Let’s be sincere: The subject of easy methods to withdraw money in Japan isn’t an attractive one. After I created this website a few years in the past, I by no means thought I’d need to write an article about it!
Then again, many components of the sexiest Japan journeys are the least attractive (and definitely, probably the most sterile). The fact is that with out a pocket filled with yen on this surprisingly cash-centric nation, you merely received’t get very far.
TIP: Have a PASMO card and an iPhone? You possibly can set them as much as work collectively, all however eliminating your want for money when touring in Japan!
The unhealthy information, traditionally, was that foreigners had restricted choices for withdrawing money in Japan. The excellent news? That’s altering, though you continue to can’t insert your card into any outdated ATM machine.
My Crash Course in Japanese ATM Madness
Image it: JR Tottori Station, mid-April 2014. I do know nothing about ATMs in Japan—it’s my first journey to the nation, in spite of everything—and I plunge my international card right into a strange-looking machine whose menu is totally in Japanese. I knew virtually instantly that I wouldn’t be getting any money out; it was nothing in need of a miracle that I used to be in a position to get my card again, given my utter ignorance of the Japanese language on the time.
It was solely upon Googling what had simply befallen me minutes later that I spotted how elementary my mistake had been: Most Japanese ATMs don’t settle for international playing cards. This was very true again in 2014, when international tourism had solely simply begun the dramatic rise that reached its pre-pandemic crescendo in 2019. Fortunately, the variety of Japanese ATMs accepting worldwide playing cards has drastically elevated since then.
Japanese ATMs That Settle for International Playing cards
7-11
Particularly, solely two kinds of ATMs reliably accepted international playing cards within the mid-2010s. The primary have been ones inside 7/11 shops, that are fortunately in all places in Japan. As of late, you’ll be able to really discover standalone 7/11 ATMs (which generally say “7&i Holdings” as a substitute of “7/11,” which is sweet contemplating I’m all the time tempted to interrupt my first ¥10,000 invoice once I get money inside a kombini.
Japan Put up
The second place the place foreigners have been assured to have the ability to use ATMs in Japan was the Japan Put up. Though these shops aren’t fairly as widespread as 7/11 in Japan, there’s not less than one in each metropolis, even small cities on random islands far offshore. With this being mentioned, I haven’t gotten money from a Japan Put up ATM most likely since my first journey.
Lawson
Throughout my first of two 2017 journeys to the Kansai area, I finished in a Lawson retailer not removed from Kyoto’s Ginkaku-ji temple, and was shocked to see an indication above the ATM inviting foreigners to make use of their playing cards in it. Since then, I’ve gotten money at ATMs in a number of Lawson areas, though I’ve come throughout sure ATMs that don’t settle for international playing cards.
FamilyMart
One other comparatively surefire place foreigners can use ATMs in Japan as of late is FamilyMart, though the prospect of those machines not working is bigger than in Lawson (and, definitely, 7/11). As a common rule, FamilyMart tends to not be my favourite Japanese comfort retailer, so I’ve by no means really tried to withdraw yen in a single!
AEON
I first encountered the Japanese banking model AEON in Thailand in 2012, when a random machine of theirs at Bangkok’s MBK Middle Mall was the one one within the metropolis to not cost the exorbitant transaction price of 150 baht, which has since risen to 220. I’ve by no means used an AOEN ATM in Japan, though they’ve apparently accepted international playing cards for across the previous yr or so.
Automated International Trade Machines in Japan
Having money is important when touring in Japan, however you don’t essentially have to get it at an ATM. Nor do you could fill out tons of paperwork on the “official” airport change counter, as I’ve made the error of doing on one too many events. As of late, automated foreign money change machines are popping up throughout Japan at a speedy charge, not solely in airports and transport hubs, but in addition even in sure lodges and vacationer sights.
In some methods these are extra foolproof than ATMs in Japan for foreigners, for the reason that solely cause for denial can be broken or counterfeit international foreign money, or a scarcity of Japanese foreign money obtainable to dispense. Moreover, these machines have a tendency to not cost charges and provide up-to-the-minute market change charges, which signifies that they find yourself constituting the most effective bang in your buck, which might be particularly vital if the yen ever strengthens once more.
Different FAQ About ATMs in Japan
Which ATMs in Japan settle for international playing cards?
Foreigners can reliably withdraw money from ATMs inside 7/11 and Japan Put up shops; these machines all the time settle for international playing cards. More and more, different ATMs settle for international playing cards, specifically these in different comfort shops, akin to Lawson and FamilyMart. Do US ATM playing cards work in Japan? These ones do.
How a lot does it price to withdraw cash in Japan?
ATM charges in Japan are comparatively low, given the comparatively excessive price of touring within the nation. The bottom price is ¥108 (round 1 USD), although sure ATMs cost multiples of this, mostly ¥216 or ¥432, and often resulting from extraordinarily giant quantities being withdrawn.
Ought to I carry money in Japan?
You completely want to hold money in Japan! Whereas many lodges and a few eating places settle for bank cards, it’s not unusual to should pay money for payments as excessive as ¥10,000 or much more. On the whole, I like to recommend withdrawing a minimum of ¥50,000 every time you go to the ATM, and re-upping when you have got lower than ¥20,000 in your particular person.
The Backside Line
Wish to know easy methods to withdraw money in Japan? The subject is far much less complicated and contentious at this time than it was once I first visited the nation, however it’s best to nonetheless pay attention to sure limitations and constraints. Past the problem of ATMs themselves, it’s important to appreciate the extent to which Japan remains to be a cash-centric nation, which belies its popularity as someplace futuristic and even ahead pondering. For extra details about the subject of cash in Japan, remember to learn the article the place I deal with the query “is Japan costly?” (and reply it in nice element) ; go away no stone unturned in your subsequent journey if you rent me to plan it!