What is the currency in Tokyo? Money and prices in Japan

May 24th, 2016 , 03:59 pm

Before describing the beauty, unusualness and attractiveness of Japan, I would like to give a few practical advice and answer the questions that I myself had when planning a trip to Japan.

1. Route around Japan. How to build? What to see? How to choose?

When planning my route, I focused on the historical sights of Japan, deciding that I wanted to see Kyoto more than Hiroshima. Here, of course, everything is individual, but for example, here is my route for 10 days plus the day of arrival and day of departure:

Arrival day and one full day in Tokyo - two days in Nikko - five days in Kyoto with outings in Himeji, Nara and Osaka - passage in Kamakura - one and a half days in Tokyo.

Wonderful site on English language with detailed information about the attractions of Japan, opening hours, recommendations on how to get there, etc. - http://www.japan-guide.com/. It was this site that helped me plan my route by day, and it was from there that I printed out the names of all the places I needed in Japanese - it really helped when traveling in a taxi!

2. When to go to Japan?

And again - everything is very subjective! Traditionally, there are two periods when everyone flocks to Japan. The first, of course, is cherry blossoms (as usual, from late March to early April). The second is the time of “red leaves”, in our opinion - golden autumn =)

Japan is very hot in summer and quite chilly in winter. The weather in May suited me completely - almost all days it was above 20C, we wore T-shirts and shorts, and it only rained a couple of days.

3. How to get around by trains and metro? Why do you need a Suica card?

Japan has a very developed railway transport network, which, unlike Russia, is owned not by Russian Railways alone, but by several private companies, which, naturally, have their own trains and platforms and their own tickets. IN big cities to this are added the lines of the underground and overground metro and monorail, which can drive an unprepared traveler crazy.

To prevent this from happening, the Japanese made a website where you can get directions by indicating the destination stations. The smart system will offer you several route options, calculated by the minute, indicating platforms, lines, travel time and cost. The name of this router is http://www.hyperdia.com. Unfortunately, their iPhone program cannot be downloaded in Russia, so you have to use the website.

Cost of travel to public transport in Japan it depends on the distance traveled. At each station, there are giant maps above the ticket machines indicating the cost of travel to the different stations. Looking at these cards makes you feel dizzy, you want to hide in a corner and, wrapping your arms around yourself, cry =)) Therefore, to make your life easier, you need to purchase a card on which a certain amount of money is placed and debited when passing the turnstiles - and you don’t have to rack your brains over the cost tickets and waste time buying tickets from a machine or ticket office. The most common such card is Suica. You can also use it to pay in supermarkets like a regular credit card, spend the balance at the airport, or return it after receiving a deposit of 500 yen (~300 rubles).

You can top up your Suica balance through machines at any metro station.

For big cities with tons of subway lines like Tokyo or Kyoto, the Suica card is essential!

4. What is the Japan Rail Pass? Is it needed?

As I mentioned, the railway network in Japan is owned by various companies, but JR is considered the largest carrier. Their branches cover almost the whole of Japan; they are the “owners” of high-speed trains, the so-called. Shinsansen.
Transport in Japan is very expensive. For example, a Tokyo-Kyoto trip will cost ~ 8,500 rubles one way per person!

To alleviate the plight of travelers, JR offer the so-called. Japan Rail Pass - unique all inclusive a 7 or 14 day pass that allows unlimited use of JR lines.

The JR Pass voucher can only be purchased by foreign citizens outside of Japan. There are several authorized offices that sell passes; it seems there are even offices in Moscow. But I ordered online here https://www.japan-rail-pass.com. Vouchers were delivered by Fedex 3 days after purchase!

Upon arrival at the airport, vouchers must be exchanged directly for a JR Pass at the JR East counter.

The cost of the pass is rather high - $260 for a week or $420 for 14 days. You can easily understand whether the cost of the pass in your case will pay off - create a route for your movements on the website http://www.hyperdia.com and calculate the total cost of tickets that you will have to buy without a pass. In principle, the pass pays for itself on the Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo route alone. If the cost turns out to be slightly less than or equal to (or even more so than) the cost of the JR Pass, feel free to buy it! The pass saves a lot of time - show it to the inspector when passing the turnstile and off you go! No box office, ticket buying, queues...

