Despite growth of credit card and e-money use in Japan, you will still find yourself paying by cash in some occasions in your day to day life. It's surprising to many that there are still some restaurants and stores which will not accept credit cards as a form of payment. Fortunately, Japan is a safe country and Japanese currency is quite easy to use once you get used to it. Here is what you need to know about the official currency of Japan (banknotes and coins) and how to use it.

If you would like to send money overseas from Japan or vice versa, please check the following articles: "International Money Transfers from Japan" and "International Money Transfers to Japan". We also have guides that cover opening a bank account and getting a credit card in Japan. To learn about consumption tax in Japan, please check this article.

The basics of Japanese Currency: Banknotes and Coins

In Japan, the currency is called Yen and is written with the symbols ￥, 円, or JPY.

Japan's banknotes are issued in 4 amounts: ￥1,000 / ￥2,000 / ￥5,000 / ￥10,000

The coins used for currency are separated into 6 different amounts: ￥1 / ￥5 / ￥10 / ￥50 / ￥100 / ￥500

Japanese Banknotes (Paper Currency)

The most common banknotes you will see in Japan are the ￥10,000, ￥5,000, and ￥1,000 paper bills. In rare cases you may even come across a ￥2,000 paper bill. One of the things that seems to surprise many visitors of Japan is that Japanese paper bills are usually in good condition, this is in part due to banks replacing old banknotes with new ones. From July 3, 2024, new banknotes of ￥1,000, ￥5,000, and ￥10,000 are issued.

10,000 Yen Note

Issued from November 1, 2004

This is the maximum amount for the paper currency in Japan.

The front of the bill issued from 2004 features an image of a samurai named Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835 - 1901) who was known as an intellectual and an educator. One of the top Universities in Japan, Keio University, was founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa. He wrote one of his most famous books "Gakumon no susume" (An Encouragement of Learning) in 1872.

The backside of the bill has a picture of the ho-o phoenix (fictional beast) statue from the Byodo-in temple located in Uji, near Kyoto. The ho-o phoenix is said to bring fortune and happiness to people.

Issued from July 3, 2024

Source: National Printing Bureau website (https://www.npb.go.jp/product_service/intro/kihon.html)

The front of the bill issued from 2024 features a portrait of Eiichi Shibusawa (1840 - 1931), a prominent Japanese industrialist also known as "the father of Japanese capitalism". He was involved in approximately 600 public organizations and 500 companies, including the First National Bank, and played an important role in Japanese economy.

On the backside of this banknote, there is a picture of the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building, which is a famous landmark located in Tokyo. If you would like to learn about the history of Tokyo, please check this article.

Larger banknotes like this ￥10,000 yen bill are not accepted by most vending machines or when paying for parking. They are however accepted by machines that allow you to purchasing train tickets or train passes (SUICA or PASMO) since people commonly take the train long distances and sometimes charge their train passes for use as pre-paid cards. For more information on IC cards in Japan, please check this article. Please be aware that when you take the taxi for short distances, the taxi driver might not be able to make change so please try to use a lower value bill when paying.

5,000 Yen Note

Issued from November 1, 2004

The front of the ￥5,000 bill issued from 2004 has an image of Ichiyo Higuchi (1872- 1896) from Meiji Era. Ichiyo Higuchi is known as Japan's first prominent female writer. Although she passed away at the young age of 24, her works had a large impact on Japanese literature and are still well respected to this day.

The backside of this bill has Japanese Irises from the painting "Kakitsubata" by Ogata Korin (1658 - 1716) which is considered a national treasure.

Issued from July 3, 2024

Source: National Printing Bureau website (https://www.npb.go.jp/product_service/intro/kihon.html)

The front of the bill issued from 2024 has a portrait of Umeko Tsuda (1864 - 1929), an educator from Japan known for her role in advancing higher education for women in the Meiji era. She was not only one of the first female students who was sent to study abroad (the USA) by Japan, but also the youngest one. In 1900, she established one of the first higher education institutions for women in Japan's history known as Joshi Eigaku Juku, which later became Tsuda University.

The backside of this banknote depicts wisteria flowers called "fuji" in Japanese. Featured in Japanese art, literature, and more, these flowers have been long part of Japanese culture.

Like the ￥10,000 mentioned above, the ￥5,000 yen bill are not accepted in most vending machines or when paying for parking, but are accepted when purchasing train tickets or train passes (SUICA or PASMO).

2,000 Yen Note

Issued from July 19, 2000

The ￥2,000 bill was issued in the year 2000 to commemorate the 26th G8 Summit and the new millennium. This paper bill is quite rare to find.

On the front of the bill is a picture of Shureimon, a 16th century gate at Shuri Castle in Okinawa Prefecture. The backside depicts a scene from "Suzumushi" a chapter in "Tale of Genji" written by Murasaki Shikibu.

As this bill is rare, many vending machines will not accept this bill.

