Travel to Japan: how to buy yen?

When planning a trip to Japan, one question always arises: how to get Yen? Although it is possible to withdraw yen or pay with his French bank card, it still advises to have liquid on you (especially when you know the culture of cash in Japan).

Note that the machines of subway companies, as well as many hotels and restaurants do not accept payment by credit card. Moreover, Japan being a very safe country, you take only few risks in walking with a big sum on you.

If you still decide to withdraw the yen you need as you travel and / or pay for your big purchases in BC, remember to check your weekly limit with your bank and increase it if needed. .

Otherwise, here is an article that presents the most advantageous and / or most practical solutions to change your Euros in Yen (according to my experience, do not hesitate if you have other suggestions).

Know the course of the Yen

First and foremost, here is an essential tool to know and follow the currency rate and to compare the rate of the Yen against your currency: http://www.xe.com/en/currencyconverter/ . The site is also available in mobile application, rather practical!

The different solutions to buy Yen

Your bank

Generally speaking, French banks have relatively few yen in reserve, as this currency is not in high demand (in comparison with the dollar for example). Always check with your bank for rates, commission and deadlines. If, after comparing with the exchange rate on XE the offer of your bank seems appropriate to you, do not hesitate.

Currency exchange offices online

This is often the most practical and cheapest solution!  We create an online account, we place his order by choosing the amount we want to get in aud to yen or Euros, and then we pay with his credit card. It is necessary to envisage a scan of a piece of identity to load on the site at the time of the creation of the account for security measure. Then we receive his tickets in an envelope by deliveryman against signature. It costs 21 € for delivery which is done in 24 to 48h days.

Airport exchange offices

In France, it is advisable to avoid the bureaux de change of the airports which apply a rate often lower than that of the stock exchange and take astronomical commission charges!

In Japan, foreign exchange is generally managed by banks, post offices, some large hotels and a handful of exchange offices that can be found in the city center and at international airports. The advantage of waiting to be in Japan to get Yen depends on the currency you hold and its value at the time of your visit. For example, at the moment the favorable price of the Euro makes it a highly traded foreign currency in Japan and you could get a good rate.

Exchange offices in the city

If you live in Paris or fly in Paris, there is a very interesting exchange office in the Opera district called “Gold and change”  : the withdrawal is free and the rate charged very interesting! There is no minimum amount and you can change up to 5000 €. You can also choose your cuts and resell your currencies in an agency.