Cash in Japan (2026): Where You Still Need Yen, Where Cash Isn't Taken, and Touch 'n Go for a Malaysian Family
Checked 2026-11-09 · Updated 2026-11-09
Checked 9 Nov 2026 on the official pages of the Japan Tourism Agency (on JNTO's site), JR East, JR West, Seven Bank, Japan Post Bank, Haneda and Narita airports, Nishitetsu, ZIPAIR and TNG Digital. This article only lists what official pages say. A place with no official "cash only" statement is not listed as "needs cash".
Short answer. Japan's own official pages name two places where you need yen in cash: (1) clinics, which generally take cash only (credit cards mainly at major hospitals), and (2) topping up Welcome Suica and ICOCA, which only takes yen in cash, not a credit card; the balance tops out at ¥20,000 (≈ RM513) per card. On the other side, some places don't take cash: the Fukuoka → Hakata airport bus (¥400, on a fully cashless trial) and ZIPAIR's baggage counter at the airport (card or e-money only, plus ¥1,000). For yen, Seven Bank ATMs (at 7-Eleven) take Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, Amex and others, up to ¥100,000 (≈ RM2,564) per withdrawal; Japan Post Bank allows ¥50,000, with a ¥220 ATM fee on some cards. Touch 'n Go eWallet works where you see the Alipay+ or PayPay sign. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
A 7-day Japan itinerary for a family of four, December 2026: real budget in RM, 4-person hotels, halal food and prayer on your route (a map sample), and a what-to-book-when calendar (PDF, BM & EN). Sign up & download →
1. By situation: cash, card or IC card
| Situation | Cash | Credit card | IC card (Suica, ICOCA) / e-wallet | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinic (fever, small cut) | Yes, generally cash only | Mainly at major hospitals only | Not mentioned | Japan Tourism Agency |
| Topping up Welcome Suica | Yes, yen only | Not accepted | Top up at ticket machines, fare adjustment machines and Seven Bank ATMs | JR East |
| Topping up ICOCA | Yes, cash at machines or participating shops | The page doesn't mention cards; every method listed is cash | Balance can't go over ¥20,000 | JR West |
| Fukuoka airport bus (international) → Hakata | No, fully cashless trial | Yes, contactless credit card, ¥20 off | Yes, IC card, ¥20 off | Nishitetsu |
| ZIPAIR baggage counter at the airport | No | Yes, plus a ¥1,000 fee | Yes, e-money | ZIPAIR |
| Konbini, Aeon, Don Quijote (with the Alipay+ or PayPay sign) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Touch 'n Go eWallet via Overseas QR | TNG Digital |
| Shops, vending machines, lockers with the IC card sign | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes, Welcome Suica and ICOCA | JR East, JR West |
What this means for a family.
- The clinic. A child's fever on a weekend, a small clinic, a card that isn't accepted. The official guide tells you to ask for a cost estimate at reception. Medicine is paid separately at the pharmacy. The full steps are in our sick or injured in Japan guide.
- IC cards. Every card needs yen in cash to top up. Four people, four cards, one ATM run.
- Pay less by card. On the Fukuoka bus, a contactless credit card or IC card takes ¥20 off the ¥400 fare.
2. Welcome Suica, ICOCA and Welcome Suica Mobile
Prices and rules from JR East and JR West's official pages, checked 9 Nov 2026.
| Welcome Suica (card) | ICOCA | Welcome Suica Mobile (app) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Visitors, 28 days including the day you buy it | The e-money page doesn't give a validity period | iPhones that support Apple Pay, age 13+, valid 180 days |
| Price | ¥1,000, ¥2,000, ¥3,000, ¥4,000, ¥5,000 or ¥10,000, no deposit | Not checked | No physical card |
| Top-up | Yen in cash only, no credit card. Up to ¥20,000 | Cash. Not possible if the balance would go over ¥20,000 | In the app. JR East's page doesn't say which cards it takes |
| Balance when you leave | No refund | Not checked | No refund; the balance expires after 180 days |
| Child card | Until 31 March after the child's 12th birthday. Show the child's passport when buying | Not checked | Not mentioned |
| Where to buy | Narita Terminal 1 and Terminal 2·3 stations, Haneda Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail), Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Yokohama, Sendai | Not checked | Download before you fly |
Three easy misses.
- One card per person. In principle, JR East sells one Welcome Suica per individual. Bring each child's passport.