1,000 Yen Note

Issued from November 1, 2004


The front of the ￥1,000 issued from 2004 has a portrait of Hideyo Noguchi (1876 - 1928), a bacteriologist who discovered the agent of syphilis as the cause of progressive paralytic disease in 1911. He was nominated for Nobel Prize on multiple occasions but died in West Africa from Yellow fever before he was able to win one.

The backside of this bill has an image of Mt.Fuji (from a photo taken by Kouyo Okada from Niigata prefecture) known as "Upside-down Fuji" because of the perfect reflection of Mt. Fuji on the lake due to lack of wind. If you consider climbing Mt. Fuji, please check this article.

Issued from July 3, 2024

Source: National Printing Bureau website (https://www.npb.go.jp/product_service/intro/kihon.html)

On the front of ￥1,000 note issued from 2024 is a portrait of Shibasaburo Kitasato (1853-1931), a renowned Japanese bacteriologist also known as "the father of modern Japanese medicine". His many achievements include producing tetanus bacillus' pure culture in 1889 for the first time in the world, the discovery of the plague bacillus in 1894, and more. He was also the first dean of Keio University School of Medicine and the first president of the Japan Medical Association.

On the back of this bill is a picture of "Under the Wave off Kanagawa", a woodblock print which is part of series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" by Hokusai Katsushika (1760 - 1849). Hokusai Katsushika is a famous ukiyo-e artist and "Under the Wave off Kanagawa" is his well-known masterpiece.

Japanese Coins

Below, we will introduce 6 different Japanese coins. 

500 Yen Coin

Issued from November 1, 2021

Issued from August 1, 2000

This largest demonination coins in Japan are available in. The front of this coin is engraved with an image of the Paulownia flower (Kiri). Along the top of the coin is written "State of Japan" and at the bottom is "500 yen". Bamboo is graved on the back of the coin. In Japan, bamboo represents strength and flexibility. The 500 yen coin issued from 2021 and the one from 2000 are of the same diameter, but the weight is slightly different. The new coin is 7.1 grams, while the old one is 7 grams. The materials are also different. While the old coin was made of nickel brass, the new one contains copper and cupronickel besides nickel brass. There are also some differences in design, etc. Some restaurants may have promotion that says "one coin" lunches, which means that the lunch only costs 500 yen.

100 Yen Coin

This is the coin that used the most in Japan. On the front side of this Japanese coin is the image of a Cherry blossom. 100 yen coins come in handy when purchasing items from a vending machine or when paying to ride the bus in Japan.

50 Yen Coin

This Japanese coin has a hole in the middle with chrysanthemum engraved on the front side. The backside is engraved with the number 50 and the year the coin was manufactured.

10 Yen Coin

The front of this brown coin is engraved with the image of the Byoudoin. Byodo-in is recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural heritage. This is the lowest value of coin that can be used for purchasing items from a vending machine in Japan.

5 Yen Coin

This coin also has a hole in the middle. Please keep in mind that this coin cannot be used for vending machines in Japan. The front of the coin features and image of a rice plant growing out of the water. The gear around the hole represents industry. The back side is engraved with 2 seed leaves. This coin is called "goen" in Japanese. "Goen" can also mean "fate". This positive coin is used to make the money offering for shrines into the offertory box. To learn more about prayer offering manners, please check this article.

1 Yen Coin

1 yen coin is made out of aluminum and this is the lightest in weight. The front side has an image of a "Wakagi" in the middle which means a young tree in Japanese. This coin also cannot be used for vending machines in Japan.

Foreign Currency Exchange in Japan

Since there are places in Japan that do not accept credit cards, it can be recommended to carry some cash with you. If you have not exchanged money before arriving in Japan, it is possible to do so at the airport. You can also exchange money at some banks in Japan that offer such services. In Japan, there are also currency exchange shops such as World Currency Shop and Travelex as well as foreign currency exchange machines. Alternatively, you may be able to use your VISA, Mastercard, or the other accepted card to withdraw Japanese yen from ATMs in some banks and convenience stores such as Japan Post Bank and 7-Eleven. It is also important to consider currency exchange rates, transaction fees, etc., when deciding where and how to exchange money or withdraw Japanese yen.

Important Notes about Tipping in Japan

Tipping is not a common practice in Japan. If you try to give any tips, it will most likely be politely refused. A service charge (10 - 15%) is often be included in your bill.

However, in Japan there is a sort of tipping called "Kokorozuke". When people go to the same restaurant regularly or know the owner, or when they receive a special service, they sometimes give Kokorozuke. It also happens quite often that people leave the change when they take a taxi.

Example: At restaurant
If you leave a tip on the table, the waiter might come chasing after you thinking that you forgot your money on the table. If you would like to learn more about Japanese etiquette for restaurants, please check "Restaurant Etiquette in Japan: How to Avoid Serious Mistakes".

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・Paying Bills in Japan Conveniently: A Simple Guide