Perfingo
Split by Perfingo · Trip guide
How much cash to bring to Japan, and how to split it
Visitors from Singapore spent ¥319,901 each on a Japan trip in 2025, over 9.1 nights on average, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. Much of it can go on card: cashless payments were 58% of consumer spending in Japan in 2025. Keep cash for rural shops and inns, and for topping up transport cards and ticket machines, which take cash only. Tipping is not expected.
Sourced figures · Last checked 17 October 2026
What visitors spend
What Singapore visitors spent in Japan in 2025
Per person, per trip, across 9.1 nights on average. Source: Japan Tourism Agency.
| Spent on | Per person | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | ¥115,435 | 36% |
| Food and drink | ¥64,899 | 20% |
| Shopping | ¥100,620 | 31% |
| Transport | ¥30,132 | 9% |
| Entertainment and services | ¥8,806 | 3% |
| Total per trip | ¥319,901 |
About ¥35,154 a night (our division of the trip total by the average stay). Shopping is the second biggest item: visitors from Singapore spent more on shopping than any other nationality.
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Inbound Consumption Trend Survey, 2025 (final, March 2026)
Cash or card in Japan
- Cards and other cashless payments were 58% of consumer spending in Japan in 2025, and most of that was credit card.
- Many places, especially in rural areas, still take cash only, even some inns and hotels.
- Topping up a rechargeable transport card and buying tickets from machines takes cash, not a credit card. The card deposit is usually ¥500.
- Convenience store and post office ATMs take most overseas cards, with a limit per withdrawal.
Tipping, tax and customs
- Tipping is not common in restaurants, cafes, bars, taxis or hotels. A private guide may accept one, given discreetly in an envelope.
- Consumption tax is 10%, or 8% on food and drink you take away.
- Tax-free shopping becomes a refund from 1 November 2026: you pay the price with tax and claim it back at customs when you leave.
- Customs: declare cash above ¥1,000,000, or the same in another currency.
Sources: JNTO tipping, MOF, JNTO tax-free, Japan Customs
How to split a Japan trip with friends
- Keep every expense in yen as it happens, and note who paid. Converting each one on the day makes small rounding gaps add up.
- One person pays the big items like the hotel and rail passes on their card. That keeps the list short.
- Split each dinner by item when someone did not drink or skipped a dish. In yen, shares are rounded to the whole yen and still add up to the bill.
- Settle once, at the end, in Singapore dollars at one rate everyone agrees, then pay by PayNow.
Trip groups
One shared trip for the whole group. Everyone adds what they paid, in any currency, and Split by Perfingo works out who pays whom with the fewest transfers, with a PayNow QR for each.
- Your friends join from a link, no app or sign-up
- Yen, won or baht, converted at the day’s rate
- Settle up with the fewest PayNow transfers
You’re on the list. We will email you once, when trip groups launch.
Good to know
Japan trip money, answered
How much cash should I bring to Japan?
There is no official figure, so plan by what needs cash. Cards and other cashless payments made up 58% of consumer spending in Japan in 2025, but rural shops and some inns take cash only, and transport card top-ups and ticket machines take cash, not credit cards. Many travellers carry enough for a few days and withdraw more from convenience store or post office ATMs, which take overseas cards.
How much do Singaporeans spend on a trip to Japan?
¥319,901 per person per trip in 2025, over 9.1 nights on average, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. Accommodation was ¥115,435, shopping ¥100,620, food and drink ¥64,899 and transport ¥30,132.
Do you tip in Japan?
No. The Japan National Tourism Organization says tipping is not common in restaurants, cafes, bars, taxis or hotels. A private guide used to overseas visitors may accept a tip; if you give one, it is done discreetly in an envelope.
Is tax included in Japanese prices?
Consumption tax is 10%, or 8% on food and drink you take away. From 1 November 2026, tax-free shopping for visitors changes to a refund: you pay the price with tax, then claim the tax back at customs when you leave Japan.
How much cash can I carry into Japan?
You must declare cash and other means of payment above ¥1,000,000, or the same value in another currency, according to Japan Customs.
How do we split a Japan trip between friends?
Keep every expense in yen as it happens, note who paid, and settle once at the end in Singapore dollars at one agreed rate. For a single bill, the split bill calculator works in yen to the whole yen. Trip groups, where everyone adds what they paid and you settle with the fewest transfers, are coming in November.
Sources
Checked . Japan had 726,200 visitors from Singapore in 2025 (JNTO, preliminary).
- Japan Tourism Agency, Inbound Consumption Trend Survey, 2025 (final, March 2026)
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, cashless payment ratio 2025 (31 March 2026)
- Japan National Tourism Organization, cashless payments in Japan
- Japan National Tourism Organization, tipping in Japan
- Japan Customs, guide for passengers
- Ministry of Finance Japan, consumption tax
- Japan National Tourism Organization, changes to tax-free shopping (4 August 2026)
- Japan National Tourism Organization, visitor arrivals, December 2025 release
The bill is split. Where does the rest of your money go?
Perfingo plans your spending, savings, CPF and goals in one place, so a trip or a big dinner is part of the plan, not a surprise.
No card needed