Japan

Saorsa13

I’m going to Japan for the RWC,but not until September ‘19, my question is should I take a credit card as I have been told that they are not wildly accepted or what else could I take, as I will be in Japan for nearly a month, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Cheers Stephen Wood

eskbanker

I can't speak from direct experience but articles such as https://matcha-jp.com/en/5919 do indeed suggest that credit card use in Japan is less widespread than elsewhere, and recommends some appropriate alternative means of payment, although taking one or more good travel-oriented credit cards as well would obviously keep your options open.

Mastercard are one of the RWC corporate sponsors so I'd imagine that everywhere directly connected to the event (stadia, merch, catering, etc) will accept credit cards - their sponsorship of the Open golf here extends to discounts throughout the event for Mastercard payments....

Penelopa.Pitstop

Cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants, bigger shops. Sometimes there are extra promotions like 8% off if paying by VISA, etc. So definitely take the credit card. Also think about debit card that will allow you to withdraw cash without any fees.

I used Nationwide debit and credit cards in Japan and had no issues.

Nasqueron

Although it was in the UK, at the Olympics in London mastercard had special queues for things like the food if you were paying with one of their cards. I can't imagine the events not accepting cards for things but local stuff maybe best to have multiple purchase channels available. Japan is such an odd mix of high tech and low tech, they still widely use fax machines for example

JuicyJesus

I've never had any particular issues using credit cards in Japan. Some things like subway systems are unlikely to accept them however convenience stores, department stores, hotels and JR ticket machines have accepted my Halifax Clarity card without issues before. Smaller shops and restaurants are going to insist on cash, vending machines are ubiquitous and are cash only.

For getting cash out, post offices plus 7-Eleven convenience stores have ATMs that accept foreign cards - again, no issues with Halifax Clarity or Visa Debit cards in those, same with Lawson and FamilyMart where these have ATMs. There are convenience stores of these three brands literally everywhere that are open 24/7 so I wouldn't be worried about struggling to find cashpoints - if the one you go into doesn't have an ATM, there will usually be one of a different (or even the same!) brand nearby that does.

In general if you're in a big city such as Tokyo, Osaka or Nagoya the non-acceptance of credit cards is wildly overstated in my experience, however it makes sense to carry some cash in addition or be prepared to withdraw cash from ATMs. Do not bother getting smaller notes, the Japanese are very used to carrying around 10 man (10,000 yen) notes as a matter of course and breaking these is never an issue.

If you're going to be using the subways and railways in big cities a lot (and trust me, you will) it may also be worth looking into getting a Suica card (very similar to Oyster) which you can top up with cash in pretty much any station and can be used interchangeably on many services.

dresdendave

JuicyJesus wrote: »

If you're going to be using the subways and railways in big cities a lot (and trust me, you will) it may also be worth looking into getting a Suica card (very similar to Oyster) which you can top up with cash in pretty much any station and can be used interchangeably on many services.

Although I've always used cash for small transactions I believe Suica cards, although primarily intended for use on public transport, can be used for small purchases in some convenience stores and vending machines.

Vending machines are also a good way of offloading a build up of coins, although they won't accept coins below 10 yen.

silvercar

I've just got back from Japan and had no problem using Amex or mastercard. We bought a PASMO card for the subway, that was easy to top up at the machines and we handed it back for a refund at the end of our stay.

rainbowskies

Definitely take a credit card as a back up. Apply for a Starling bank debit card. That way you can take cash out from the ATM free of charge. It takes minutes to apply via your phone and it’s so easy to use abroad.

JuicyJesus

rainbowskies wrote: »

Definitely take a credit card as a back up. Apply for a Starling bank debit card. That way you can take cash out from the ATM free of charge. It takes minutes to apply via your phone and it’s so easy to use abroad.

Starling or Monzo or TransferWise borderless account - all good options for abroad. See if you can get someone to refer you to Monzo for a free fiver also.

McCreary

I was in Japan in 2016 and it is a largely cash-based society. However, some of the larger hotels and places like Tokyo Disney accepted credit cards. However, I rarely saw people using them. We went to a food market in Kyoto and I think they accepted them there.

They definitely don't have chip and pin and it can take a while for the charges to actually appear on your account. Our tickets for Tokyo Disney Resort took a month to appear.

Also, I'm sure you will have read that the Japanese do not tip as they consider it a bit of an insult. However, if you are spending time in a ryokan then you are expected to tip on checkout.

You'll love Japan - it was the most amazing country I have ever visited. The people are so helpful, polite and respectful.

pvt

JuicyJesus wrote: »

Do not bother getting smaller notes, the Japanese are very used to carrying around 10 man (10,000 yen) notes as a matter of course and breaking these is never an issue.

10,000 Yen is 1 man, not 10 man.

I've never had difficulty paying bills in hotels and restaurants with credit cards, however, did experience difficulty finding an ATM that would accept my Halifax Visa Debit Card - though did find one eventually.