Ways to get yen
| Way | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange at home before you fly | Cash for the first day | The rate and fees depend on your bank |
| Airport exchange counter | Cash on arrival; Haneda Terminal 3 is open 24 hours | Rates differ by counter |
| Seven Bank ATM (7-Eleven) | Most foreign cards, all over Japan | Your bank’s fees, plus a Seven Bank fee that depends on the card brand |
| Japan Post Bank ATM | Post offices and FamilyMart stores | ¥220 per withdrawal for some foreign cards; no American Express |
| Pay by card or phone | Chains, stations and department stores | Keep some cash for places that do not take cards |
ATMs that take foreign cards
| Seven Bank (7-Eleven) | Japan Post Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB, American Express, Discover, Diners | Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB, Discover |
| Hours | Visa and Mastercard 24 hours; UnionPay, JCB and Discover 0:10–23:50 | Post offices 7:00–23:00 (Sundays to 21:00); FamilyMart nearly 24 hours |
| Limit per withdrawal | ¥100,000 | ¥50,000 |
| ATM fee | Depends on the card brand | ¥220 for some foreign cards |
Using an ATM
Seven Bank ATMs have menus in 10 languages, including English, Chinese and Korean. With a Visa or Mastercard the screen may offer to charge you in your home currency; choose yen, and your card issuer does the conversion instead of the ATM.
Your bank may add its own withdrawal and foreign-transaction fees, so a few larger withdrawals usually cost less than many small ones.
If you live in the US, the UK or Europe, a Wise card can hold yen and take it out: US customers get US$250 a month free at ATMs, then pay US$1.95 plus 1.95% per withdrawal. Wise does not issue cards to residents of Taiwan, Hong Kong or South Korea.
Useful before you fly
Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags
Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight
Card or cash?
By the government’s measure, 42.8% of consumer spending in Japan was cashless in 2024: cards, phone payments and IC cards such as Suica work in most chains, stations and department stores. Japan’s tourism organisation still advises carrying some cash.
For tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026, you can pay in cash or by card; the tax comes back after the customs check when you leave, by the method the refund company offers.