Cash still matters, and the convenience-store ATM is your friend

Japan takes cards far more than it did a few years ago, but plenty of small restaurants, temples, markets, and countryside shops are still cash only. The reliable places to withdraw with a foreign card are the ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores (Seven Bank) and at post offices; bank ATMs often reject overseas cards. Load a Suica or Pasmo card for trains, buses, vending machines, and convenience stores, and keep some yen in coins for shrine offerings and lockers.