True Trip Costs: Japan
before you go
- DoSay yen every time a screen offers you dollars
- DoAn IC card is the best thing you set up all trip
- DoSitting down: Ask about the seat charge
- CarryCashless in the cities, cash at the old places
- WithdrawMost bank machines here will refuse your card
- Don'tDo not tip. Say something instead
That's the short version. Below: every fee we checked, what it all adds up to, and the traps we help you dodge.
No match. See all guides.
Money in Japan, sorted.
A calm, current plan for the money side of your trip: what to tap, where you still need cash, and the small rules that trip up first-timers.
Kyoto raised its lodging tax, with top-tier rooms now taxed up to 10,000 yen per night. Most travelers pay far less, but factor it in for a high-end stay.
The three things people ask
Will my card work? Do I need cash? Are ATMs easy?
The quick read for a first trip.
Your card
Works widely in cities
Visa and Mastercard are accepted at hotels, department stores, chain restaurants, convenience stores and JR or Shinkansen counters. Amex is less widely taken, JCB is local. Small izakaya, temples and vending machines are often cash-only.
Check yours →Cash
Still needed daily
Temples, shrines, small restaurants, vending machines, markets and rural spots want yen. Carry 10,000 to 20,000 yen and top up as you go.
How much to bring →ATMs
Easy, if you pick the right one
7-Eleven (Seven Bank) ATMs are the most reliable: 24/7, English, low fee (around 110 to 220 yen). Japan Post Bank, AEON, FamilyMart and Lawson also work. Avoid bank ATMs like Mizuho, MUFG and SMBC, which often reject foreign cards.
See ATMs in Japan →(opens in a new tab)Cash or card
Japan is more card-friendly than its reputation, but cash still rules the small stuff.
A rough feel for everyday spending. Tokyo, Osaka and other cities lean increasingly cashless, and an IC card on your phone covers most small taps. But temples, shrines, small restaurants, vending machines and rural areas are still cash-only, so always keep some yen on you.
See what the trip really costs →Your money plan
Four steps and you're set.
Before you go
- Get a no-foreign-fee debit card for cash. Charles Schwab refunds ATM fees worldwide; Wise and Revolut are low-fee.
- Bring a no-fee Visa or Mastercard for hotels and shops.
- Add a Suica or ICOCA IC card to your phone's Apple or Google Wallet before you land, it is the smoothest way to pay for trains and convenience stores.
- Tell your bank you are traveling so it doesn't block the card.
At the airport
- Skip the exchange counters, or grab just 10,000 to 20,000 yen for day one.
- Pull yen from a 7-Eleven (Seven Bank) ATM and decline "convert to USD," always choose yen.
Day to day
- Tap your phone's IC card for trains, buses and convenience stores.
- Card for hotels, department stores and chains.
- Cash for temples, small restaurants, vending machines and rural spots.
- If you are staying more than a few days, PayPay (a QR app) opens up small shops that take no cards.
A golden rule
- Never tip. It is not customary and can cause confusion or mild offense.
- A warm thank-you is all that is expected.
Staying connected
Will my phone work here? And what will it cost?
Yes, and it is among the best anywhere. Japan has 4G almost everywhere, including the bullet trains and most rural and mountain areas, with 5G growing in the cities. You will rarely think about your signal. The cost is where people get caught out, and on most US plans it lands in one of two buckets.
Your plan may already include it
Often, do nothing
Some US plans include slow data abroad at no extra cost. If that is you, the honest move is to leave it alone.
we earn nothing
Or it charges quietly, after the fact
The bill lands later
On pay-per-use plans the cost runs in the background while you travel, and the charge can show up weeks after you are home. Forgetting to switch off data roaming is the classic one. For a week or more, an eSIM is usually cheaper and keeps you in control.
Check what your own carrier charges before the trip, not after.
If an eSIM is the cheaper call, Nomad covers Japan.
Get your Nomad eSIM→(opens in a new tab)we may earn a commissionMedical cover
The one cost with no price tag.
