Yen denominations in 2026: every bill and coin, what they're worth, and when you'll actually use each one
⚡ 30-Second Answer: Japanese yen = 4 banknotes (¥10,000/¥5,000/¥2,000/¥1,000) + 6 coins (¥500/¥100/¥50/¥10/¥5/¥1). ¥2,000 notes barely circulate — vending machines often reject them. Both new and old notes valid (new design issued July 2024). Recommended tourist mix: 10× ¥1,000 + 1-2× ¥10,000 + small change covers most scenarios.
Quick Reference Value Notes ¥10K/¥5K/¥2K/¥1K Coins ¥500/¥100/¥50/¥10/¥5/¥1 ¥2,000 Rare circulation New vs old Both valid Tourist mix 10× ¥1K + 1-2× ¥10K Last verified June 2026
Japanese yen has 4 active banknote denominations and 6 coin denominations — fewer than the US (7 + 6) and similar to the EU (7 + 8). The active set is ¥1,000 / ¥5,000 / ¥10,000 banknotes (plus the rare ¥2,000) and ¥1 / ¥5 / ¥10 / ¥50 / ¥100 / ¥500 coins. ATMs default to dispensing ¥10,000 bills, which means your first cash-handling decision in Japan is "where do I break this?" Once you've made that decision, the rest follows automatically — ¥1,000 bills for small shops, coins for vending machines and Suica top-ups, ¥10,000s reserved for ryokan deposits and large hotel cash.
TL;DR
- Active banknotes: ¥1,000 / ¥5,000 / ¥10,000 (the 2024 redesign is in parallel circulation with the 2004 series — both legal tender)
- The ¥2,000 banknote: exists, still legal tender, almost never circulates outside Okinawa
- Coins: ¥1 / ¥5 / ¥10 / ¥50 / ¥100 / ¥500 (the ¥500 coin had a major redesign in 2021)
- Cultural note: ¥5 coins (read "go-en") are considered lucky (homonym for "fortune"); donate them at shrines
- Day-1 priority: break a ¥10,000 at a konbini for ¥1,000 bills + ¥500 coins — see article #83
Banknotes
¥10,000 (Fukuzawa Yukichi 2004 / Shibusawa Eiichi 2024)
- Approximate USD value: ~$65 (varies with FX, JPY ~152 per USD recently)
- Color: brown (2004) or pale blue/grey (2024)
- Where it comes from: every Japanese ATM defaults to this. Get cash from Seven Bank → you get ¥10,000 bills
- Where it works: konbini, department stores, supermarkets, JR ticket machines, chain restaurants, major hotels, all hassle-free
- Where it's awkward: small family-run shops (limited change), food stalls, ¥150 vending machines
- Day-1 strategy: break one at any konbini within 30 minutes of arrival; see article #83 for the full playbook
¥5,000 (Higuchi Ichiyō 2004 / Tsuda Umeko 2024)
- Approximate USD value: ~$33
- Color: violet/purple
- Where it comes from: change from ¥10,000 at a small shop, or specifically requested at a bank/post office
- Where it works: most places, but less commonly handled than ¥1,000 or ¥10,000
- Practical tip: not a denomination you'll often actively seek out; you'll receive them as change
¥2,000 (Shureimon Gate, Murasaki Shikibu — 2000 commemorative)
- Approximate USD value: ~$13
- Color: green
- Status: still legal tender, but almost never seen outside Okinawa (where it's a local pride note)
- History: Issued in 2000 to commemorate the G8 Summit in Okinawa and the millennium. Not part of the regular series; production was discontinued, and Bank of Japan keeps a stock for collectors and tourism
- If you receive one: treat it as a souvenir or spend it normally — both work. Most ATMs and vending machines accept it, though older terminals sometimes reject the unusual design.
¥1,000 (Noguchi Hideyo 2004 / Kitasato Shibasaburō 2024)
- Approximate USD value: ~$6.50
- Color: blue
- Where it comes from: change from breaking a ¥10,000 or ¥5,000, or specifically requested at a bank/post office
- Where it works: everywhere — this is the workhorse denomination for daily purchases, small restaurants, vending machines that take bills (most do up to ¥1,000), and small family shops
- Practical tip: aim to always have 5–10 ¥1,000 bills in your wallet. Get them by breaking ¥10,000s at konbini.
Coins
Japanese coins have a distinctive feature: ¥5 and ¥50 coins have a hole in the middle. This is partly historical (easier to string on a chord pre-1948) and partly tactile (easy to identify by touch), and it's a defining quirk.
¥500 (silver-colored, large)
- Approximate USD value: ~$3.30
- Notable: had a major redesign in 2021 with a two-color design (silver outer ring, copper inner core) to combat counterfeiting. Both 2021+ and the older single-color silver design are legal tender.
