Money
Money: cash and cards
32%of card problems visitors reported happened while eating out
46%of those: the card simply wasn’t accepted
Japan Tourism Agency, visitor survey (FY2025).
Bring two cards and some yen. Expect your card to fail at least once, usually at dinner.
What to know
- International credit, debit and prepaid cards are accepted in most shops, restaurants and taxis in major cities. Rural areas and small businesses are less predictable.
- Not every place displays card logos. Ask before you order or before staff ring things up.
- In the Japan Tourism Agency's latest visitor survey, restaurants were the most common place for card trouble, at 32% of those who had problems. The top reason, at 46%, was simply that the card couldn't be used.
- Cards work for shinkansen and Narita Express tickets, but often not for short train and subway fares. An IC card covers those.
- Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank ATMs are the easiest places to withdraw yen.
- Keep your card issuer's emergency number somewhere other than your wallet.
- Leaving Japan costs ¥3,000 in departure tax, up from ¥1,000 on July 1, 2026. It's normally added to your airfare when you buy the ticket, so you won't pay it at the airport.
psst, a small izakaya with no card stickers by the door is probably cash only. Check your wallet before you sit down, not after the third round.