Every other number on this page has a price you can look up. This one does not, and it can be the largest of them all. Most US health plans cover little or nothing once you leave the country, and Medicare covers essentially none of it abroad. A serious illness or injury is paid up front, and a medical evacuation runs from tens of thousands of dollars to past $100,000 if you are remote or an ocean from home.
First, you may not need to buy anything.
A cheap, refundable trip close to home does not need this. And if you are healthy, headed somewhere with good care, and one of the premium cards on the shortlist above already includes emergency medical and evacuation, you may be covered already. Check your card's benefits guide before you buy. Saying that costs us the commission, and it is still the right call.
How much cover matters here
Here, good hospitals are easy to reach and the care is high quality, so for a healthy traveler this leans more toward your call than a must.
If you do want cover, this is what it is for: the evacuation and the up-front hospital bill, the part no card limit is meant to absorb.
Enough for most trips
Faye, or a comparable whole-trip policy
Bundles trip protection with emergency medical, which is enough cover for most travelers on a typical trip.
The deeper end
A dedicated travel-medical plan built for serious care and evacuation abroad
Stronger on medical care and evacuation, for a remote or higher-risk trip where that is the real exposure.
If it happens
Call it first, then call your insurer's 24/7 assistance line, which is what confirms payment and arranges an evacuation. 119 is for an ambulance or fire, and 110 is the police. The 112 and 911 numbers do not work here.
TrueTripCosts explains the gap and points to options. It does not set your coverage amounts or act as your insurance advisor, and every policy carries its own exclusions, so read them before you buy. Emergency number checked Jul 2026. Confirm the current number before you travel, as local lines can change.
Currency basics
The yen, in plain terms.
Quick conversion
About 160 yen to $1 right now. A rough gut check: 1,000 yen is about $6, and 10,000 yen about $62. The weak yen is good news for your budget.
Notes and coins
Notes come in 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen. Coins go down to 1 yen and pile up fast, so spend them at convenience-store kiosks and vending machines.
No tipping
Japan has no tipping culture. Leaving extra can confuse staff or be politely refused. A thank-you is enough.
IC cards
Suica, ICOCA and Pasmo are tap-to-pay cards for transit and convenience stores. The easiest route is adding one to your phone's Apple or Google Wallet before arrival.
Real exchange rate
What your money is really worth here.
This is the mid-market rate, the one the banks trade at and the yardstick every other rate is measured against. Your card lands a little below it, and if a screen ever offers to bill you in dollars, that is worse again. So this is the number to expect, and how you spot a bad one.
1 US dollar is about 162 JPY
Tax-free shopping
Shop tax-free as a tourist.
Tourists can buy consumption-tax-free (10%) at shops marked "Tax Free," including department stores, electronics chains like Bic Camera and Yodobashi, and many drugstores. Show your passport at the register. Consumables are sealed and must leave Japan unopened. Confirm the details at the till, as the tax-free system is being reformed.
Before you book: passports, the six-month rule and whether you need a visa. Not a US citizen, or connecting through Europe? The rules can differ, and even a layover can need its own visa. See our passports and visas guide →
Watch out for
The small traps that catch first-timers.
Tipping
Don't tip, really.
Japan has no tipping culture, and there is no awkwardness in not tipping, it is simply the norm. Leaving extra money can confuse or even mildly offend, and staff may chase you to return it. Exceptional service is met with a polite thank-you, not a gratuity. The rare exception is handing a small thank-you in an envelope to a private guide or a ryokan host, in person.
Common questions
Quick answers.
Do I need cash in Japan?
Yes, though less than before. Temples, small restaurants, vending machines and rural areas are still cash-only. Carry 10,000 to 20,000 yen and top up at 7-Eleven ATMs.
Which ATM works with my foreign card in Japan?
7-Eleven (Seven Bank) ATMs are the most reliable, open 24/7 with English and a low fee. Japan Post Bank, AEON, FamilyMart and Lawson also work. Avoid Mizuho, MUFG and SMBC, which often reject foreign cards.
Should I tip in Japan?
No. Tipping is not customary and can cause confusion or offense. A polite thank-you is enough.
Do I need a Suica or IC card in Japan?
