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Cashless in Japan: Understanding What’s Available & How to Use It
Wanna go cashless in Japan? You have options. Almost too many, in fact. Here’s what’s available — for both tourists and residents.
One of the more pressing concerns when visiting or living in Japan is: how do you pay for things? Not too long ago, the most ready answer was cold, hard cash. But a sharp move towards contactless payments has fostered a dizzying array of options. Here’s a rundown of the options available — and how ubiquitous they are — for both tourists and residents.
The rapid advancement of cashless payments
Back when we first started UJ, I wrote about cashless payments in Japan. The status back then in 2018 was…well, less than good. Japan was clearly behind most of the rest of the world — particularly South Korea and China — in contactless payments. Credit card usage was low and cash was king.
That changed rapidly in 2018 with the introduction of the mobile payment app PayPay. Combined with a certain public health crisis that necessitated reducing human contact, cashless in Japan accelerated rapidly.
