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Plan · Money and payment

Cash and card,
bring both

Cards work almost everywhere in the cities, but four purchases in ten are still paid in cash. You withdraw at the konbini, and you never leave a tip.

How people pay in Japan

Purchases in 202558 % cashless
Cash, 42 %Credit card, 48 %QR code, 6 %E-money, 2 %Debit card, 2 %
  • Good habits
  • Carry cash every day, especially outside the big cities.
  • Withdraw at 7-Eleven: the screen and receipt are in English.
  • Bring two cards: some may be declined.
  • Read the currency choice screen before confirming a withdrawal.
  • Ask your bank about its foreign fees and withdrawal limit.
  • Note your card's emergency number to block it.
  • Mistakes
  • Leaving a tip: not at restaurants, not in taxis, not at hotels.
  • Counting on your card at a ramen shop's ticket machine.
  • Handing a big bill on the bus: it may be refused.
  • Tapping your bank card at a JR gate: it only opens the metro and some private lines in Tokyo.
  • Landing without a single yen in your pocket.
A Shinjuku alley at night
A Shinjuku alley at night
A yatai in Fukuoka at night
A yatai in Fukuoka at night
Dotonbori, Osaka, at night
Dotonbori, Osaka, at night
PlanJapanPlan your trip · Money and payment
PlanJapan · Japan, the complete guide · 2026–20271
Plan · Money and payment

Withdrawing and paying, the how-to

ATMs in convenience stores, a sales tax with two rates, a small dish billed at izakayas: what surprises you at the first withdrawal and the first bill.

Getting cashat Seven Bank ATMs, inside 7-Eleven stores
24/7with a Visa or Mastercard
100,000 ¥ maxper withdrawal; 30,000 ¥ with a magnetic-stripe card; 50,000 ¥ at Lawson, AEON and post offices
In Englishthe screen and the receipt
The debit currencyin your currency, the ATM sets the amount; in yen, your bank converts
Feesdepending on the card brand, plus your own bank's
Elsewherepost offices and their ATMs in FamilyMart, Lawson, AEON, airports

At the checkout

10 % or 8 % sales tax

8 % on food and soft drinks to take out: the same gyudon costs 498 ¥ to eat in, 489 ¥ to go.

The izakaya otoshi

A small dish served automatically, billed per person: it's the table charge.

Your card at the gate

A contactless bank card opens the Tokyo metro since March 2026, not JR. See “Suica, PASMO, ICOCA”.

Tax-free is changing

For purchases from November 1, 2026: tax paid in store, refunded when you leave. See “Shopping and tax-free”.

A 7-Eleven konbini at nightA 7-Eleven konbini at night
Hinomaru's tip

Bring a coin purse: 100 and 500 yen coins pile up fast, and some lockers take nothing else.

PlanJapanPlan your trip · Money and payment
PlanJapan · Japan, the complete guide · 2026–20272