The Japanese Yen (JPY, ¥) is the official currency of Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and the rest of the country. Convert pounds, euros and dollars with an indicative rate, then see cash, card, ATM and buying-yen notes — Wayfare does not sell yen.
Indicative sample rates for demonstration — not live market data.
Quick conversions
Tap an amount to fill the converter.
Exchange rate
Indicative rates for travel planning — not dealing quotes.
GBP → JPY
1 GBP
205.00 JPY
1 JPY
0.0049 GBP
Indicative sample rates for demonstration — not live market data.
Plan
A simple estimate of trip spend in pounds and japanese yen. Not an official recommended budget — the travel money planner is the full trip-planning product.
Total GBP
£1,400.00
Estimated JPY
¥287,000
Estimate only — using demo data. Actual rates and fees can vary by provider, so the amount you actually spend can differ. For a cash versus card split, open the travel money planner.
Travel money
Practical choices for cash, cards, ATMs and exchange when you're using japanese yen.
Carry some yen for vending machines, smaller restaurants, temple donations, markets and rural stops. You rarely need a whole trip in notes, but Japan still has more cash-only corners than the UK. Keep an emergency amount separate from daily spending. A ¥10,000 note is useful; keep smaller notes and coins for machines.
Hotels, department stores, chain restaurants and many city shops take chip-and-PIN and contactless. Check your card’s foreign-transaction fees. IC cards (Suica, Pasmo and similar) are the practical way to pay on trains and at many convenience stores. Away from the centre, have yen ready rather than assuming a terminal will work. Sketch a trip total on the travel money planner if you want a cash-versus-card split.
Not every Japanese bank machine accepts a foreign card. 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs are the usual starting point for UK and other overseas cards; airport machines are a backup on arrival. Withdraw yen when you need it. Some operators add a fee on screen — this page does not assume a standard Japanese ATM charge. Use the ATM withdrawal calculator if you want a rough cost before you travel.
You can buy yen at a UK bureau before you fly, or exchange after you land. Banks, bureaux and airport desks set their own rates, fees and stock — Wayfare does not sell notes or list shops near you. In Japan, city banks and exchange houses may quote differently again. Compare how many ¥ you would receive for a set pound amount after any commission, then use the Travel Money hub for a fuller buying checklist.
If a Japanese ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in pounds rather than yen, the operator is applying its own conversion (DCC). Choosing JPY usually keeps the clearer total. Compare the on-screen figures before you confirm — neither path is always cheaper.
Notes commonly seen are ¥1,000, ¥5,000 and ¥10,000; a ¥2,000 note exists but is uncommon. Coins are ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500. Providers earn through a rate margin, a fee, or both. This page does not list bank-specific charges. Browse other published currencies in the currency explorer if your trip uses more than yen.
Plan a trip budgetEstimate an ATM withdrawalHow to buy travel money
Facts
Code, symbol and where JPY is used.
Guide
Key facts about JPY, how its rate is set and how to read a quote.
The Japanese Yen is Japan’s official currency, issued by the Bank of Japan. Its ISO code is JPY and its symbol is ¥, usually written before the amount (for example ¥1,000). Everyday prices are in whole yen — the old sen subdivision is not used in shops. International listings use JPY so yen is not confused with the Chinese yuan, which can share the same ¥ mark.
The same notes and coins are legal tender nationwide: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido, Okinawa and smaller towns. You do not change money when you travel between prefectures. A hotel or tour desk may also show a pound or dollar figure as a convenience quote; that is not a second official currency.
If you are looking up Japanese money for a trip, the unit in your hand is the yen. Convenience stores, vending machines, rail tickets and most restaurants price in JPY. Stored-value travel cards such as Suica or Pasmo also spend yen — they are a way to pay, not a different currency.
Japan is more cash-friendly than a typical UK high street, especially at smaller restaurants, temples, markets and in the countryside. Hotels, department stores and many city shops take cards. An IC card covers trains and a growing list of convenience-store tills. Plan for a mix rather than assuming contactless will work everywhere.
