Yes. When I was over there, I only used my Debit card because of the daily exchange rates. I would take out about 10,000 Yen which would last a while for me, then if I needed something at a store, bust out the Visa Check Card! Oh, if you do this, make sure all the money is in your checking account and not savings because you can't draw from savings there, at least I couldn't. Another thing, they will ask you if you want to split the payments up at most major stores. Just tell them no and that one payment will suffice.
Ant