Japan is Nippon 日本語
When things go wrong

Money, Card and ATM Problems

Which ATMs take foreign cards, when you still need cash in Japan, and who to contact if you lose a card.

In an emergency call 110 (police) or 119 (fire and ambulance).

First, do this

  1. If your card is lost or stolen, contact the card issuer straight away and have it stopped.
  2. If it was stolen, report it to the police as well. If it has only just happened, call 110.
  3. If you need cash, try your foreign-issued card at a Seven Bank ATM (mostly inside 7-Eleven stores) or a Japan Post Bank ATM (mostly at post offices).
  4. If the ATM shows a PIN error, do not keep trying: contact your card issuer.
  5. Carry a little cash for places where cards are not accepted, and get a transport IC card (a rechargeable smart card such as Suica or PASMO) too.

You still need cash in some situations

Credit, debit and prepaid cards from the major international brands can be used almost everywhere in Japan. Even so, JNTO (the Japan National Tourism Organization) describes Japan as "a society that uses a lot of cash" and recommends carrying some with you. Shops do not always display the logos of the cards they take, so ask the staff if you are unsure.

These are the situations where you are most likely to need cash. Tickets for short train or subway journeys sometimes cannot be bought by card. Taxis in rural areas may take cash only. On buses, you pay in cash unless there is an IC card logo, and on buses that use numbered tickets (you take a ticket when you board and pay by distance) you get no change if you pay too much. Many buses have a change machine, often next to the fare box.

New banknotes (10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen) were issued on 3 July 2024, but according to the Bank of Japan the older notes remain valid, so there is no need to exchange them. Watch out for false information and scams claiming that "old notes can no longer be used".

ATMs where you can withdraw cash with a foreign card

Seven Bank ATMs are mainly inside 7-Eleven stores across the country, and are also found at airports, stations and shopping centres. According to Seven Bank, there are more than 28,000 in 7-Eleven stores alone, and they accept cards bearing the Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club logos. Some cards cannot be used even if they carry one of these logos, and the hours you can use them depend on the card brand. After inserting your card you can choose the screen language from many options, including English.

Japan Post Bank ATMs are mainly at post offices, and also in stations and supermarkets. You can withdraw cash with VISA, PLUS, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, China UnionPay and DISCOVER cards, including at the small ATMs found in FamilyMart and other stores. You cannot check your balance. Opening hours vary from ATM to ATM and may change over New Year, Golden Week (a cluster of holidays from late April into early May) and other long holiday periods.

According to JNTO, you may also be able to withdraw cash with a foreign card at branch ATMs of Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and at ATMs in the main airports: Narita, Haneda, Chubu and Kansai.

Foreign-issued cards have a limit per withdrawal: at Seven Bank it is 100,000 yen per transaction, or 30,000 yen for magnetic-stripe cards, and at Japan Post Bank it is 50,000 yen per transaction. Your card issuer may also charge its own fee on top of the ATM fee.

If you are asked which currency to be charged in

When you use a Visa or Mastercard at a Seven Bank ATM, a screen appears after the withdrawal asking whether you want to be charged in your home currency or in Japanese yen (this is called dynamic currency conversion, or DCC). If you choose your home currency, the amount you will be charged is fixed on the spot. If you choose yen, the amount in your home currency is set later, when your card company bills you. At Japan Post Bank ATMs, too, some cards have the home-currency amount fixed on the spot. Read the explanation on the screen carefully before you choose.

If your card does not work or you lose it

If your card does not work at an ATM, check the hours of use and the card brand. If you get a PIN error, Seven Bank advises contacting your card issuer. Japan Post Bank likewise asks you to check with your card issuer for details of whether your card can be used.

If your card is lost or stolen, contact the card issuer at once and have it stopped so it cannot be misused. JNTO recommends keeping a list of your card companies' toll-free numbers somewhere separate from the cards. Report it to the police too: if you lost it, file an ishitsu todoke (lost property report) at a koban (police box) or police station, and if it was stolen, report that to the police as well.

Visa says you should contact your card issuer first, and if you cannot reach them, the Visa Global Customer Assistance Service will help you report a lost or stolen card and arrange an emergency replacement. If you have a JCB card issued outside Japan, the 24-hour JCB PLAZA Call Center can advise you if you lose it.

Exchanging money

The arrivals halls of the main airports have currency exchange counters. You can also exchange money at branches of the big banks, but according to JNTO most of them close at 3 p.m. Exchange rates change daily, and the currencies you can exchange vary from counter to counter. If you bring into or take out of Japan cash or similar worth more than 1 million yen, you must declare it to customs.

Tips

  • After using an ATM, make sure you take both your card and the receipt.
  • Coins pile up quickly, so a coin purse comes in handy.
  • 2,000-yen notes are rare and easy to mistake for 1,000-yen notes, so check your change carefully.
  • Keep your card companies' emergency numbers somewhere separate from the cards, such as on a paper note.
  • Transport IC cards such as Suica and PASMO work not only on trains but in many konbini (convenience stores) and shops too.

Sources

Checked: 29 September 2026