Japan and currency

[SingaporeSlinky]

We’re looking at travelling to Japan in the next few years and I know the exchange rate is really good at the moment. Can anyone advise if you need to carry cash while in Japan or will cards be accepted everywhere? I’m wondering if it’s worth buying some Yen now, but then if the exchange rate stays the same as it currently is, you get a better rate just using the card whilst there. Plus, if I exchanged say £1-2000 there’s the possibility that losing a few years worth of interest on that negates any benefit of the good exchange rate.

Also, while I’m here, I know flights from UK to Japan are currently taking the long flight routes due to avoiding Russian airspace so it’s adding a few hours to the flight time. Is there an obvious stopover we could do for a few days to break up the flight, or would you advise just getting one long flight over with, to spend all available time in Japan? We have young teens so a 14 hour flight is doable, but would be the longest flight they’ve ever done, and not particularly pleasant for adults. I’m torn between thinking it’s a good opportunity to see another county / city for a few days (maybe Dubai or Singapore?) but it would still be 2 long flights and once you factor in the extra travel time to and from airports, and waiting around at the airport etc that’s time we could have just had in Japan.

Sorry that’s so long!

I live in Japan and credit cards are widely accepted now. For example today I paid for groceries, coffee, lunch and some second hand clothes shopping all using my credit card. Sometimes in smaller bars, shops or restaurants you still might need cash, so of course it's handy to have some but I rarely carry much cash.

Also you will probably have a transport card or app on your phone (Passmo or Suica) and you can also use that to pay in lots of places such as convenience stores. Actually if you use an actual physical transport card (and not the app) you need to use cash to top up at train stations. But you have iPhones, just use the app!

We were there for about two weeks and spent more nights in Kyoto than Tokyo, at the recommendation of our travel agent. I'm very glad we did, it is a very walkable city and has hundreds of temples and shrines and 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Our route was Tokyo to Nakasendo Valley to walk and stay two nights in a traditional ryokan with hot springs, then Kyoto (from where it is very easy to get a train to Nara or Osaka - we did Nara), then Hiroshima and my husband kayaked across to Miyajima with an instructor in a morning. He said it wasn't very busy and he wouldn't have been bothered about staying there overnight and finally one last night in Tokyo. If you are doing lots of independent train travel and staying in a number of hotels they have a great luggage transfer system in Japan where for a small fee you can send your luggage from one city hotel to another in a couple of days. We did that e.g. from Tokyo to Kyoto and just brought our small day rucksacks to the ryokan for two nights. The hotel will check the transfer times for you - apparently it used to be overnight to a lot more places pre-Covid but they are now short of drivers so it can take a bit longer.

Not really, we were just transferring so didn't have hours there - it's pretty much just another airport, although huge and modern! It is truly 24/7 though, we were there in the middle of the night both times and it was like a busy UK shopping centre in the middle of the day. Loads of people obviously transferring so it had a very busy, business-like atmosphere about it - neither DH or I liked it (not that it mattered!). We had the most expensive coffee and croissant ever there so maybe stock up on snacks beforehand or eat all the plane food! All the usual luxury brands for sale, prices in US dollars and from a quick comparison of a couple of items like Coach bags, there didn't seem to be any big savings.

Interesting that Japan seems to be going more cashless recently. I used to go there quite a lot when I lived in Asia in the early to mid 2010s and it always struck me as interesting that they were so cash-based compared to the rest of Asia.

One thing they never do though is to hand cash directly into the hand of the shop assistant/customer. It always goes on to a little tray that is pushed across the counter. Be aware of that when you do use cash.

The other thing I like about Japanese money is that one of the coins has a hole in the middle!

@Heather37231 ooh good tip about not handing over money directly. I vaguely remember seeing that on a travel programme, but I’ll make a note, thanks.

Sounds like it’s definitely becoming more card based everywhere. I guess my main point was about trying to make the most of the current exchange rate really, so I’m going to exchange some now, knowing we can then use that where needed, and if we end up with lots left, we’ll use it for clothes shopping and groceries etc. I’m sure we won’t have a problem spending it!

@AlohaRose Thank you.

OP another email from my carer. He's planning his own trip so I think he is getting excited vicariously.

Your best to get prepay cards for public travel (train, underground and bus). The 2 main ones are suica and passmo.

Due to current issues with semi conductor supplies, new cards are only being issued fir visitors and only at airports.

Look up "Welcome Suica" and "Passmo Passport" for details on where to get them.

If you have an iPhone, you can set up a suica on that instead. There is a system on android too, but you'd need a type on handset only available in japan.

This may sound obvious, but you will need one card per person.

Thank you @sashh!

After nervously watching the exchange rates for a while, I finally exchanged 1500 and got an exchange of 186 yen, so I’m happy with that as spending money.

This might be a silly question, but for those that have been to Japan and stayed in the ryokans, I believe the doors etc are paper. What is the soundproofing like? I know the Japanese are generally quiet and respectful, but if we stay in a hotel with other tourists, don’t you hear everything from the rooms either side?

I always take a direct flight if there's one. It's so much less painful and you minimise the risk of delayed baggage.

You should bring more cash than you think you'd need. You can pay for most things with your card but cash is still very widely accepted and if you visit smaller places or venture further out from the big cities cash may be more convenient.

As for ryokans, they are very quiet and peaceful places. The general atmosphere makes you refrain from speaking loudly. Even my kids started speaking softly and stopped plodding around once we returned to the ryokan. They are quite pricey though, I paid about £1000 per night for 2 adults and 2 children.

@Appleblum oh wow, £1000 really? That’s way more than I’d thought. Might have to rethink that. Interesting that everyone naturally lowered the noise levels though. I thought it would be nice to have a more traditional experience, but I can’t justify that price.
Did you do a tea ceremony and if so, did the kids enjoy it or find it boring?

