Japanese Currency

Japanese currency includes bills and coins denominated in Yen. The values are distinguished by different sizes, colors and designs. The bills are 10,000 Yen, 5,000 Yen and 1,000 Yen. Coins are worth 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1 Yen. 50 and 5 Yen coins have holes in the middle. The exchange rate of Yen to dollars fluctuates daily depending on the money market, so check with your bank, local newspaper or the Internet for the current rate.

	10,000 Yen	= $__________
	5,000 Yen	= $__________
	1,000 Yen	= $__________
	500 Yen	= $__________
	100 Yen	= $__________
	50 Yen	= $__________
	10 Yen	= $__________
	5 Yen	= $__________
	1 Yen	= $__________

Credit Cards, Traveler's Cheques, and Yen

Major credit cards (VISA, Master Card, American Express, and Diners Club) are accepted in large stores. However, credit cards are not used as widely in Japan as they are in the U.S. Outside major cities, it is safe to assume that credit cards lose their power to produce money and turn into useless plastic cards, and personal checks are not used anywhere in Japan. Therefore, it is recommended that you obtain cash before traveling outside Tokyo. In addition, even in Tokyo, it is very difficult to locate bank ATMs that provide cash advances for U.S. credit cards or which permit the withdrawal of cash from your U.S. bank account. For ATMs that accept credit cards, it is advisable to contact each credit company beforehand and check the location of each ATM and its availability as these conditions vary from machine to machine.

It is strongly recommended that you bring a credit card (since you can use it in larger cities, although not all stores may accept it), Traveler’s Cheques in U.S. dollars and some Yen (Japanese currency) for your shopping.  You can buy Yen at foreign exchange banks and other authorized money exchangers.  If you cannot buy Yen at your local bank in the U.S., you can purchase it at an international airport, e.g. in San Francisco.  At the international airports, currency exchange counters are usually open during normal office hours.  Once in Japan, you will be able to exchange U.S. dollar Traveler’s Cheques at hotels in major cities such as Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.  Once in the countryside, however, banks may not accept Traveler’s Cheques in U.S. dollar denominations.

If you plan to visit cities not mentioned above, it would be wise to exchange your Traveler’s Cheques to Yen before you leave Tokyo, just in case the hotel where you will stay is not able to exchange your U.S. dollar Traveler’s Cheques.  Japan is largely a cash economy.