Buy rate vs sell rate at Japanese exchange shops: a 60-second clarifier

At every Japanese exchange shop, the rate board has two columns labeled from the SHOP'S perspective: "WE BUY" (お買取) is what they pay you when you sell them foreign cash, and "WE SELL" (お売り) is what they charge you when you buy foreign cash from them. The columns are from the shop's perspective, not yours — a confusion that costs travelers unnecessary mental friction. This 60-second guide settles it.

TL;DR

• Selling foreign cash for yen? Look at the WE BUY column.
• Buying foreign cash with yen? Look at the WE SELL column.
• WE BUY rate is always lower than WE SELL (gap = spread).
• For arriving tourists with USD/EUR/CNY: the WE BUY column is the relevant one.

What does each column mean?

The label is the shop's action:

WE BUY (お買取)

The shop is buying foreign currency from you. You are selling your USD/EUR/etc. to them and receiving yen.

For an arriving tourist with $500 USD:

• WE BUY rate of 149.00 means you receive ¥74,500
• This is the column that matters for arriving tourists

WE SELL (お売り)

The shop is selling foreign currency to you. You are paying yen to receive USD/EUR/etc.

For a departing tourist needing $100 USD:

• WE SELL rate of 154.00 means you pay ¥15,400
• This is the column that matters for departing tourists or travelers heading abroad

Quick example

A Tokyo shop's USD board:

| Column | Rate (1 USD =) | Direction | |---|---|---| | WE BUY | 149.00 JPY | We buy your $1; you receive ¥149 | | WE SELL | 154.00 JPY | We sell you $1; you pay ¥154 |

Customer with $500 USD cash → WE BUY × 500 = ¥74,500. Customer paying for $500 USD → WE SELL × 500 = ¥77,000.

The shop's spread: ¥5 per $1 exchanged.

Why is the rate from the shop's perspective?

Banking convention. Throughout the financial industry, rates are quoted from the dealer's perspective:

• A bank's "USD bid" rate = what the bank pays for USD
• A bank's "USD ask" rate = what the bank charges for USD
• The customer reads it as the inverse

Japanese exchange shops follow this convention with English/ Japanese labels.

What about ATMs?

ATMs always show the rate from your perspective — "1 USD = X JPY." No buy/sell confusion because the ATM only does one direction (you withdraw yen, the rate converts your home currency).

For ATMs:

• "Pay in JPY or your home currency?" — always JPY
• The rate displayed on the ATM screen is what your card-issuing bank applies to convert

What this means for your trip

• ✅ For arriving tourists: read the WE BUY column.
• ✅ For departing/abroad-bound travelers: read the WE SELL column.
• ✅ Higher BUY rate = better for arriving tourists.
• ✅ Lower SELL rate = better for departing travelers.
• ⚠️ Don't confuse: WE BUY < WE SELL, always. The gap is the shop's profit.

Frequently asked questions

Are the columns ever labeled in English?

Yes — most central Tokyo shops label them clearly: "WE BUY" and "WE SELL" in English alongside Japanese. Smaller shops may only use Japanese labels.

What if the rate board only shows one column?

Some shops show a "rate" column that defaults to the WE BUY rate (most common transaction direction). Ask "Sell rate?" or "WE SELL?" if you need the other direction.

Is "buy rate" sometimes called "bid"?

Yes — banking jargon: "bid" = WE BUY; "ask" = WE SELL. Tourist shops typically don't use these terms.

How does this apply to Wise/Revolut?

Wise/Revolut don't have separate buy/sell rates — they convert at mid-market with a flat disclosed fee. Same number for both directions; the fee is what differs.

Open it live in Yen Finder

Yen Finder labels rates from the customer's perspective: "You receive" and "You pay" instead of WE BUY/WE SELL. The information is the same; the framing makes it instantly readable.

See also

• Article #1 — What is the mid-market rate?
• Article #3 — How money changers actually make money
• Article #7 — Hidden fees at exchange counters

Last verified 2026-05-07.