A JPY exchange rate is how many yen one unit of another currency converts into. A GBP/JPY figure of 205 means one pound buys about ¥205 on that quote. EUR/JPY and USD/JPY work the same way for euros and dollars. The number on a board is not automatically the amount you receive.
Banks, UK bureaux, Japanese desks and cards usually add a margin, a fee, or both. A stronger-looking headline rate can still pay out fewer yen once those extras are included. Compare the total ¥ you would actually get for a round sum such as £100 or £500 — not the advertised rate alone. Wayfare does not rank providers.
Figures in the converter are indicative so you can see the arithmetic. They are not a dealing quote. A bureau or card will use its own number.
Pairs are written base-first. In GBP/JPY the pound is the base, so the number is how many yen one pound buys: a sample rate of 205 means £1 ≈ ¥205. EUR/JPY is how many yen one euro buys; USD/JPY is how many yen one dollar buys. The figures look large because a single yen is a small unit.
To convert pounds, multiply by the GBP/JPY rate (£100 × 205 = ¥20,500 on this demo figure). Results are whole yen. To go back, divide yen by the same rate. Use the converter on this page — or the dedicated currency converter — to try other amounts. The result is indicative only.
FAQ
Quick answers to common questions about the Japanese Yen and converting to it.
Japan uses the Japanese Yen (JPY), including in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The same notes and coins are legal tender nationwide. A pound or dollar figure on a hotel or tour desk is a convenience quote, not a second official currency.
The Japanese Yen is the official currency of Japan. Its code is JPY and its symbol is ¥. Everyday amounts are in whole yen.
Yes. Yen is the everyday name for the currency; Japanese Yen is the full name and JPY is its international code. All three refer to the same money, written ¥.
JPY is the ISO 4217 code for the Japanese Yen. Banks, cards and converters use it so yen is not confused with other currencies that share a ¥-style symbol.
The usual symbol is ¥, written before the amount (for example ¥1,000). International listings also show JPY.
Multiply the pound amount by the GBP/JPY rate. On this page’s demo figure of 205, £100 is ¥20,500. The converter shows an indicative result, not what a bureau or card will pay out.
Divide the yen amount by the GBP/JPY rate, or swap the currencies in the converter on this page. The figure is indicative for planning, not a dealing quote.
Common options are a UK bank or bureau before you travel, a Japanese bank or exchange house after you arrive, or a foreign-card ATM. Stock, hours and fees vary by provider. Wayfare does not sell yen — compare the amount received after charges, and use the Travel Money hub for a buying checklist.
You can buy yen notes in the UK, exchange after you arrive, withdraw from a foreign-card ATM, or spend on a card that converts when you pay. Compare the yen you would actually receive after fees — not a headline rate. Use the converter on this page as an indicative planning figure, then judge any real quote against it.
A modest amount of yen is useful for vending machines, smaller restaurants, temples and rural stops. You do not usually need to carry most of a Japan trip in cash. Keep a small emergency amount separate.
In hotels, department stores and many city shops, yes. Check foreign-transaction fees. Smaller restaurants, some temples and rural businesses still prefer cash. An IC card is useful for trains and convenience stores.
Yes, if your card works abroad — but not every Japanese bank machine takes foreign cards. 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs are the usual starting point. Read any fee on screen and compare a pounds conversion offer before you accept it. Estimate cost first with the ATM withdrawal tool.
When a machine or terminal offers to charge you in pounds, that is often dynamic currency conversion. Choosing JPY usually keeps the clearer total — compare the on-screen figures before you confirm. Neither option is always cheaper.
There is no single right amount. Start from daily spend × days, then decide a cash share for machines, temples and rural stops. Use the travel budget sketch on this page, then the travel money planner for a fuller cash-versus-card plan.
Wayfare shows an indicative sample or reference rate for planning. A bank, bureau, exchange house, card or ATM uses its own dealing rate and may add a margin or fee. Always compare the yen you would actually receive.
Next
Use JPY with the converter, planner and ATM tools, or open another published currency.