- Use cases: vending machines (almost all accept it), bus fares, train ticket machines, small shop change
¥100 (silver-colored, medium)
- Approximate USD value: ~$0.65
- Use cases: the most-handled coin denomination — vending machines, parking meters, coin-operated lockers (~¥300–¥500), convenience-store small purchases
¥50 (silver-colored with a hole)
- Approximate USD value: ~$0.33
- Use cases: change accumulator, occasional small purchases. The hole helps distinguish it from ¥100 by feel.
¥10 (copper-colored)
- Approximate USD value: ~$0.07
- Use cases: change. Used to be useful for phone booths back in the 1990s; mostly a change accumulator now.
¥5 (golden-colored with a hole)
- Approximate USD value: ~$0.03
- Notable: culturally lucky — "go-en" (五円) sounds like "御縁" (fortune / connection). Throw a ¥5 coin into the offering box at any shrine; it's the traditional amount
- Use cases: shrine donations, change accumulator
¥1 (aluminum, very light)
- Approximate USD value: ~$0.007
- Notable: famously light — they float on water. Often used in school physics demonstrations
- Use cases: change. Many tourists end up with a wallet full of these by day 4. Unloading them at the airport is one of the few legitimate uses for a Pocket Change kiosk (article #100).
The ATM dispensing reality
When you withdraw cash from a Seven Bank or similar ATM, the default output is as few notes as possible, which means ¥10,000 bills:
| Withdrawal | Default output |
|---|---|
| ¥10,000 | 1× ¥10,000 |
| ¥20,000 | 2× ¥10,000 |
| ¥30,000 | 3× ¥10,000 (or sometimes 2× ¥10,000 + 10× ¥1,000 depending on machine) |
| ¥50,000 | 5× ¥10,000 |
| ¥100,000 | 10× ¥10,000 |
Some Seven Bank ATMs offer a "choose denominations" option buried in the Japanese-language flow. Most foreign-card flows skip this. If you specifically want ¥1,000 bills, the simplest path is to withdraw ¥10,000 and buy something at the same konbini — the cashier will give you change in ¥1,000s.
When each denomination matters
Day-to-day "cash on hand" mix
A good wallet split for a typical tourist day:
- 1–2 ¥10,000 bills (reserve for ryokan deposit / hotel cash)
- 5–8 ¥1,000 bills (small shops, food stalls, taxis)
- ~¥500 in coins (vending machines, station storage lockers, casual purchases)
- A few ¥1 and ¥5 coins (donations, exact-change moments)
For shrines and temples
- ¥5 coins are the traditional shrine donation — "go-en" (lucky homonym)
- ¥100 / ¥500 coins are appreciated at temple boxes (賽銭箱)
- ¥1,000+ donation at some temples for special prayers (omikuji / goshuin-cho)
For vending machines
- All accept ¥10–¥500 coins
- Most accept ¥1,000 bills
- Some accept ¥5,000 / ¥10,000 (the newer ones)
- Most reject ¥1 and ¥5 coins (low denomination, not used in standard pricing)
For ryokan and traditional inns
- Cash deposit in ¥10,000s (¥15,000–¥30,000/night typical)
- See article #50 (Hakone) and #95 (ryokan payment etiquette) for the full pattern
Coin-handling tips
Coins accumulate fast. Strategies (see article #84 for the full version):
- Feed coins into vending machines — ¥130 drinks turn pocket-loose change into hydration
- Top up Suica/Pasmo with coins at the IC machines — converts loose change into IC balance
- Coin-counting at the konbini cashier — works for small purchases but slow at peak hours
- Pocket Change kiosk at the airport on departure day — turn the remainder into PayPay / Amazon balance (article #100)
Common misunderstandings
"There used to be ¥500 paper notes"
Yes — pre-1982. They're still legal tender (article #94) but valuable to collectors at far more than face value. If you find one in change, congratulations; don't spend it at a vending machine.
"¥1 coins aren't worth carrying"
Mostly true but: Japanese sales tax (10% as of 2026) frequently creates ¥1-resolution prices, and exact change is genuinely useful at small shops and vending machines. Carry a few; don't hoard them.
"Old coins might not work"
All Bank of Japan-issued coins since 1948 are legal tender. The 2021 ¥500 redesign was the most recent major change, and both old and new designs work in all vending machines. See article #94 for the full legal-tender story.
Related
- #83 Breaking ¥10,000 bills
- #84 Dealing with coin-heavy change
- #85 The new 2024 yen banknotes — full guide
- #94 Old yen notes — are they still legal tender?
- #93 Counterfeit yen in 2026
Last verified 2026-05-18. USD-equivalent values vary daily with FX; figures shown use ~152 JPY/USD as reference.