By the way, the JR Pass also covers the cost of the express train from Tokyo Airport (Narita) to the city, and it costs about 1,500 rubles!

It is worth remembering, however, that some trains (especially high-speed or long-distance ones) require seat reservations - in this case, you just need to go to the ticket office, show a printout of your route (I just took a screenshot from the hyperdia website and showed it on my phone to the cashier) and you Tickets will be issued free of charge indicating the carriage and seats.

A few words about the Green JR Pass - this pass gives you the right to travel in luxury carriages. The seats in such carriages are wider and more comfortable, there is more legroom and there are fewer people. But overall there is not much difference. Our trip took place during the peak season (public holidays "Golden Week", when the Japanese go to travel en masse throughout their country), and besides, our company had men two meters tall, so we bought a Green JR Pass, which cost ~150 dollars more expensive (~$90 cheaper for a week pass).

The JR Pass is also sold for children 6-11 years old and costs 2 times less than an adult ticket.

Conveniently, the JR Pass does not have to be activated by the date of voucher exchange at the airport - you can specify any date! For example, if your trip will last 10 days, but only days 3-9 will be active for travel between cities, feel free to activate the pass from the 3rd day and in this case a weekly pass will be enough for you.

5. How are things going with Internet access? Do our mobile phones work in Japan?

We had MTS and Megafon on iPhone and Samsung phones - cellular worked great everywhere!

In my opinion, mobile Internet is extremely important when traveling in Japan! Will you give me directions? Do you want to know the train departure time? Read about the attraction? This almost always requires the Internet! You can get it in two ways - by renting a phone with a Japanese SIM card or a portable wi-fi router. All these services are offered immediately at the airport.

I decided to leave my phone - it’s more comfortable and convenient for me. But I ordered a wi-fi router (to save time) online in advance here: https://www.econnectjapan.com/. The envelope was waiting for me at the hotel reception, the kit included additional charging (a very necessary thing, since charging the router itself lasts for half a day), as well as an envelope with a return address, in which on the last day I simply put the router with all the bells and whistles, sealed it and threw it into the first mailbox she came across.

Router with maximum speed(you could even download movies!), the ability to connect up to 10 devices cost me ~3,600 rubles for 12 days of use. Behind early booking give discounts.

6. Delivery of luggage within Japan? Is it true that you can send your luggage to the next hotel and travel with a minimum of things?

I don’t know any other countries, except Switzerland, where there is such a mega convenient and inexpensive (this does not apply to Switzerland =) way to move luggage between cities.

Imagine - in the morning you check out at a hotel in Tokyo and set off for Kyoto, deciding to visit a few more along the way interesting places. And all this time you are dragging your suitcase behind you, rushing around the stations with it in search of the desired line, you are looking for a storage room of the right size so that at intermediate destinations you can at least have a good look at the city... Can you imagine? Now think how much better your life has become, because you travel lightly - with a backpack or handbag, and the Tokyo hotel sent your suitcase to the Kyoto hotel!

This amazing service costs ~900 rubles for a large 25 kg suitcase. You can drop off your suitcase directly at the reception of most hotels or at any collection point (http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/), and you can also pick it up at your next hotel or selected collection point.

The only negative is that you must return your suitcase before 12 noon following the day of your check-in at the next location.

7. Is it possible to pay with credit cards in Japan? How to withdraw cash from an ATM in Japan?

Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere except some taxis, restaurants and souvenir shops. Cash, of course, is much faster and more convenient to pay - for example, when buying tickets to temples.

There are currency exchange offices, but you still need to look for them. And if you go away during public holidays, you will have to wait until the bank opens =)

We are proponents of withdrawing cash from ATMs. What a shock we had when the cash began to run out, and the ATMs of different banks into which we tried to insert our cards were either only in Japanese (!), or rejected the transaction under various pretexts like “wrong PIN”, “ authorization failure", "try again later"!