- Don't overfill. Welcome Suica balances are not refunded. Top up in small amounts.
- Welcome Suica doesn't work at shops in PiTaPa areas (JR East's wording). Trains and buses in Kansai with the ICOCA sign still take it.
3. ATMs: where to withdraw yen with a Malaysian card
| ATM | Overseas cards listed | Limit per withdrawal | Hours | ATM fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Bank (7-Eleven and other shops, 28,000+ ATMs in Japan) | Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, Amex, JCB, Discover, Diners Club | ¥100,000; magnetic-stripe cards ¥30,000 | Visa and Mastercard 00:00–24:00; other brands roughly 00:05/00:10 to 23:50/23:55. 365 days | Varies by card brand; amount not stated |
| Japan Post Bank (post offices, FamilyMart) | Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, UnionPay, Discover | ¥50,000 | Post offices: 07:00–23:00 (Mon–Sat), 07:00–21:00 (Sun and holidays). FamilyMart: 00:05–23:55 | ¥220 on some cards |
Both banks say a card with the same logo may still not work. Your Malaysian bank may add its own fee (Japan Post Bank's note). Bring two cards from different brands.
At the airport, right after landing.
| Airport | ATM | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haneda Terminal 3 | Seven Bank | 2F, arrival lobby | 05:00–24:00 |
| Haneda Terminal 3 | Japan Post Bank | 2F, arrival lobby | 24 hours (except 00:00–07:00 on the third Monday) |
| Narita Terminal 1, Central Building | Seven Bank, Japan Post Bank | 1F, before security | Seven Bank 06:00–23:00; Japan Post Bank 24 hours |
| Narita Terminal 2 | Seven Bank (inside 7-Eleven), Japan Post Bank | B1F (7-Eleven) and 1F, before security | 24 hours |
| Narita Terminal 3 | Seven Bank | 2F, before security | Depends on card type |
ATMs past security (the departure side) at Haneda and Narita cap you at ¥30,000 per withdrawal. Take out your first week's yen in the arrival lobby, not on the day you fly home. The arrival-day order is in our Japan arrival day guide.
4. Touch 'n Go eWallet in Japan
- Where. TNG Digital wrote (18 Sept 2025) that Overseas QR works at participating merchants in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara: look for the Alipay+ or PayPay sign. Its examples: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, Aeon, Don Quijote, and some Muslim-friendly eateries in Kansai.
- How to pay. Open the app → Pay → swipe up to "pay abroad with Alipay+" → the shop scans your QR code. Or Scan the shop's QR code and key in the amount.
- The caveat. The same post says some parts of Japan still lean heavily on cash. IC cards and clinics still need yen.
5. How much yen in cash: the numbers official pages give
| For what | Official number | For 2 adults + 2 kids |
|---|---|---|
| Buying Welcome Suica | ¥1,000 to ¥10,000 per card, no deposit | 4 cards × ¥2,000 = ¥8,000 (≈ RM205), as an example |
| Topping up Welcome Suica / ICOCA | Yen in cash only, balance up to ¥20,000 per card | Carry yen for each top-up; Seven Bank ATMs can also top up Welcome Suica |
| Clinic | No figure. The official guide: ask for an estimate at reception; medicine is paid separately at the pharmacy | Keep yen for one visit, and buy insurance that pays the hospital directly |
| Fukuoka airport bus → Hakata | ¥400 adult, cashless | No cash needed |
| ZIPAIR baggage at the airport counter | Plus a ¥1,000 fee, cashless | Buy online before you fly |
| Taking cash out of Japan | Over ¥1,000,000 must be declared to customs (Narita's page) | Rarely relevant for a family |
After shopping. A tax-free refund in cash at the airport depends on your shop's refund operator. The airport-by-airport table is in Japan tax refund: cash or card.
6. What the official pages don't say
- Kyoto temples. Kiyomizu-dera's information page and Kinkaku-ji's page don't say how admission is paid. No "cash only" statement, so they aren't in the table.
- Small halal restaurants. No restaurant's own page was checked for this article. Ask at the counter before you order.
- Seven Bank's fee. The official page says the fee varies by card brand, but gives no amount.
- Which card tops up Welcome Suica Mobile. JR East's page doesn't say. It also says some countries' laws don't allow top-ups until you're in Japan.
- ATMs at Kansai (KIX). Not checked for this article.
