Many foreign visitors to Japan think that, "We can manage with a credit card alone," but Japan is one of the world's largest cash-depending countries. It is said that the spread of credit cards and electronic money is relatively slow in Japan among developed countries.
Recently, the public and private sectors have been working together to increase the convenience of foreign tourists by promoting the use of credit cards, electronic money at stores and railways, and electronic wallets for smartphones. Cash payments, however, are still the mainstream in small shops and depopulated areas.
In Japan, there are fewer currency exchange points than in other countries, and it is rare to find exchange points in railway stations, hotels, tourist information centers, etc., In addition, most bank ATMs are unavailable during nighttime. On the other hand, most convenience store ATMs can be used 24 hours a day.
Cashing at convenience stores is convenient for obtaining cash. There are more than 55,000 convenience stores in Japan (as of 2020), many of which have ATMs.
Major convenience store chains have ATMs that can be operated not only in English but also in multi-languages. It is possible to get the required cash at any time by inserting your credit card and following the instructions.