An Internet friend helped, who said that Japanese ATMs operate on some other platform, which is not compatible with the platform of European banks and therefore they do not consider the cards of our banks as human ones! =)) There are only a few banks whose ATMs are kind to tourists , - the largest of them is 7 Bank, which is owned by - da-da-dam! - Seven-Eleven supermarket chain, so almost every supermarket has an ATM suitable for international cards!

8. Tax free in Japan

VAT in Japan is small, about 8% (but still money!) and is available for purchases of 5,000 yen or more.
Tax Free can be provided in two ways. 1) In small stores they give a discount right at the checkout and you pay a smaller amount. 2) In large department stores, after paying for the goods at full price, you must go to the counter tax free and receive a refund in cash.

In both cases, a receipt will be stapled (!) into your passport and stamped, and the goods will be packed in sealed bags, as in duty free (clothes are placed in a regular bag). Further, according to the rules, kindly given in the brochure that will be given to you in the store, shopping bags (without unpacking!) must be presented at the airport (before check-in - if you are checking in your purchases as luggage) or after passport control (if you are taking your purchase in your hand luggage) .

In practice, as confirmed by my experience and the reviews of other travelers, which I have studied on this issue, no one looks at the purchases, and you can either tear off the receipts from your passport yourself or go to the Customs window after passing the inspection and the kind Japanese customs officers, who in theory should check your purchases, take the receipts from your passport (even despite the list and cost of what you bought!), smile and let you go in peace.

I took all my purchases out of the bags, removed the packaging and other tinsel that was taking up space (I bought mostly cosmetics), and packed them into a suitcase, which I checked into my luggage. I did not have any problems with the tax free return.

9. Visa to Japan

I have already written a separate post on my blog about obtaining a visa to Japan, for those who are interested and relevant - go there =)

Just recently, an acquaintance who was going to Japan asked me what currency to take with him and whether it was possible to exchange Russian rubles in Japan. The answer to the second question is very simple, laconic and unpretentious - alas. You will not be able to exchange rubles for yen in Japan; you need to bring other currency with you. Which one?

I know that some travelers always take either dollars or euros with them on the road, exchanging them in the host country for local currency. If you receive your salary in dollars or euros, then why not? Otherwise, I don’t see any prudence in such actions. First, exchange rubles for dollars, paying a commission to the bank, then change dollars for yens, paying a commission again to a Japanese bank. For what? Moreover, it is best to change currency in Japan in international airport, where you will arrive. This will most likely be Narita Airport (near Tokyo) or Kansai Airport (near Osaka). The exchange rate there is so unfavorable that domestic hucksters will seem like real virtues to you.

Why is it better to change at the airport? Because in Japan there are practically no exchangers familiar to us. And your only chance to put dollars through the window and get yens by default is at the airport. It is also possible to change currency, say, in Tokyo, but only at a bank branch, where you will need to clearly explain to the employees in Japanese what exactly you want. I have had to buy yen in Japan several times and let me tell you, the whole procedure is quite tedious. You will never see the exchange rate at the bank, you can only find it out by going inside, asking to exchange money and telling the amount you want to convert into yen. In addition, all this is possible only on weekdays and only during the day; there is also usually a break for lunch. The exchange rate is terribly unfavorable. It may be better than at the airport, but it’s unlikely to be much better.

What is the best way to proceed? It is best to buy Japanese yen in Russia. The method is proven and you can trust me, the yen purchased from us are really real, and in addition, they are accepted for payment throughout Japan. I'm not kidding:)

Where to buy yen? In Moscow, Mizuho Corporate Bank always has them, because... Japanese bank, although the rate is not very good. But I would recommend buying yen at Sberbank: the exchange rate is better and you don’t have to go far. Go to the nearest branch (or call) and order the amount you need. They are unlikely to have yen in stock; they will tell you what day you can come. Usually, in my opinion, after 3-5 days you can already pick it up, naturally at the rate that will be on the day of purchase. So it’s better to take care of this issue in advance.

Another option is that some payments can be made in Japan using a VISA or MASTER CARD credit card. Even if the card is in rubles, they will accept it from you, there will be no problems. Of course, you can pay by card only in large department stores, hotels, etc. You can’t buy souvenirs in a street tent with that kind of money. But this is true everywhere.

