Japan travel guides
Money & phones
Cash, cards, tax-free shopping, eSIMs and pocket WiFi.
Money & phones
3 guides
How much does a trip to Japan cost? A budget, item by item
Japan has a reputation for being expensive, but day to day it is often cheaper than London, Paris or New York: a great bowl of ramen costs less than a sandwich at home, and city transport is cheap. The big costs are your flight, where you sleep and any long-distance trains. This guide lists typical prices from JNTO, builds three sample daily budgets, adds up the one-off costs, and shares the tricks that make a real difference.23 Oct 2026
Money in Japan: cash, cards, ATMs and the new tax-free refunds
Japan has gone a long way towards cards and contactless, but cash still matters more than in the US or most of Europe, especially outside the big cities. This guide explains how much cash to carry, which ATMs take your card, where cards and phone payments work and where they do not, why you should not tip, and how tax-free shopping changes on 1 November 2026, when tax is no longer taken off at the till but refunded at the airport.23 Oct 2026
Japan eSIM, SIM or pocket Wi-Fi: how to stay online in Japan
You will lean on your phone in Japan far more than at home: maps through station mazes, train times, translation, restaurant bookings and disaster alerts. This guide compares the three ways to get data (eSIM, SIM card and pocket Wi-Fi), shows how much data a typical trip uses, explains why roaming from the US or Europe can get expensive, and walks you through setting up an eSIM before you fly. Our pick for an eSIM is Zwitchy, and we explain why.23 Oct 2026