Ooo Japan my favourite place.

I was there last autumn, the yen is very weak against the pound, almost half the price of what we have experienced in past Japan trips.

if you a staying in central cities, Monzo card is fine. Cash is only really needed for the outskirts of town and if you go markets. If you are a fan of gachapon machines then you need coins for that. We would just withdraw money from the local combini (withdraw in yen) when we needed.

the suica or pasmo card will need to be first purchased with cash but if you download the suica app you can add it to your Apple wallet and then just top up on your phone using your card. I’m not an android user but I imagine it’s similar. Travel is so cheap. Under 5s on local trains travel for free.

I brought Shinkansen tickets in advance using klook.com but to be honest I would recommend that at the moment because the yen is so weak, we would have saved ourselves around £60 buying on the day.

if you have tattoos, they will need to be covered. Always take a plastic bag for your rubbish, Japan is very clean but you don’t see bins on the street. Try to learn some key phrases, you will benefit from having a basic understanding of the language, most things in larger cities do have English translation but the further out you go, the less you see.

Japanese people don’t cause one another a nuisance, so on trains you are quiet, you don’t take up lots of space, you move to one side when someone approaches, and if you go to a traditional restaurant you will be asked to remove your shoes, so always have clean not holey socks.

do not tip.

If you end up buying lots of souvenirs, go to Don Quixote (or donkey) to get a large suitcase.

I wouldn’t bother taking toiletries, just buy when you are there because it’s pence. An umbrella and rain coat is essential. Weather is usually quite warm compared to UK but they are prone to a torrential downpour. The upside of this it that everywhere is beautiful and green. When we were there bright blue hydrangeas lined the street.

Thanks for that @EddieHoweBlackandWhiteArmy I’d read that tattoos should be covered for onsen, do tourists need to cover them for other things too, like visiting temples?

I’m certain between 2 teens and me, we’ll be buying loads, so definitely plan to take large suitcases and fill as little as possible on the way out. Good tip about toiletries.

@SingaporeSlinky yes it's pricey but it was luxurious and worth every penny. Full board was included in the price we paid. For lunch if we were going out they would prepare a bento for us to bring along. Maybe if you look around and book early you might be able to get a good deal. We went during the peak momiji season and booked late many of the cheaper accommodations were already sold out.

Yes we went for a tea ceremony. DH found a tea master who conducted it in English and my kids really enjoyed it too. It was very informative and everyone had a chance at making their own tea! It's like a mini afternoon tea session for them as they also serve some sweets and snacks alongside the tea.

Yes when visiting shrines or temples I would cover them as much as possible, tattoos are becoming more visible but they do have strong crime/gang connotations still so to avoid funny looks, I would cover.

forgot to mention but public displays of affection are also a bit of a no no, it’s just not the done thing.

also whilst I remember if you stay in an air bnb it’s really polite to leave a gift, it’s not expected, and doesn’t have to be expensive, we took some London mugs with us, but we knew we would meet the host So I didn’t want to be caught short. However if you won’t be staying in anyone’s home then this really isn’t necessary

We stayed in a ryokan for two nights and the hotel part and the onset was completely of concrete or brick construction so absolutely no issues with noise transfer. The dining rooms were all individual rooms divided by traditional Japanese sliding screens so there probably was some noise transfer there, but nothing more than you would experience in a high-end UK restaurant with well spaced tables. Certainly no eavesdropping on your neighbours conversation!

I got really reasonable prices on direct flights with BA

You need yen, cash for all the subways, but we withdrew cash with no problems

I have tattoos and wasn't treated strangely because of this

We did a ninja training session in Kyoto with ninjadojoandstore.com it wasn't so much my thing but DH really enjoyed and I bet your teens would. You dress up and get to wield swords and chuck throwing stars...

I really liked Nikko. Hiroshima is an absolute must - they have headsets and it's engaging. Sad but engaging.

If I'm not hallucinating I'm sure there's also a Mario Go Karting thing you can do in Tokyo. And Disney of course :)

Loved the food markets for delicious and super fresh custard mochi

I want to go back now!

I'd fly direct unless astronomically more expensive.

DH & I are going to Japan in November this year and the nonstop flights were too expensive so we are going with Etihad and not to mention, the service on BA on that route is notoriously bad. We are flying from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi and have a few hours layover then make our way to Narita. Haneda would be the preferred airport as it’s closer to the city centre but alas Etihad doesn’t fly there!

From what I read, Japan is a very much cash based society. Have fun OP!

I can’t wait for the mochi!! I am so obsessed with it.

We are off to a cruise around Japan in April. Thank you for all the tips in this thread. We have 3 days in Tokyo prior to the cruise. I cannot wait. We are taking a Cathay Pacific flight from Manchester with a change at Hong Kong.

Japan was incredibly cash focused but now increasingly less so. You will need cash for vending machines and also in rural areas.

I'd highly recommend a Wise card. Wise allow you to transfer money at an excellent FX and then you get a single card that can be used to pay in many places in any currency. I once topped up in Swiss francs whilst in the queue at the airport to buy something. V easy and you can set desired FX in advance so it will just auto exchange when it reaches the desired rate.

Not an ad ... I don't work for them! Just travel a lot

We were there October last year. Flew with Korean Air via Seoul, very reasonable price and comfy journey. Tokyo you can largely get away without cash (except for the subway as mentioned above) but majority of markets and small shops we went to outside the big cities were cash or Japanese issued cards only.

We are going in two weeks.
We have Maestro and Visa credit cards, can we use them to pay for hotels? All are reserved but are pay at hotel.
Have got yen also.

Virtually all hotels (with the exception of some small Japanese style ones) you will be fine. Larger restaurants I imagine too.

Thank you @Clearinguptheclutter