Currency in Japan: JPY Send & Spend FX Guide
Resources for Expats, Travelers and Entrepreneurs Navigating Life and Trade in Japan with the Japanese yen.
What's in this Japan currency guide?
What currency is used in Japan?
The official currency of Japan (country code: JP) is the Japanese yen, with symbol ¥ and currency code JPY.
What is a good Japanese yen exchange rate?
The BestExchangeRates.com currency comparison table below helps you see the total cost of your currency transaction by showing the exchange rates offered by different providers. It also makes it easy to spot potential savings from market-leading FX services compared to bank rates.
To see a full list of rates, enter your transaction type, currencies and amount then click ‘GET RATES’:
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Frequently Asked Questions
What currency should I use in Japan?
The domestic currency in Japan is the Japanese yen.
What is the Japanese yen currency code and symbol?
The three letter currency code for the Japanese yen is JPY — symbol is ¥.
What does the Japanese yen look like?
Here is an example Japanese yen banknote:
Which countries use the Japanese yen?
It is the domestic currency in Japan.
Is the Japanese yen a closed currency?
No, the Japanese yen is freely available and convertible. See guide: What is a closed currency?
What are equivalent amounts of USD and JPY?
Here are some popular conversion amounts for USD to JPY (US dollar to Japanese yen)*.
*Converted at the current USDJPY interbank exchange rate. Calculate actual payout amounts for Send Money and Travel Money exchange rates.
Travel money for Japan
Using Wise for Japanese yen travel money is a smart choice for savvy travelers. With its competitive exchange rates and low fees, Wise allows you to convert and manage multiple currencies effortlessly.
Be careful when using your own bank's Debit/Credit Card, as your bank may also charge an extra 3% as an “Overseas Transaction Charge” plus “Overseas ATM” fees for withdrawing cash on top of the standard Visa/Mastercard 2.5% from market mid-rate.
For card purchases, if you are offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in Japanese yen otherwise you will typically get much worst dynamic currency conversion (DCC) exchange rates.
If you really want Japanese yen cash before departure, you can save money by ordering online. You generally get better rates and can pick up the JPY cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.
USD/JPY Market Data
The below interactive chart displays the USD/JPY change and UP📈 DOWN📉 trends over the past 1 Year.
Send Money to Japan - Best Rates
To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Japan you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).
The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.
You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.
Get a better deal for foreign transfers to Japan
When sending money to Japan it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :
- Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
- You specify the local or Japanese yen amount you want to transfer
- Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
- Once your funds are received by the provider the converted JPY amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Japan.
Use the above calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Japanese yen deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!
