.
> 
> 
> There was a lot of discussion about that on this group a while ago:
> 
>            SmallBizJapan@yahoogroups.com 
> 
> I didn't take much notice of it at the time, but maybe you could find
> something useful in the archives, if you join.

I work for USD, but need JPY to live.  I have a couple of my more 
regular customers setting up the accounts described in this article:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/24/yourmoney/mtransfer.php

... and there is a lot more information on the web sites of the 
companies mentioned ...

The three tests we've done so far have produced excellent results.

Saves them the US$40 transfer fee.
Saves me the Yen 2,500 handling fee.
The exchange rate is 3.5~4 JPY / USD better than any bank gives me.
The whole transfer is visible on screen right up until it hits the 
Japanese bank account.
The transfer appears as a regular furikomi payment in JPY.

AND ... no more waiting breathlessly to make sure that Starflower 
McMoonbeam, the international transfers clerk at my client's bank, had 
her chakras aligned so that she could send the payment through the system.

(True story: I once had to wait additional three days for a payment from 
a client in Hawaii because the sending clerk's star chart said facing 
West was going to bring a life threatening change in her personal 
situation if she did so during those days.  She could send money 
transfers to the US mainland, but no farther.  She still works for the 
bank, too.  She's now the manager of that department.)

CL