Currency in Japan: yen (¥). You can only pay in yen in the country.

How much money to take to Japan

Japan is an expensive country. A lot of money, in addition to hotel accommodation, will be spent on shopping, food, excursions and transportation costs. With some planning, costs can be reduced slightly, but large expenses still cannot be avoided.

• You can eat inexpensively in fast food establishments or small cafes. IN shopping centers There are restaurants that offer inexpensive lunch menus from 11:00 to 14:00. You can also eat cheaply in street tents.
• Cheap shopping can be done at Hyaku En-shop (百円ショップ) – “everything for 100 yen” stores. Here you can buy groceries, clothes and everyday items.
• Low prices on electronics are mainly found in the Akihabara area of ​​Tokyo. Here you can find almost any household appliances, computers, laptops and smartphones.
• It is profitable to travel around the country by train, and by purchasing a Japan Rail Pass, you can further save on travel.

Vacation expenses need to be planned in advance, based on the idea of ideal route around the country: tour of Tokyo restaurants and bars, beach holiday on the island of Kyushu or a week-long route to the main attractions of Japan.

Approximate prices in Japan

• Lunch in an inexpensive cafe: 900-1000 yen (350-400 rubles)
• Milk (1 l): 200-250 yen (75-90 rub.)
• Loaf of bread: 220-260 yen (80-100 rub.)
• Chicken meat (1 kg): 900-1000 yen (350-400 rub.)
• Potatoes (1 kg): 250-350 yen (90-350 rub.)
• Bottle of wine: 1200-1500 yen (450-550 rub.)
• Local beer (0.5 l): 300-400 yen (100-150 rub.)
• A pack of cigarettes: 500-600 yen (200-250 rubles)
• Gasoline (1 l): 140-180 yen (50-70 rub.)

Bank cards in Japan

It is reasonable to put part of the funds on a bank card, and carry part in cash with you. Despite the developed system of non-cash payments, you can pay with cards not in all stores.

Bank cards are in most cases not accepted in small supermarkets or traditional Japanese restaurants. Cards are also not accepted at ticket offices on transport.

ATMs in Japan do not accept cards other than those issued by Japanese banks.

You can withdraw cash at:

• Post offices (Yucho Ginko- - Yucho Bank)
• Seven Eleven convenience stores (Convenience Store)
• City Bank ATMs

When withdrawing money from a card, you must find out the commission of your bank; sometimes it can be equal to the amount withdrawn.

You can pay by card in large supermarkets, but at a separate checkout. They are also accepted in cafes with European cuisine.

In some restaurants credit card Can only be accepted in the evening or at night.

Currency exchange in Japan

The best place to exchange rubles for yen is in Russia. You can usually buy Japanese currency at Sberbank branches. If it is not available on that day, you can order the required amount, and it will be delivered the next day. This is more profitable than exchanging for dollars or euros, and then exchanging them for yen in Japan.

Currency exchange in Japan

You can change currency, dollars and euros, at the airport.

You can also purchase yen at local bank branches, also without any amount restrictions. Exchange rates at Japanese banks are more favorable than at the airport. The schedule on which they work can be an inconvenience for tourists.

Banking hours: 09:00-15:00

Many hotels are willing to sell yen to their own guests, but usually with a significant limitation - no more than $300-500 per day. The exchange rate is less favorable than in other places.

Exchange offices are very rarely found on the streets. It is almost impossible to identify them without knowing Japanese characters. There are practically no exchangers where you can exchange rubles for yen; there are 2-3 of them throughout Tokyo.

It is more convenient to change currency in exchange offices TRAVELEX located in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. The exchange rate there is more favorable than in hotels. You can find out more about the location of TRAVELEX offices.

Banks of Japan

Japanese banks are open 09:00-15:00. Local banks are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Currency exchange in banks usually closes together.

The Central Bank of Japan regulates the banking system in the country. The largest banks in Japan are: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Bank of Nagoya, Bank of Saga Ltd., Bank of Yokohama, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Nanto Bank.

