Money in Japan: cash, cards and IC cards, checked for 2026

Japan was a cash country for a long time, and many visitors still arrive expecting to need a wallet full of notes. Card and tap payment have spread widely, but acceptance still varies from business to business, so the safe plan is to carry both. Visa and Mastercard are the brands visitors rely on most, and Japan's own JCB brand is common too, with Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank both listing these among the overseas card brands their ATMs support. Whether a particular shop takes American Express or a particular contactless wallet is something to check at the till, not to assume.

Cash still matters in four kinds of places: small family-run restaurants and izakaya, especially older ones; temples and shrines, for offerings, fortunes, charms and some entry fees; markets and food stalls; and rural buses, small inns and taxis outside the big cities. Coin lockers, ticket machines for local lines and vending machines increasingly take IC cards, but not all do. Plan your cash around that list rather than around a single daily figure: if your day includes a market and a temple, carry notes and a few coins for it, and use a card for the hotel and the department store.

The Bank of Japan's page on its new banknote series says the new ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 designs were first issued on 3 July 2024, so you may see both old and new designs in circulation. The bank's "banknotes and coins in use" page lists what is currently issued. Do not assume that a price on a sign is final: consumption tax rules are covered below, and some businesses add service or table charges.

Many Japanese bank ATMs do not accept cards issued abroad, so do not rely on the first bank you see. Two networks publish clear information for overseas cards. Japan Post Bank says its ATMs, in post offices and some other locations, accept cards from overseas institutions bearing Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, China UnionPay and Discover. Its page lists service hours of 7:00 to 23:00 Monday to Saturday and 7:00 to 21:00 on Sundays and holidays at post office and Japan Post Bank ATMs, with different hours for compact ATMs in some convenience stores, and notes that hours change by location and during long holidays. Seven Bank, whose ATMs are in 7-Eleven stores and other places, has a page listing the overseas cards its ATMs accept, with Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay and JCB among the logos it shows. Check your own card against that list before you travel.

Expect fees at two levels. Japan Post Bank states that when certain cards issued abroad are used, an ATM usage fee of ¥220 (tax included) per use may apply, and that your own card issuer may charge a separate fee. Withdraw larger amounts less often to keep fixed fees down. If a machine or a shop terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, think before you accept: compare the conversion offered on the spot with your bank's rate, and when in doubt pay in yen.

A rechargeable IC card is the single most useful thing to set up on day one. You touch it on the gate reader to enter and leave stations and the fare is deducted automatically, and the same card pays at many convenience stores, vending machines and coin lockers. Suica is issued by JR East, PASMO is the Tokyo-area private railway and subway card, and ICOCA is issued by JR West in Kansai. JR East says that Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and several other regional cards can be used interchangeably on trains and buses, in shops and at vending machines that show the nationwide mutual use logo.

There are limits. JR East says a standard Suica purchase includes a ¥500 deposit that is refunded when you return the card, that you can top up at ticket machines with cash only, in increments of ¥500, ¥1,000, ¥2,000, ¥3,000, ¥5,000 or ¥10,000, and that the maximum balance is ¥20,000. Credit cards cannot be used to top up a Suica. Rural lines and some local buses do not accept IC cards at all, and shinkansen and limited express trips usually need a separate ticket.

JR East also sells the Welcome Suica for visitors. Its page says the card can be used for 28 days from the date of purchase and cannot be used for continuous travel between areas: when crossing from one area to another, you first leave the ticket gate and then re-enter. Which versions of each card are on sale, and where, can change, so check the station ticket office when you arrive.

Japan's consumption tax is 10%, or 8% on food and drink excluding alcohol and dining out, according to the National Tax Agency. Eligible visitors can shop tax-free at registered stores, and the system is changing.

Until 31 October 2026, eligible visitors buy at tax-exclusive prices at participating shops. For purchases made on or after 1 November 2026, the Japan National Tourism Organization says the system moves to a refund method: you pay the full tax-inclusive price, then present your goods to customs at departure, and the consumption tax is refunded once customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan. Within 90 days of purchase you present your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal in the international departure lobby, before baggage check-in, and you must have the purchased goods with you. At major airports you may complete the initial step online through Visit Japan Web. The minimum is ¥5,000 or more before tax per tax-free shop, per day. Sealed packaging is no longer required for consumables, but consumables used in Japan are not eligible.

Do not tip. Tipping is not customary in Japan, and JNTO's etiquette guidance says there is no need to tip at hotels. In restaurants, bars, taxis and hotels, good service is expected and included, and saying thank you is enough. Leaving money on a table can cause confusion, since staff may try to return it.

What you may see instead are charges on the bill. Some izakaya add a table charge and serve a small starter dish called otōshi in return. Some hotels and more formal restaurants add a service charge. Both appear as a line on the bill, and you pay what the bill says. At a high-end ryokan, some guests hand the attendant a small gift in an envelope; it is a gesture, not an expectation, and you will not offend anyone by leaving it out.

Everyone leaving Japan by air or sea pays the International Tourist Tax, with limited exemptions. The Japan Tourism Agency's leaflet says the rate is ¥3,000 per departure from 1 July 2026, up from ¥1,000. As a general rule, air and sea carriers collect it from passengers, typically by adding it to the ticket price, so in most cases there is nothing to pay at the airport.

There is a transitional measure: if you depart using eligible tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026, the previous ¥1,000 rate applies. Infants under the age of two are exempt. If you bought your ticket before July, check the tax line on the booking to see which rate was charged.

Most money trouble in Japan happens in the first few hours, when you need cash for a train or a bus and have not yet found an ATM that works. Work through these in order.

• Before you fly: tell your bank you are traveling, check your card's foreign transaction and ATM fees, and carry two cards on different networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, in case one is declined.

• At the airport: use an ATM that lists your card brand, or exchange a small amount for the first transfers, and decide how much you need until the next ATM visit.

• Before the train: buy or set up an IC card and top it up with cash at a ticket machine. Remember that top-ups are cash only for a Suica.

• At the hotel: check whether the accommodation tax was included in what you paid or is collected at check-in.

• Shopping: carry your passport if you plan to shop tax-free, and decide in advance whether you will accept a conversion into your home currency.

The rest of the trip is simple. Pay by card where you can, keep cash for the places that need it, and top up both at an ATM every few days instead of carrying a large sum.

Do not assume your card will work everywhere and arrive with no cash. Do not exchange a large sum at the airport counter without checking the rate against an ATM withdrawal. Do not accept a conversion into your home currency without comparing it. Do not forget that top-ups for a Suica are cash only, so keep notes for the machine. Do not tip at the end of a meal. And do not buy tax-free goods assuming the old system still applies after 1 November 2026: keep the receipts and goods with you through check-in and allow time for the customs step.

Two changes this year affect what you pay. The departure tax rose to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026, and tax-free shopping moves to a refund system on 1 November 2026. Cities also set their own accommodation taxes; check the current rate with your hotel or on the city's official site, and see the where to stay in Tokyo and where to stay in Osaka guides.

For the rest of your planning, see the money and costs guides, the best eSIM for Japan and travel insurance for Japan. Rules change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan National Tourism Organization before you travel.