It is the smoothest way to pay for trains, buses and convenience stores. The easiest route is adding a Suica or ICOCA to your phone's Apple or Google Wallet before you arrive.
How much cash should I bring for a week in Japan?
For two mid-range travelers, plan very roughly 80,000 to 100,000 yen in day-to-day cash across a week, beyond hotels, withdrawn in a couple of ATM visits. Adjust for your style.
Can I shop tax-free as a tourist in Japan?
Yes. At "Tax Free" shops, show your passport to buy consumption-tax-free. Consumables are sealed and must leave Japan unopened. Confirm at the register, as the system is being reformed.
What will your trip really cost?
Name where you are going. We will show you what nobody quotes.
For instance, right now
ColombiaHotels charge 19% IVA, but as a foreign tourist you are exempt, and about half try to add it anyway.
CzechiaCzech law gives you three hours to cancel a bad currency exchange and get your money back, on amounts up to 1,000 EUR.
GreeceGreece's climate fee charges an Airbnb-style rental about 8 EUR a night against 2 for a budget hotel.
El SalvadorThe country that made Bitcoin legal tender?
CambodiaThe US dollar is Cambodia's everyday currency, and ATMs hand you crisp $100 bills nobody can break.
TurkeyUS citizens need no visa and no e-visa for Turkey, scrapped in 2023.
ItalyMost Italian restaurants add a coperto, a per-person cover charge of commonly 2 to 3 euros, before you have ordered anything.
The one thing most people get wrong about Japan
Checked Jul 2026You have heard Japan is the future, so you plan to tap your way around it.
The world's most high-tech country is still cash-first, and most bank ATMs refuse US cards. The 7-Eleven is where you get yen.
What to doUse a 7-Eleven or Japan Post ATM, decline pay-in-dollars, and never tip.
Everything we checked
What Japan actually charges you, in one place.
5 things we verified for Japan, grouped by the kind of thing they are. The numbers are below; this is the shape of them.
fees nobody quotes
money you keep
traps to dodge
timing
The number
What you'll really spend in Japan.
Your flights if you want them counted, your room, your on-the-ground spending, the two fees most US cards add without telling you, and Japan's tourist tax. One number, nothing waiting on the statement. No bank to pick, no sign-up, nothing saved.
Optional. Enter your round trip fare per traveler to fold flights into the total.
Total trip realistically somewhere between $0 and $0.
Getting thereflights, and what the border costs
Departure tax is not a separate line here. Where a country charges one it is collected inside your airfare, so it is already in the flight figure, and adding it again would count it twice.
On the ground detailyour room, your days, and how much of it is cash
Whether at an ATM or a card terminal in a shop or restaurant, always choose to be charged in the local currency, not dollars. Paying in dollars (called dynamic currency conversion) lets the machine set its own, worse, exchange rate on top of any fee.
Fees nobody quotes youthe part that lands on the statement weeks later
What you'll pay
What you can refuse, and what the lookalike sites charge, is set out under Costs nobody tells you about below, with the two figures kept apart from these ones.
Costs nobody tells you about
Most of it you can keep. Here is every dollar of it.
Every one of them, and how to avoid it4 items
None of this is in the trip total above, and none of it ever will be. Two of these are money you hand over by default and the rest is money you keep by knowing, so they are counted apart and never added together.
What you'll pay unless you act
- Your own bank's foreign feeswhat the fees above come toMost US cards add a percentage on what you buy and on the cash you pull, plus a few dollars per ATM withdrawal. Nothing about that is a cost of the trip; it is a cost of the card you happened to bring.A no-foreign-fee card takes both fee lines above to zero.The cards that do not charge it
- Paying in dollars at the terminalabout 3 to 8%on what you cardDynamic currency conversion lets the machine set its own rate on top of any fee, and it runs about 3 to 8 percent on whatever you put on the card. It is the single easiest charge on this page to refuse, and it costs nothing to say no.Choose JPY every time, at a till and at an ATM.How to decline it
- The airport or hotel exchange deskExchange counters make their money on the spread rather than on a stated fee, which is why we publish no percentage for it: it moves by counter, by hour and by note. The rule is what is reliable, not the number.Withdraw from a bank ATM instead, and never change cash at the airport.Getting cash here
What we'll help you dodge
- The sales tax you can claim backJapan refunds sales tax to visitors on qualifying shopping, with the rate and any minimum spend set out in this guide. Most travelers never claim it, and we put no dollar figure on it, because it depends on what you buy.Ask for the tax-free form at the till, keep the goods unused, and claim on the way out.The rate and the minimum spend
Where these numbers come fromevery assumption, and its limitssources
These are the assumptions behind the number. Change the room price, nights, travelers, or travel style above, and every line here moves with them.