Tipping in Japan

Tipping in Japan is not accepted in the classical sense. You should not leave change from your change in a taxi, cafe or hotel. A waiter may run out after a person who leaves money in this way to return what was forgotten.

In fact, tipping does exist in Japan, but it is subject to so much tradition and ancient rules that the average tourist can easily become confused. Travelers should refrain from doing this so as not to offend anyone. The custom of rewarding an employee is called kokorozuke" (kokorozuke, 心付け). And money is usually given before service, literally meaning something like: “Thank you in advance for the work you will do today.”

Many students who are going to study in Japan, as well as tourists, often ask me questions about the import of funds, medicines, customs restrictions, etc. In this short note, I have collected the basic requirements for importing money and goods into Japan. Hope, this information you will need it!

Currency

You can import and export any currency into Japan. If the amount of cash does not exceed the equivalent of 1 million Japanese yen (this is an amount of about 500,000 rubles, or 9,000 dollars, or 8,000 euros at the current exchange rate as of May 2017), then it is not necessary to declare it. But if you import currency worth more than 1 million yen in equivalent, then you are required to report this to customs.

If you arrive with bank cards, then there are restrictions on the amounts on your bank cards oh no. declare your cash not required for bank cards.

Japanese yens are used in Japan. You can buy Japanese Yen in advance in your home country. Or go with dollars or euros, which I always recommend, and exchange dollars and euros right at the airport upon arrival, the rate here is normal, and sometimes it can even be better than in hotels, exchange offices or banks. In addition, hotels often have restrictions on currency exchange - for example, only $300 per day, no more. Under no circumstances should you bring Russian rubles to Japan; it is difficult to change them there, and the exchange rate is completely unfavorable.

Traveler's checks and credit cards

Traveler's checks and plastic bank cards with the international payment systems Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and, of course, with the Japanese JCB, are accepted by all major banks, hotels and shops in major cities of Japan. Read about the Japanese payment system JCB.

Major payment cards are also accepted at ATMs throughout Japan, they are marked with the International ATM Service symbol and in many. For example, Diners Club and American Express cards are easily accepted at ATMs at Seven-Eleven convenience stores throughout Japan.

But in addition to bank cards, I recommend having some amount of cash in Japanese yen, since some places in Japan still like cash, and only yen. No one accepts rubles, dollars or euros in cash anywhere. So I recommend having local bills in your wallet.

In Japan, coins of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen, and bills of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 yen are in circulation. Sometimes people ask me if there might be problems accepting 10,000 yen bills. No, there are no problems with large bills. They are accepted everywhere without any problems and change is always available. At least in my almost 13 years of living in Japan, I have never encountered the problem of refusal to accept any bills, and even more so, I was never told to look for some other bills or small change. Asking a buyer (client) to find change or small bills, according to my observations, is generally unacceptable in Japan.

Sometimes withdrawing yen cash may not be easy; some ATMs do not accept bank cards from other countries. But in Lately This problem is becoming less and less common; basically all ATMs in and most ATMs in accept any cards with an international payment system. In any case, look first for ATMs labeled International ATM Service.

An important point about the limit on the amount that can be withdrawn from an ATM. My students and I were faced with a limit on the amount per day that can be withdrawn from an ATM in Japan. For example, for one of my students from Mexico, the ATM did not want to dispense more than 30,000 yen from her Mexican bank card in one day. As we understood after her communication with the bank, it was her Mexican bank that set such a restriction. Therefore, when applying for your bank cards with an international payment system, I recommend that you immediately clarify this point in advance with the employees of your bank.

Customs restrictions

I already wrote in another note that when entering Japan, when going through customs, you must fill out a declaration, which is issued to all passengers while still on board the plane or ship. This declaration is quite simple and anyone can fill it out.

At the airport itself, like in most countries in the world, there are green and red corridors. When going through customs in Japan, it is enough to show a completed customs declaration, your passport, if you have received a long-term visa, then also a resident card, as well as an oral declaration for imported items.

But if you are bringing unaccompanied baggage and/or you have excess duty-free restrictions, then you must complete a customs declaration in writing.

