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Originally Posted by jaydorn
We went for a week over Christmas last year, miss the hell out of it and can't wait to head back. ...
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You mean 2014 or did you actually go again this past Christmas???
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydorn
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In terms of cash... it's a crap shoot. You just have to get over the mental block of carrying a ton of cash in Japan, I did use my visa a few times, without issue, but there weren't a ton of merchants that accepted credit cards. We purchased YEN at the exchanges here in Calgary before we left....
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I don't know about this one. We read about this too and brought Japanese money with us (exchanged at the Chinook Centre currency exchange outlet). We've encountered only a few places in four cities we've visited, where credit cards were not accepted. Usually, small mom&pop shops at street markets. Hotels, restaurants, bars, museums, shops at shopping centres, even temples and shrines - all take plastic. We probably would have HAD to use an equivalent of $200 in cash only in two weeks. Japanese bills are bigger than $CDN/$US bills and don't fit in North American wallets properly. They stick out. Plus, they have a variety of coin denominations that you'd need to learn. Anyway, I wouldn't fret too much about bringing lots of cash.
Kunkstyle: One more tip. You will need cash or plastic wallet card to ride subway trains. Get a
Suiko wallet card when you exchange your Japan Rail Pass voucher at the airport JR Office and put $100 on it right there. Very convenient. You just flash it at all public transit turnstiles and it debits the balance automatically. Plus, all 7-11's and many other stores take it as payment.