- Hotel
- Daily spending
- Flights
- Cash vs card
- ATM withdrawals
- Foreign fee
- The range
- Tourist tax
Rough guide, not a quote. The percentage here is a blended stand-in for a typical US card's foreign fee, not your exact rate. The real number moves with the card you carry: one no-foreign-fee card can cover both sides, while a plain rewards credit card only removes the fee on what you buy, and cash still costs a little unless that card also waives ATM and foreign-cash fees. A debit card, or accepting the "pay in dollars" (dynamic currency conversion) offer at a till or ATM, can push it higher. Rates checked Jun 2026 and rounded.
How we check and date every figureJapan, TTC-ed
truetripcosts.comWhat this assumes
Nothing expected in tips here, so nothing is added for them.
Not sure which card to bring? See my pick for Japan.
Already carry a card with no foreign transaction fee? Then you are set for Japan, and can skip this. There is nothing to buy.
Japan leans on cash more than its reputation suggests, so the card that earns its place is a fee-free ATM debit card, with a no-foreign-fee credit card for hotels and bigger spots. If you are getting one, this is the pairing I would pick. We earn nothing on these today. Always confirm the current fee with the issuer before you apply. Checked Jun 2026.
Schwab refunds worldwide ATM fees with no cap, the standout for pulling cash abroad. Opening it also opens a linked Schwab brokerage account, though you never have to fund or invest it.
No foreign transaction fee
No foreign transaction fee
Want one account that holds and spends in the local currency? A different job from the three above, and the one I reach for abroad. It is free to open; you can create a virtual card in the app and add it to your phone wallet in minutes, without waiting for the physical card; and you can convert US dollars into the local currency inside the account before you travel, then spend from that balance. Wise uses the mid-market rate plus a small conversion fee (around 0.4% and up), with no flat foreign fee.
The three picks above pay us nothing, and their tags say so. Wise is the only option here that can earn us a commission, and its tag says that too. Paid or not, the pick is still the pick.
Before you fly
At least ten countries now make you file a form online before you fly. Nine of them are free. One really does charge, and it is not the one you would guess.
Japan does not ask for one, so this is not a job for this trip. It is worth knowing anyway, because the list keeps growing and the pattern is always the same: the filing is new, obscure and mandatory, and the paid lookalikes outrank the government site because the real ones do not buy ads.
See every form we can source, with the official address for eachWhen to go
Cheaper and busier months in Japan.
The month you pick moves the budget as much as the country does. Here is the shape of Japan's year, with no price attached to it, because an honest one does not exist.
- Busy and pricey
- In between
- Cheaper and quieter
- Cheaper and quieter
- Winter, Jan to Feb, outside the New Year period, and the humid midsummer lull
- What drives the peak
- Cherry blossom, autumn foliage, Golden Week in early May, and the New Year holidays
Travelers, not touristsA little Japanese goes a long way
A little Japanese goes a long way
A few words and a couple of stories that turn you from a tourist into a guest. In Japan, small signs of respect and understanding are noticed, and quietly returned.
Say a few words
Tip: a small bow with your thanks goes far, and Sumimasen (soo-mee-mah-sen) covers both excuse me and sorry, the word you will reach for most.
Know a story
The forty-seven who kept faith
When their lord was forced to take his own life, forty-seven samurai became masterless ronin, waited patiently, then avenged him, knowing it would cost their own lives. The tale of the forty-seven ronin is Japan's cherished story of loyalty and duty, giri.
