Money Matters in Hakuba Valley
Money Matters in Hakuba Valley
While electronic money is highly developed in Japan, banking is still way behind the 8-ball. Credit card use is growing, but the concept of debit cards does not really exist in Japan. If you have a debit card with a VISA, MasterCard logo on it, you will be able to use it, however the transactions are run as credit cards, so many places add a surcharge to cover the high costs charged by Japanese merchant accounts (2-4% in general).
Japanese money is Yen, and there are Coins for 1-500 yen, and notes for 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000yen. 2,000yen notes were brought out for the millennium but are not widely circulated.
Most bank ATM’s still do not accept overseas issued cards, so you are left to 2 main sources, Post Offices and Convenience Stores.
Post offices in Japan keep limited hours, and often close on holidays, so the Seven Eleven and Lawson networks are generally the easiest to guarantee getting cash out.
Almost all international ATMs will have an language selection button on them.
Hakuba Base Camp and Happo Information Center both have automatic currency exchange machines installed, but again you are limited to their operating hours.
Exchange rates may vary and it is often better to use credit card than to exchange cash.
There are 2 main banks in Hakuba. 82 Bank is the largest and located up the road from Hakuba station. Nagano Bank is located on route 148 to the north of Hakuba Station. You can exchange notes from most major currencies in these banks. Note that the ATM at these banks do not accept overseas cards.
While electronic money is highly developed in Japan, banking is still way behind the 8-ball. Credit card use is growing, but the concept of debit cards does not really exist in Japan. If you have a debit card with a VISA, MasterCard logo on it, you will be able to use it, however the transactions are run as credit cards, so many places add a surcharge to cover the high costs charged by Japanese merchant accounts (2-4% in general).
Japanese money is Yen, and there are Coins for 1-500 yen, and notes for 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000yen. 2,000yen notes were brought out for the millennium but are not widely circulated.
Most bank ATM’s still do not accept overseas issued cards, so you are left to 2 main sources, Post Offices and Convenience Stores.
Post offices in Japan keep limited hours, and often close on holidays, so the Seven Eleven and Lawson networks are generally the easiest to guarantee getting cash out.
Almost all international ATMs will have an language selection button on them.
Hakuba Base Camp and Happo Information Center both have automatic currency exchange machines installed, but again you are limited to their operating hours.
Exchange rates may vary and it is often better to use credit card than to exchange cash.
There are 2 main banks in Hakuba. 82 Bank is the largest and located up the road from Hakuba station. Nagano Bank is located on route 148 to the north of Hakuba Station. You can exchange notes from most major currencies in these banks. Note that the ATM at these banks do not accept overseas cards.