Yes. The payments landscape has shifted pretty dramatically in Japan over just the past 3 years. It used to be that you had to worry about getting cash, IC cards, refilling said IC cards, going to an actual bank with your passport, etc. Now all you need is an iPhone (although I hear Android phones from outside Japan still can't use suica).

There are still significant gaps. I was heading from Narita to Shinjuku about a year ago, and after I got off the Narita Express, I realized my Pasmo card (which I hadn't used in about 8 years) didn't have enough on it to get me the rest of the way. There were two ATMs I could find in the (reasonably-sizeable) train station, and neither accepted my US-issued VISA debit card. I had to walk down the street to -- of course -- a 7-Eleven to use the ATM there.

During the rest of my week and a half there, I saw plenty of other ATMs that appeared identical to the ones in the train station that didn't work for me.

> These days basically any ATM allows foreign cards

I thought so, too, and perhaps it's just bad luck, but I was at Tokyo Station a few months ago, and I wasn't able to withdraw cash from Mizuho Bank's -- one of the largest retail bank in Japan -- ATM from my US debit card. I ended up walking (getting lost for) ~10 minutes to a Seven Bank ATM, and withdrew cash there without issue. So YMMV.

Most let you use them, the post office and 7-11 had the lowest fees

I would still call this accurate.

ATMs from the major banks (SMBC, Mizuho, Yuucho, etc.) are still extremely picky about supporting US cards. Most will do it... for an egregious fee.

Kombini ATMs are better about this, but 7Bank ATMs remain the gold standard with no fees outside of whatever the bank itself charges. LawsonBank is OK, but few/far between. Enet (at a lot of kombinis) are terrible.

Disclaimer: Former Visa, current PayPay employee