You can import without customs duty:

500 g of tobacco or 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars

3 bottles (750 ml each) of alcoholic drinks

2 ounces (just under 60 g) perfume

Gifts and souvenirs worth no more than 200 thousand yen (about $2,000)

And don’t forget about the age of majority in Japan - it’s 20 years old! Therefore, persons under 20 years of age are NOT allowed to import alcohol and tobacco.

You can find out more about customs rules on the Japanese Customs website (English): www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/passenger.html

Medicines

It is allowed to import medicines without a narcotic component into Japan in any quantity. Officially, there are quantitative restrictions on the import of medicines and cosmetics. For example, for medicines - the amount for use within 2 months. If you are bringing medications in larger quantities, you must have a doctor's prescription for these medications with you.

But in practice my personal experience for 13 years it has shown that no one really checks this. I myself, without any problems, imported medicines and vitamins in quantities for a period of more than 2 months, for example, for 3 and 6 months, no one ever asked me or forced me to show anything. Yes, for the medications that were prescribed to me, I had with me both a prescription and a doctor’s report, however, there were many medications that I bought myself without a prescription, such as vitamins, dietary supplements or for my personal first aid kit, and there were no prescriptions for them was. During all my flights between Russia and Japan, I have never had any problems at customs at the Japanese airport.

More information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/import/index.html

Vaccinations and quarantine

Foreigners are not required to have vaccination certificates to enter Japan.

Importing animals and plants into Japan is a rather complicated and lengthy procedure, so I recommend that you check all the details and requirements in advance on the quarantine service website: http://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/index.html

I myself had no experience of importing plants and animals to Japan, so I would like to give more detailed information And unfortunately, I can’t give you any advice on this matter.

But for one important point I would like to immediately draw your attention. In Japan, keeping animals, even small ones, is prohibited in many apartment buildings. The realtor usually informs about this immediately, or it is indicated on the real estate agency’s website. It will also be specified in the lease agreement. Therefore, having a pet will make your life in Japan more difficult in a certain sense, since it will become more difficult for you to find a suitable apartment or room in the country.

It is also not allowed to keep animals in student dormitories, so if you plan to bring your pet to Japan, you will not be able to live in the school dormitory with it, you will have to look for separate housing, and one where this is allowed.

There are certainly apartments where pets are allowed in Japan, but you will need to specifically look for them. There is also no ban on keeping animals in your own private homes.

Electricity

In my previous notes with advice for travelers to Japan and reminders, I already wrote about the import of electrical appliances to Japan, but I think it wouldn’t hurt to repeat it.

Firstly, the mains voltage in Japan is 100 volts. Secondly, Japan mainly has Asian-American flat sockets. Although in some large hotels in Tokyo and others major cities, where foreigners often stay, there are European-type outlets. But still, basically all houses and most hotels have Japanese flat sockets.

Therefore, to use your electrical appliances, you will need either an adapter transformer or just an adapter (depending on the electrical appliance). You can ask for an adapter at the hotel, but it is better to take the precaution of bringing your own to Japan.

Well, if you are a student and plan to live in a dormitory or in a separate apartment, then definitely either immediately bring your adapter, or you can buy it in Japan, in stores such as Yodobashi Camera, and even I have seen recently in some such adapters. For example, below is my photo from Daiso.

Tips

If someone visits the USA, other Asian or European countries, are accustomed to leaving tips in hotels and restaurants.

But it’s not for nothing that they say that Japan is another planet! This is true. In Japan, it is not customary to leave a tip, literally at all. Therefore, it initially greatly affects foreign visitors, tourists and students.

Although the answer is on the surface - usually the cost of service in the amount of 10-15% is already included in the bills of restaurants and hotels. Therefore, you should not try to hand over a 100-yen coin or a dollar or euro to the hotel employee who brought your suitcase - they will politely refuse.

But in ryokans there is a tradition similar to tipping - 心付 (kokorozuke) - a unique type of tipping. These small amounts are usually given in special envelopes by regular Japanese clients, even before check-in.

If you have any questions or clarifications, please email