At a ticket machine in a train station, or at the counter of a small noodle shop, the coins come out of your pocket in a clatter and you start sorting them by feel. Japan runs on the yen, and it is a currency that mixes crisp bills, heavy coins and a growing amount of tap-and-go payment.
What is the currency in Japan?
The currency in Japan is the Japanese yen, written JPY in banking and shown with the ¥ sign on price tags. It is the official currency of the country, and the Bank of Japan, the central bank, is the institution that issues it. Every price you meet, from a vending machine drink to a hotel room, is quoted in yen.
The yen has a long history behind it. Japan’s modern currency system dates to the New Currency Act of 1871, which defined the yen in terms of gold and silver, and the Bank of Japan followed in 1882. Today the yen is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the U.S. dollar and the euro, and it is also widely used as a third reserve currency behind those two.
Paying by card
International credit, debit and prepaid cards are generally accepted throughout Japan, so a card in your wallet covers a lot of the trip. Cards also work for Narita Express and shinkansen tickets, both JR trains, which makes the long hauls simple to pay for without counting out bills.
The picture changes on smaller purchases. Short-distance train and subway tickets cannot always be bought with a card, and some stores do not display the logos of the cards they take. When there is no sticker at the register, ask the seller before the items are rung up. It saves an awkward moment at the counter.
Suica and Pasmo for everyday spending
If you would rather not carry a thick wad of cash, a Suica or Pasmo card is the usual middle ground. These rechargeable cards pay for train tickets, but they also work on many other kinds of public transportation, in convenience stores and in a growing number of shops and restaurants.
They are not accepted everywhere, so think of them as a handy supplement to cash and a credit card rather than a replacement. A tap on a reader at a station gate, then another at a drink machine or a convenience store register, is the rhythm many travelers settle into.
Cash still matters
Even with cards spreading, cash is part of the routine, and the bills are trusted. The largest bill is generally accepted even for small purchases, so you do not need to hunt for change before you buy a bottle of tea. Carrying a little of each type of money, a card, a transit card and some bills and coins, covers nearly every situation you will meet.
Bringing in or taking out a very large sum of cash or securities calls for a customs declaration. That concerns only travelers with unusual amounts, and the details sit with the customs rules rather than with everyday spending.
What do coins and bills look like?
Japanese money comes in four bill values and five coin values, and the coins in particular come in a wide spread of sizes and weights. The full set is in the table.
| Type | Denominations (yen) |
|---|---|
| Bills | 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 |
| Coins | 1, 5, 10, 50, 500 |
The bills
You will handle mostly the three bills that are common in daily life. The smallest, the one in the thousands, is what change often comes back as, while the 5000 and the 10,000 are for bigger bills at hotels, restaurants and shops. The top bill is accepted even for modest purchases, which surprises visitors used to shopkeepers frowning at large notes.
The 2000 yen bill is the odd one out. Few are in circulation, so you may go the whole trip without seeing one. It is accepted, but it can easily be mistaken for the 1000 yen bill when you glance at it, so it pays to check your change when a cashier hands you a note you do not recognize.
Japan has also refreshed its paper money. Series F banknotes were introduced on July 3, 2024, which means that bills of both the newer and older designs may pass through your hands, and both are money.
The coins
Coins are the part of Japanese money that most surprises first-time visitors. They cover the full range, with the smallest worth almost nothing and the 500 yen coin worth a good deal more than its size suggests. The 5 yen and 50 yen coins have a hole in the middle, which makes them easy to tell apart by touch from their neighbors.
Because prices are quoted in yen without small decimals, coins pile up fast. Travelers in Japan are advised to carry a coin purse, since the quantity and weight of Japanese coins increase quickly. A loose pocketful will sag your trousers by the end of the first afternoon of shopping and snacking.
A practical rhythm helps. Spend coins at vending machines, ticket machines and small shops whenever you can, keep the larger coins in the purse for places that run on coin-operated machines, and let the bills carry bigger purchases. Sorting the purse at the end of each day takes seconds and keeps the next day’s payments quick.
Reading prices and checking change
A price tag is a number followed by the yen sign or the character for yen, and the number is what you pay. There is no need to convert in your head at every register, though a rough sense of what the top bill is worth helps you feel the size of a purchase.
When you receive change, take a second to look at the bills. That is where the 2000 yen note can slip in unnoticed, and where a quick look prevents a mix-up later with a note you thought was a smaller one.
How do you get yen?
The simplest way to get yen is to withdraw it from an ATM with your bank card, and Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank ATMs are the two networks open to travelers. Banks also exchange foreign currency, and the four major airports have ATMs for the first cash after landing.
Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank ATMs
Japan Post Bank ATMs are in post offices, train stations and supermarkets throughout Japan. Their operating hours vary from one location to the next, and the service is available in English, so you can follow the screen without reading Japanese.
Seven Bank ATMs sit mainly in Seven Eleven convenience stores. When you use a foreign-issued card, the screens, receipts and voice guidance come in nine languages: English, Chinese, Portuguese, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Spanish and Japanese. A convenience store is a natural place to stop for cash while you pick up a drink or a snack.
Bank ATMs and which cards they take
The big banks have ATMs that accept international cards, but each has its own list, and the accepted cards can vary by machine. In all three cases you can withdraw cash, but you cannot make deposits or transfers.
| Bank | Cards accepted at ATMs | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Mizuho Bank | MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus | Withdraw cash |
| Mitsubishi UFJ Bank | Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, JCB, DISCOVER (varies by ATM) | Withdraw cash, check balance |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) | Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay | Withdraw cash, check balance |
If one machine refuses your card, try another network before assuming the card is the problem. The logos on the back of your card tell you which of these lists it belongs to.
Airports and banks
Narita International Airport, Haneda Airport, Chubu Centrair International Airport and Kansai International Airport all have ATMs, so cash is within reach on arrival. Service fees may be charged depending on the time or day of withdrawal, so the same machine can cost a different amount on a weekend evening than on a weekday afternoon.
Major banks, among them Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Japan Post Bank, exchange foreign currency, but many close at 3 p.m. That makes the counter a daytime errand, best done before the afternoon is gone. An ATM or a card covers the hours after that.
Good to know before you go
Cash, a card and a transit card each do a different job in Japan, and traveling with all three keeps you ready for a ticket machine, a restaurant and a shop alike. Keep your bills flat and your coins in a purse, and glance at your change.
If a credit card is lost, contact the issuer directly to have it replaced. It is advised to keep a list of the issuer’s toll-free numbers, stored apart from the cards themselves, so that losing your wallet does not also mean losing the numbers you need to call. Links to the major card companies, American Express, JCB, Mastercard, Visa, Discover and Diners Club, lead to their contact details.
Sources
- Japan National Tourism Organization, credit cards and cash, where cards are accepted (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/credit-cards/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, yen, coins, bills, exchanging money, ATMs (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/currency/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Japanese yen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_yen), checked October 11, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Japan: Cherry Blossoms, Autumn Colors, Weather and Festivals
- Things to Do in Japan: Kyoto Temples, Onsen, Street Food and Day Trips
- Where to Stay in Japan: Ryokan, Temple Stays, Capsule Hotels and the Best Cities to Base In
- Sending Luggage from the Airport in Japan: Hands-Free Travel, Hotel Delivery and Coin Lockers