Just a few quick questions for my upcoming break in Tokyo. Do I need to take plenty of cash with me or will finding ATMs be easy? Also, do more places take charge cards these days or are most establishments still cash only?

Assuming I don't eat at top end places all the time, what should I budget for on a daily basis (on top of accomodation)?

Thanks in advance
I

ATMs are every 100 feet (or so it seems). Some don't accept 6-digit pin but all take 4-digit pin -- that might be an issue if you do have a 6-digit pin card. Cash is still widely used but almost all shops you are likely to encounter accept credit cards now. Costs vary widely in Japan, for example if you must have a melon you can spend USD 50 for a piece of fruit, or you can spend USD 3 for a McDonald's hamburger. Even a cup of coffee can range in price by a factor of 10 ... you can control your costs quite effectively in Japan. I budget 10,000 yen per day, excluding dinner and shopping, and that is fairly lavish.

We have plenty of ATMs in Japan, I think. But the problem is that most of them don't operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Daytime, you probably don't need to worry. Before the sun goes down, withdraw enough cash.

If you are in Tokyo, Lawson convenience stores take most credit cards -- Amex, Master, VISA.

Wow, simultaneous posts!

McDonald's has a 59 yen burger. A Big Mac is 250 yen, according to their web site. One dollar goes for 118 yen right now. There are some low-cost Japanese noodle shops, if you like them.

Thankyou very much for the replies. I seem to have been spot on with my own budgeting (approx £50/$80 a day) though I think I'll be avoiding McDonalds!

Regards
I

Credit cards are widely accepted in all major Japanese cities, although Japan is still a cash society. It is not unusual to see people carrying large wads of ¥10,000 notes, especially for a big night on the town.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Chiangi:
We have plenty of ATMs in Japan, I think. But the problem is that most of them don't operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week....
</font>

Hmmm. This puzzles me. I was in Japan last month and I found that ATMs displaying the Cirrus and/or Plus logos were few and far between. I did find local bank ATMs very frequently, but they would not dispense cash for my USA-issued ATM. I had to go out of my way to Citibank (for example) to use my ATM. At one local ATM, the telephone "help line" employee came out from behind the ATM machines, looked at my card and directed me away from her machines to another, much less obvious location to use my card.

It seemed to me that ATMS were indeed very common, but the ones I could use were much less common. I have successfully used my ATM throughout Europe and many parts of Asia. Was I doing something wrong in Japan?


[This message has been edited by Flexible Flyer (edited 05-11-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Flexible Flyer:
It seemed to me that ATMS were indeed very common, but the ones I could use were much less common.</font>

You're right. ATMs are very common in Japan, but only a small percentage of them take non-Japanese cards. That percentage is growing... slowly. In the meantime, try the post office. ATMs in post office lobbies are more likely to accept foreign cards than the machines at the corner bank.

While credit cards are widely accepted, most of the mom-and-pop restaurants where one would look for tasty yet inexpensive meals in Japan are cash only.

Starting at the bottom of the scale, typical Japanese meals in Tokyo can cost:
- ~Y120 for an 'onigiri' (riceball) at a convenience store. Excellent when famished between meals http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif
- &gt;Y200 for a large loaf of fresh bread: fills a stomach for much less than specialty bread...
- Y200-300 for a bowl of gyudon (beef on rice) at Yoshinoya's. Low class, but ubiquitous. Cheapest hot non-fast food.
- Y400-800 for a bowl of ramen. The better ones are really good! Optional rice and gyoza (dumplings) for the truly hungry.
- a little more for a bowl of udon or soba. A self-respecting udon shop won't serve ramen, and vice-versa! Usually has curry rice for ~Y600.
- ~Y900 if careful at a kaiten-sushi (self-serve sushi). Above Y1,500, go to a real sushi shop.
- ~&gt;Y800 for tonkatsu (pork cutlets), with rice and salad.

All the above include unlimited green tea or tap water, so have no hidden costs. No tips either. They are the Japanese salaryman's staple (except the bread...)

Proper sit down meals take over at around Y1,000, and numerous chains compete in the Y500-1,000 range with simple set meals and fast food of all kinds.

For reference, a cheap French dinner or a plentiful sushi dinner at a reasonable outfit would cost ~Y5,000, and an 'ethnic' (Mexican, Italian, Thai, etc.) one Y2-3,000. I didn't feel I got good values out of my dates at French restaurants in Tokyo http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif


To simplify your transportation outlay, buy a prepaid card good for most subway lines in Tokyo.


I usually carry about Y30,000 in my wallet in Japan, in the US $30-50, in Europe something in between.




[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 05-12-2003).]

For ATMs that work on foreign cards, look for your nearest international hotel and the ATMs there will usually dispense cash from foreign issued cards.

You can find ATMs that accept foreign issued cards at Post Offices. They are only open 8:45-17:00 usually, but post offices are everywhere and I have been using my US bank issued Visa no problem.

Now I'm in Tokyo, I notice the odd Citi Bank on my travels (there's one very close to Shinjuku station, South Entrance) so money is not a problem (and everywhere I've been takes credit card).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Chiangi:
If you are in Tokyo, Lawson convenience stores take most credit cards -- Amex, Master, VISA.</font>

Can you clarify if you mean the store takes the cards for purchases, or do you mean that the ATM in the store will take them for cash withdrawls? Also, do these machines take interntionally-issued cards like the ones at the Post Office, or are they limited to domestic cards like many banks?

As of my most recent trip to Japan (2 years ago), getting cash at ATMs using a non-Japanese card was most difficult, even for machines that displayed a MasterCard/Visa logo. The only reliable way to get cash in Japan at this point was to go to a Citibank ATM. They also had the advantage of being open 24/7, unlike most banks' machines. One problem with the Citibank solution is that you may find the branches few and far between if you are outside the greater Tokyo area. Most of the major international airports in Japan have a Citibank machine, so my suggestion would be to make a withdrawal before leaving the airport, and make careful plans if you are going to travel beyond Tokyo until you can verify that your card will work at the Post Office and/or the convenience store machines.

I have a BoA ATM card (PLUS network) and had no problems getting cash from ATMs in Post Offices (Apr 2003).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Steve M:
Also, do these machines take interntionally-issued cards like the ones at the Post Office, or are they limited to domestic cards like many banks?
</font>

Steve M, those Lawson convenience stores take credit cards for purchases. I don't know if their cash dispensors take cards issued abroad. I don't have any and I don't usually use them. (I go for bank ATMs.)

I had the worst experience with ATMs in Akihabara, found some great computer equipment, they would only take CASH. I needed to find an ATM, no luck... for 30 mins, eventually stumbled on one, it was in complete Japanese (i was struggling), i asked someone using another ATM there who didn't speak a word of english :-), then i tried calling the help phone, they didn't speak any english, i eventually worked out the english function on the ATM and found out that it wasn't a foreign card accepted ATM argh! :-)