Is it better to exchange yen at home or in Japan?

In Japan, generally: a Seven Bank or Japan Post Bank ATM withdrawal typically beats a pre-trip home exchange and most airport counters. Bring a little cash for arrival (taxi, vending machine) and withdraw the rest once you're in the city.

Do 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign cards?

Yes. Seven Bank ATMs inside every 7-Eleven accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club, with a ¥100,000 limit per withdrawal.

Is Japan still cash-heavy?

Cards and phone payments now cover most hotels, chain restaurants, and stations, but small restaurants, shrines, and rural ryokan still often take cash only — carry some.

Are airport exchange rates really worse than the city?

Usually, yes — airport counters at Narita and Haneda price convenience into the rate, and dedicated city exchange shops or an ATM withdrawal tend to beat them. Use the airport only for a small emergency amount and get the rest from a city shop or ATM once you've settled in.

What's the ATM withdrawal limit per transaction?

¥100,000 per withdrawal at a Seven Bank ATM with a chip card (¥30,000 if your card only has a magnetic stripe), and ¥50,000 per withdrawal at a Japan Post Bank ATM. Both let you repeat the transaction if you need more.

Japan Money Exchange 2026: Airport vs City vs ATM

Updated: 2026-08-05

As of August 2026, the best default is a Seven Bank or Japan Post Bank ATM withdrawal inside a 7-Eleven or post office — both accept most major foreign cards and generally beat a pre-trip home exchange or an airport counter. Keep the airport counter for a small emergency amount only. Carry roughly ¥15,000–¥30,000 in cash per person and top up at a convenience-store ATM as you go.

Where to Get Yen: Fee, Rate Loss & Speed Compared

Method	Fee	Rate	Speed	Best for
Home bank/exchange (pre-trip)	Often no flat fee, but bank prices in a wide margin	Usually the weakest rate of all options	Same day, before you fly	A little landing cash only
Airport counter (Narita/Haneda)	Counter margin, no separate fee at most	Weakest on-arrival rate — convenience has a cost	Immediate	Emergency top-up, small amounts
City exchange shop (e.g. Shinjuku, Osaka)	Shop margin, varies day to day	Usually better than the airport — shop around	Need to reach the city first	Larger one-time cash needs
Seven Bank ATM (every 7-Eleven)	Varies by card brand — Seven Bank doesn't publish a flat number	Card network's daily rate, generally competitive	Immediate, 24/7, 28,000+ machines nationwide	Most travelers
Japan Post Bank ATM	Up to ¥220 per withdrawal for some overseas cards (official)	Card network's daily rate	Immediate; post-office machines ~7:00–23:00	Backup to Seven Bank
Prepaid travel card, loaded before the trip	Issuer's own FX fee, varies by provider	Rate locked in when you load it	Immediate at any Seven Bank ATM	Travelers who want a fixed budget

Rates and shop margins move daily and aren't centrally published — the table above is directional, not a live quote. Check the display before you confirm any transaction.

Seven Bank & Japan Post ATMs: How the Withdrawal Works

Seven Bank — 28,000+ machines at every 7-Eleven plus Narita, Haneda, New Chitose, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka, and Naha airports. Accepts Visa, PLUS, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club. Limit: ¥100,000 per withdrawal (¥30,000 for magnetic-stripe-only cards). Visa and Mastercard-network cards work 24/7; other brands pause briefly overnight.
Seven Bank's own site states fees "vary by card brand" without publishing exact amounts. Independent travel guides commonly report roughly ¥110 (under ¥10,000) to ¥220 (¥10,000+) on Visa withdrawals, with Mastercard/Maestro/Cirrus often fee-free — treat that as a rough pattern, not a guarantee, and expect your own card issuer to add its separate foreign-transaction fee regardless.
Japan Post Bank — a fee of up to ¥220 may apply per withdrawal on certain overseas cards (official), with a ¥50,000 limit per transaction. Post-office ATMs run about 7:00–23:00 on weekdays (shorter on Sundays/holidays); compact machines inside FamilyMart stores run nearly around the clock.

!Seven Bank ATM inside a 7-Eleven convenience store in Japan *Photo: Showchan (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons*

Where You Still Need Cash

Card and phone payments cover most hotels, chain restaurants, department stores, and train stations now, but a few pockets of Japan still run cash-only or cash-preferred:

Small ramen, soba, and yakitori counters and family-run izakaya, especially away from major stations
Shrine and temple offering boxes, omamori stalls, small ticket windows
Rural ryokan and minshuku
Local buses outside major cities, some coin lockers and vending machines
Very small shops during peak-hour card-reader outages (rare, but it happens)

Wooden offering box (saisen-bako) at a Japanese shrine

How Much Cash to Bring

Trip pattern	Suggested cash on hand
Day trip / short city stay	¥10,000–¥15,000
3–4 days, mostly cities	¥15,000–¥30,000, topped up at an ATM as needed
Adding rural/countryside legs	+¥5,000–¥10,000 per rural day

These are starting points, not fixed budgets — withdraw more at a Seven Bank ATM rather than carrying it all from day one.

!Current 10,000 yen banknote, obverse *New 10,000 yen banknote, obverse — National Printing Bureau of Japan (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons*

Before You Land: Data to Check the Rate on Arrival

Cash logistics are easier with data the moment you land — to check the day's rate, map the nearest Seven Bank ATM, or confirm a shop's hours before you commit to a detour. Our tracked pricing has Japan eSIM data plans starting from $0.49 (KKday), as of July 12, 2026 — cheap enough to add alongside your cash plan so you're online from the arrival gate instead of hunting for airport Wi-Fi.

One more habit worth building in before departure: check your own card issuer's foreign-transaction fee. Japan's ATM-side fee (or lack of one) is only half the cost — a card with no foreign-transaction fee stacked on a fee-free ATM network is the cheapest combination available, regardless of which method from the table above you end up using most.

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FAQ

Is it better to exchange yen at home or in Japan?
In Japan, generally: a Seven Bank or Japan Post Bank ATM withdrawal typically beats a pre-trip home exchange and most airport counters. Bring a little cash for arrival (taxi, vending machine) and withdraw the rest once you're in the city.
Do 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign cards?
Yes. Seven Bank ATMs inside every 7-Eleven accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club, with a ¥100,000 limit per withdrawal.
Is Japan still cash-heavy?
Cards and phone payments now cover most hotels, chain restaurants, and stations, but small restaurants, shrines, and rural ryokan still often take cash only — carry some.
Are airport exchange rates really worse than the city?
Usually, yes — airport counters at Narita and Haneda price convenience into the rate, and dedicated city exchange shops or an ATM withdrawal tend to beat them. Use the airport only for a small emergency amount and get the rest from a city shop or ATM once you've settled in.
What's the ATM withdrawal limit per transaction?
¥100,000 per withdrawal at a Seven Bank ATM with a chip card (¥30,000 if your card only has a magnetic stripe), and ¥50,000 per withdrawal at a Japan Post Bank ATM. Both let you repeat the transaction if you need more.