Cash or Card in Japan

Japan’s cash-only reputation is outdated, but the country hasn’t fully moved to cards either. The practical answer for 2026: a Visa or Mastercard, an IC transit card, and around ¥20,000 in cash. Together, those three cover almost every situation. Rely on only one and you will get caught out.

Where Cards Work Without Issue

Card acceptance is broad at anything chain-operated in major cities:

• Convenience stores: 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and contactless including Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Hotels: virtually all properties accept cards at check-in
• Department stores and shopping malls
• Chain restaurants: McDonald’s, Starbucks, Yoshinoya, most conveyor sushi chains, and most major ramen chains
• Major tourist attractions, museums, and theme parks
• Supermarkets in cities

Visa and Mastercard have the broadest acceptance. American Express works at hotels and department stores but has noticeably lower acceptance at smaller establishments. Carry a Visa or Mastercard as your primary card.

One useful update for Tokyo: over 700 Kanto rail stations now accept direct contactless card tap-to-ride, so on some lines you can board by tapping your card or phone without needing an IC card at all.

Where You Still Need Cash

The gap is almost entirely independent restaurants and local experiences, which is where you’ll find the best food and most authentic visits:

• Independent ramen shops, izakaya, yakitori counters, tonkatsu restaurants, and teishoku diners. cash-only is the norm, not the exception
• Shrine and temple entrance fees, omamori (good luck charms), and goshuin (ink stamp books)
• Vending machines at temple grounds and in rural areas: most still cash or IC card only
• Coin lockers at train stations. ¥300–700, coins or cash only; a genuine gotcha if you arrive without any yen
• Local city buses outside Tokyo
• Street food, market stalls, and festival vendors
• Rural areas and smaller cities: card acceptance drops significantly once you leave the main tourist circuit

IC Cards: The Three Tourist Options for 2026

IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA) are prepaid cards that work on trains, buses, and at convenience stores, many vending machines, and some restaurants. They sit between cash and a credit card: accepted in places cards often aren’t, and faster than digging out coins. Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA all work on each other’s networks across Japan.

Welcome Suica Mobile, recommended for iPhone users
JR East launched this tourist-specific app in 2026. iPhone only. Available in English, accepts foreign credit cards directly with no Japanese Apple ID required, and valid for 180 days. You download the app before or after arrival, top up with your card, and tap your phone on any IC card reader. No airport counter, no queue, no deposit.

Tourist PASMO, physical card option
Available at Narita and Haneda airports from May 2026, replacing the discontinued Pasmo Passport. Buy at designated machines in the arrivals area. Requires around ¥500 deposit, refundable when you return the card before leaving Japan. Works on all IC card networks.

Physical Suica, the standard fallback
Available at JR green ticket machines at Narita, Haneda, and major stations. Same ¥500 deposit. The most widely available option if Tourist PASMO machines are out of stock or if you’re not arriving through the main Tokyo airports.

Android users: Google Pay supports digital Suica in Japan. Top up with a foreign credit card through the Google Pay app. Setup takes a few minutes but works well once configured.

Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Mobile Payments

Where you see the contactless symbol at a terminal, Apple Pay and Google Pay work with your linked Visa, Mastercard, or Amex. This covers convenience stores, department stores, and most chain restaurants.

Digital Suica loaded into Apple Pay or the Welcome Suica Mobile app goes further. It works on trains and buses where contactless credit cards aren’t accepted, and at vending machines and convenience stores across the country. For most tourists, this is the most versatile payment method in Japan.

One gap to know: JR East’s green ticket machines at stations (Midori no Kenbaiki) do not accept Apple Pay or standard contactless card. Use your IC card balance or cash for those machines.

PayPay is Japan’s dominant QR payment and is accepted at over four million locations, including many independent restaurants and small shops that don’t take cards. However, registering for PayPay requires a Japanese phone number. Tourists without a local SIM cannot set up an account, which makes PayPay effectively unavailable to most visitors despite its wide coverage.

ATMs for Foreign Cards

7-Eleven ATMs are the most reliable option for foreign Visa, Mastercard, and Amex: available 24 hours, English-language interface, and found across Japan including inside 7-Eleven convenience stores. Japan Post ATMs (at post offices, marked with a red-and-white logo) also accept international cards reliably.

Avoid standalone bank ATMs and machines marked “Cash Service”. Most reject foreign cards without warning.

Fees run around ¥110–220 per transaction. Withdraw in larger amounts, ¥20,000–30,000 at a time, to reduce how often you pay the fee.

Airport Exchange vs ATM: What to Do on Arrival

Exchange around ¥10,000–20,000 at the airport on arrival. This covers airport transport (Narita Express or Haneda rail to central Tokyo) and your first day without needing to find an ATM after a long flight. Exchange counters at Narita and Haneda are in the arrivals hall after clearing customs.

After that first day, switch to 7-Eleven ATMs. The rates are better and the machines are everywhere. Hotel exchange desks and standalone currency booths typically offer less favourable rates; use them only when an ATM is not available.

How Much Cash to Carry

The right amount depends on your itinerary:

• City-focused trip (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto): Keep ¥10,000–20,000 on you at all times. That covers a day of meals at independent restaurants, coin lockers, and incidentals without needing to find an ATM mid-day.
• Mixed city and rural: Have ¥30,000–50,000 accessible across your wallet and hotel safe. ATMs and card readers are much less common once you leave the main tourist cities.
• Small denominations: Keep ¥1,000 notes and coins on hand. Coin lockers (¥300–700) and some vending machines do not accept ¥5,000 or ¥10,000 notes.

Japan redesigned its banknotes in July 2024. The ¥1,000, ¥5,000, and ¥10,000 notes have new designs. Both old and new versions remain valid currency.

One final note: Japan does not tip. Paying the exact amount is correct. Leaving change on the table or rounding up is not expected and can cause confusion.

For everything else you need before arriving, see the Japan Shinkansen Guide and the full Travel to Japan overview.