How Much Cash Should I Bring to Japan and Is It Easy to Exchange Cash There? Is Smoney.com.au Legitimate?

Lclairthedalm on 25/06/2023 - 17:58
Last edited 26/06/2023 - 09:42 by 1 other user

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to travel to Japan soon for 3 weeks and I heard Japan still largely operates with cash. We have already paid for our accommodation and flights and are budgeting $150 AUD/day for food and activities.

From my understanding, most city establishments should accept card, however we will be traveling to smaller towns which will only take cash. For recent travelers to Japan, is this still the case?

In regards to cash, I found Smoney.com.au to have the best cash exchange rates but very few reviews on it so I'm quite skeptical. Would anyone have personal experience with Smoney? If I were to bring AUD cash to Japan, are the rates better there or should I get all my JPY cash in Australia before I go?

I do have a Wise card that I will be using for some payment, but I'd like to secure cash as well.

Many thanks for your help.

Travel Asia Currency Exchange Japan

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Comments

  • BlackorRed on 25/06/2023 - 18:23

    I have been to Japan in April for 21 days and I would say you don't really need large amount of cash (I brought 5k aud for family of 4 for spending and everything else had been prepaid). I exchanged unitedcurrency in Melbourne which they have cash ready for me within 4 days). Hope it help

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 25/06/2023 - 18:35
    +2

    As well as cash, bring oranges as they are rare in Japan and are a symbol of good luck and prosperity.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 25/06/2023 - 19:01
      +1

      We talking Valencia or Navel? American or Australian grown?

  • iforgotmysocks on 25/06/2023 - 18:47
    +6

    When I went to Japan earlier this year for my surgery to replace my hands with helicopters, I just withdrew cash using a fee free debit card - Macquarie, HSBC, Citibank etc. Exchange rate is set by Visa/Mastercard and is usually a better exchange rate.

    • Mechz on 25/06/2023 - 19:51

      Did you remember your socks or have to buy local?

      • iDroid on 25/06/2023 - 21:13
        +1

        They won't need shoes or socks - they have HELICOPTER hands!!!

      • iforgotmysocks on 25/06/2023 - 23:25

        The rotors keep tearing my socks when I try to put them on.

  • Ryk on 25/06/2023 - 19:16
    +6

    use an ATM in the airport when you arrive.
    take two or three of any of these: Macquarie, Up, UBank, Suncorp, Bankwest, Citibank card

  • clover on 25/06/2023 - 19:43
    +11

    I have been to Japan more than 6 times. I brought 0 dollar every time. I just withdrew cash once I got out of custom.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 25/06/2023 - 20:23
    +1

    Must be having to go pretty remote to not have access to anywhere that doesn’t take card… did Sapporo some years back before COVID and didn’t have to use any cash

  • bargaino on 25/06/2023 - 20:27

    What century is this? Does Japan not have ATMs in the airport?

    Take some AUD in case of emergency, i.e. your cards not working.

  • wots on 25/06/2023 - 21:44
    +2

    Why bring AUD cash? It’s 2023 and ATMs are everywhere in Japan

  • cheesecactus on 25/06/2023 - 22:40
    +1

    Was just in Tokyo/Osaka last month (also visited in 2019).
    My visit in 2019 i definitely needed cash at the majority of vendors/businesses.

    It's a little bit better in 2023, but not by a lot. And especially for train tickets and public transport, it's all cash.

    You mentioned you're going to smaller towns, definitely will need cash then.

    As others have said, any fee-free debit card is your best bet. I used ubank with no issue. They just use the Visa/Mastercard rate, which is better than anything you'll get elsewhere.

    Dont bring cash from australia. Just use an ATM on arrival.

  • roonie on 25/06/2023 - 23:21

    2w Japan in 2018. Just withdrew cash from 7/11 ATMs

  • nubzy on 26/06/2023 - 08:52

    You don't need to bring any. Withdraw it from ATM when you get there. Love that cash is still king there.

  • srven3 on 26/06/2023 - 10:16

    Smoney works, bought 5,000 Nov last year. Arrived on time and spent in Japan
    Also recommend Wise card

  • Porker on 26/06/2023 - 10:46

    I've been to Japan several times although the last was about 2018.

    I just over-load / over-deposit my 28 degree mastercard with money and then withdraw it from an ATM in Japan. Granted I pay a small transaction fee, but the exchange rate is much better (via Mastercard) than dealing with exchange stores. At the time, as I was withdrawing positive money from the card, it wasn't counted as a cash-advance to incur interest.

    Mastercard exchange rates are here https://www.mastercard.com/global/en/personal/get-support/co…

  • Archi on 26/06/2023 - 11:16

    Cant remember what the withdrawal limit is on Japan ATM's are would be around the 100K yen mark

    the exchange rate at the moment is at it's highest in the last couple of years, hopefully stay here for a while.

    i just recently transffered some money into the HSBC everyday global acoount at 94.21

    missed the 96 yen exchange a couple of weeks ago

  • dtc on 26/06/2023 - 16:24

    There are ATMs in all the major airports, so easy access. For extra peace of mind I often exchange a few AUD100 to JPY before I do, this does cost a little bit in terms of exchange rates etc but not a huge amount, so it doesnt matter too much where you get it done. You are spending $10k on a holiday, a $10 FX exchange fee to stop you stressing about being left in the airport with no money isnt much (albeit that you will be able to get from the airport to your destination without cash!) and if you are arriving late or tired then it takes one thing off the list.

  • wackedupwacko on 27/06/2023 - 03:39

    I've had 3 trips in the last 12 months (business and private).
    Firstly whether you need alot of Yen cash in Japan or not depends largely where youre at.

    Tokyo only? I struggled to use 30k yen cash ($350ish) in 2 weeks. Tapped away / inserted in almost everything including buying 108 yen drinks at the convenient store. The only thing you would need to use it for in Tokyo is very random small shops, charging your suica (transport card) which isn't an issue if you have an iphone as it works with applepay or paying friends and the odd vending machine here or there. This vastly changed since 2019 (likely due to Olympics and expected tourist surge).

    Now if you head out of Tokyo, into smaller cities that's a completely different story. Many shops wouldn't be as card friendly unless they're in tourist hotspots in which case they happily accept your cards and also have duty free counters. So it really depends on what you mean by "smaller town". Take Otaru up in Hokkaido for example - definitely a small town, but it is a tourist town so their main street is lined with shops catering to tourists.

    For actually getting money, there's loads of ATMs at the airport for most major bank from Japan. Typically I find that a good card here with strong rates will beat out any money change place. There's also actual money exchange windows if you really desparately need to exchange and your card isn't working. Personally I don't carry more than 10k yen cash on me (or on my suica) as I fly in these days and just withdraw as I need to in the country. Usually I keep around 20-30k for myself until the last 3-4 days in which case I will dwindle down my cash supply.

    Oh just about every major chain store with exception to a couple of restaurant chains are all able to take card. This includes just about every conbini store, bigger supermarkets (think colesworth type), drug stores, clothe stores etc. It's usually the smaller restaraunts that don't take card as much.

  • Ventak on 28/06/2023 - 17:42

    Is Wise not sufficient as card to put money on and withdraw from ATMs over there, since as far as I'm aware they also use the official exchange rate (unless I'm wrong)?

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