Not all ATMs will accept your cards.
The blue one is an ATM of a Japanese bank. It will only accept VISA cards and Mastercards that have been issued by Japanese banks – foreign cards (such as your VISA card or Mastercard) won’t work in it.
(But recently, some Japanese bank ATMs have been labelled as an “International ATM” or say they will accept “International Cards” – that’s good – those special ATMs will accept your cards.)
The red ATM is from 7-Eleven (the convenience store chain). Most 7-Eleven stores have such ATMs and they’re now appearing in train stations and shopping centers (like where I found these ATMs). THEY WORK WITH OUR CARDS! You can get cash from them. Other convenience stores, such as “Family Mart” have also started offering ATMs which will accept our (foreign) cards.
The green ATM is from Japan Post. They are also in Post Offices. THEY ALSO WORK WITH OUR CARDS. But some are only active for restricted hours.
(In some of the following tips, I mention prices of various things either in YEN, the Japanese currency, or in DOLLARS. The exchange between the Yen and the US Dollar hovers around 100yen being equal to one US dollar. So for convenience, I’ve used that as the exchange rate in all my tips and information. So when I say 500yen, that’s about $US5).
Japan Tourist Tips 