When an official page changes, this article is updated.
Sources
All checked 9 November 2026. Next check: 9 December 2026.
| # | Source | Used for | URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan Tourism Agency, "Guide for when you are feeling ill" (on JNTO's site) | Clinics generally cash only; credit cards mainly at major hospitals; ask for an estimate at reception; medicine paid at the pharmacy | https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 2 | JR East, Welcome Suica: Purchasing and Using | ¥1,000–10,000, no deposit; 28 days; yen-only top-up, no credit card; ¥20,000 max; Seven Bank ATMs; no refunds; child card; one per person; where to buy | https://www.jreast.co.jp/en/multi/welcomesuica/purchase.html | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 3 | JR East, Welcome Suica | Shops, vending machines and lockers; not at shops in PiTaPa areas | https://www.jreast.co.jp/en/multi/welcomesuica/welcomesuica.html | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 4 | JR East, Welcome Suica Mobile | iPhone with Apple Pay, 13+, 180 days, no refund, some countries' legal limits | https://www.jreast.co.jp/en/multi/wsmlp/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 5 | JR West, ICOCA Electronic Money | Cash top-up at machines or shops; balance can't exceed ¥20,000; one ICOCA at a time | https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/howto/icoca/money/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 6 | Seven Bank, overseas cards (Japanese) | Card brands accepted; 28,000+ ATMs; same-logo cards may not work | https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 7 | Seven Bank, cards and service hours | Hours by brand; ¥100,000 limit; magnetic stripe ¥30,000; fee varies by brand | https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/card2.html | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 8 | Japan Post Bank, ATMs for overseas cards | Card brands; ¥50,000 limit; ¥220 fee; post office and FamilyMart hours; issuer fee | https://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 9 | Haneda Airport, Bank / ATM | Terminal 3 2F arrival lobby: Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank; ¥30,000 past security | https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/service/facilities/bank.html | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 10 | Narita Airport, ATMs | Locations, hours, ¥30,000 past security; declare over ¥1,000,000 | https://www.narita-airport.jp/en/service/exchange/atm/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 11 | Nishitetsu, Hakata – Fukuoka Airport international bus (Japanese) | ¥400; ¥20 off by credit card or IC card; fully cashless trial | https://www.nishitetsu.jp/bus/rosen/akeito/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 12 | ZIPAIR, baggage | Airport counter: credit cards and e-money only, no cash; ¥1,000 fee | https://www.zipair.net/en/service/baggage | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 13 | TNG Digital, Muslim-friendly Kansai blog (18 Sept 2025) | Overseas QR in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara; Alipay+ or PayPay sign; example shops; some areas still cash-heavy | https://www.tngdigital.com.my/blog/muslim-friendly-kansai-travel/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 14 | TNG Digital help centre: paying overseas | Pay and Scan steps | https://support.tngdigital.com.my/hc/en-my/articles/19918188549529-How-do-I-make-payments-with-the-Touch-n-Go-eWallet-overseas | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 15 | Kiyomizu-dera, information | No payment method stated | https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/info/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 16 | Shokoku-ji, Kinkaku-ji | Hours 9:00–17:00; no payment method stated | https://www.shokoku-ji.jp/en/kinkakuji/ | 9 Nov 2026 |
| 17 | Frankfurter (ECB reference rates) | ¥100 = RM2.5637, rate for 6 Nov 2026 | https://api.frankfurter.dev/v1/latest?base=JPY&symbols=MYR | 8 Nov 2026 |
Book for this trip
Affiliate links may be used; your price doesn't change.
- A room for 4 in Tokyo, for the first night after you take out yen at the airport: Tokyo hotels for 2 adults + 2 kids on Trip.com — prices depend on your dates
- Data for Touch 'n Go Overseas QR and maps from the moment you land: Japan eSIM on Klook — from RM1.39 (Klook price, 9 Nov 2026)
- The Narita–Ueno train paid in RM, so your first yen goes to Suica: Keisei Skyliner on Klook — RM55.95 (Klook price, 9 Nov 2026)
Before you fly: Map of 231 halal places & prayer rooms (US$6.99) — December Edition, 15 Nov.
A 7-day Japan itinerary for a family of four, December 2026: real budget in RM, 4-person hotels, halal food and prayer on your route (a map sample), and a what-to-book-when calendar (PDF, BM & EN). Sign up & download →