Good to know: giri means duty and loyalty, deeply valued here
The beauty of things passing
Cherry blossoms bloom gloriously and fall within days, and the Japanese have a phrase for the tender feeling it stirs: mono no aware, an awareness of how fleeting things are. Admire it aloud in spring and you are speaking their language.
Say it: mono no aware (moh-noh noh ah-wah-reh)
The way of the warrior
The samurai lived by bushido, a code of honor, discipline, and self-control that still shapes how respect works in Japan today. It is why the small bow, the quiet politeness, and the care taken over everything matter so much.
Good to know: bushido, the samurai code of honorJapan blends deep tradition with the cutting edge like nowhere else. Respect shown through small gestures, a bow, patience, care, is noticed and quietly appreciated.
No links here, nothing to buy. This part is just to help you travel well.
Sources, and how this guide was checked
Last checkedJul 2026
Changed since last checkRe-checked July 2026, both confirmed on track. Kyoto raised its lodging tax from 1 March 2026, with top-tier rooms now taxed up to 10,000 yen per person per night, and from 1 November 2026 Japan switches tax-free shopping from an instant discount at the till to a refund claimed at the airport.
- Ministry of Finance, Japanthe 10% consumption tax that applies to most goods and services
- Japan National Tourism Organizationtax-free shopping for visitors and the move to airport refunds from November 2026
- National Tax Agencythe notice to foreign travelers on tax-free purchases and how the refund works
Our own judgmentJapan's lodging tax is set city by city rather than as one national rate, so the figure here is a typical band, not an official single rate. The daily cash share, tipping norms and likely ATM behavior are our own estimate from experience, not an official figure.
How we checkHow every guide is researched, checked and dated
More money guides in Asia
If you are also weighing up nearby destinations, each guide covers cards, cash, ATMs and the fees to expect.
Going deeper on Japan
The money questions people ask on the ground.
Short, focused answers to the specific things that catch first-timers out in Japan.
- Taxis in Japan, and the GO appJapanese taxis are spotless, honest and metered, with doors that open for you and no tipping ever. They are also pricey, so from the airport the train usually wins. Here is how it works.
- Do I need cash in Japan, or can I use cards?Short answer: bring some cash, but you will tap and swipe for most of a city trip. The catch is that most Japanese bank ATMs reject foreign cards. Here is where to get yen, when you truly need it, and how to pay for the rest.
- Bringing your dog or cat to Japan.Japan is one of the long-lead destinations. Two numbers decide everything: the lead time, which is 7 to 8 months because of a fixed 180-day wait you cannot shorten, and the all-in cost, which runs into the thousands. Miss the sequence and the clock resets. Here is the order, the official route, and what to budget.
- Tipping in JapanThe answer here is simple and genuinely freeing: do not tip. Japan has no tipping culture, nobody expects one, and leaving extra money can cause confusion rather than gratitude. A polite thank-you is all that is needed.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Japan?Short answer: no, for stays up to 90 days, and there is nothing to apply for. Japan is one of the easiest countries for Americans to enter. Here is what you actually need, what Visit Japan Web does, and the change that is coming but is not here yet.
- Staying connected in Japan.Japan is the rare country where you can stop thinking about coverage entirely, because it is excellent almost everywhere including at 200 miles an hour on a bullet train. That leaves one question, and it is purely about money.
- Do you need a Japan Rail Pass?For years the answer was a reflexive yes. Since the 2023 price jump it is usually no, and the honest test is arithmetic you can do in about a minute before you spend anything.
- Common money scams in Japan, and what they cost youJapan is one of the safest countries in the world to visit, and on the great majority of trips none of this comes up at all. Most of what surprises Americans is not a con but a charge nobody explained: a seat fee at an izakaya, a service charge at a hotel restaurant, a card machine offering dollars. There is one genuine scam, it lives in a handful of nightlife blocks, and a single habit defuses it completely. Here is each one, what it costs, and how to sidestep it.
- What does getting sick in Japan cost a visitor?Japan is a country where the per-visit price is reasonable and the payment mechanics still catch people out. A resident covers about a third of the bill. You cover all of it, at the counter, before you go.
This is how Japan stands today.
Money rules move. We can let you know for free if that changes.