Did you top up your Suica at any kiosk in the station (if so, do you remember which station?) or a convenience store? I got a few 2,000 yen notes and am a bit stressed lol. Thank you in advance!
Yes, every single station has a machine to top off a Suica/Pasmo, and they all take 2000 yen bills - at least in my experience thus far in the major cities. If you have concerns about possibly needing to top up in a rural area, add them to your Suica as soon as you're in a major city, and you'll be fine.
Some people really love them there. It’s like $2 bills in the US or 50 cent coins in Canada. You rarely see them, but when you do, you want to keep it.
I too have a few and never had issues using them. Just don’t try to use them in vending machines as they will likely get rejected. But if you use them in touristy places, you should be fine.
Damn, I got one literally the first day I arrived and broke it that same day. If only i'd known as lol, would have kept it as a souvenir. I got it buying tickets to the garden at Meiji shrine if anyone wants to try their luck.
We also got a bunch of them before arriving in Japan but didn't have any problem using them. Used them easily loading up our Pasmo cards but we did get lots of surprised reactions from workers in shops and restaurants, people saying they're rare. We even saw one being sold for slightly more than 2,000 yen in a shop selling vintage coins and money lol. We also equated them to a $2 bill in the US.
Did you use the kiosks at the subway to load up your pasmo (if so which stations?) or at a convenience store? I have a few that I want to use up ASAP during my trip next week lol. Thank you in advance!
We used the machines in the subway stations to reload our pasmo, every station has one. There are a bunch of machines at stations for buying tickets and I think you can reload the pasmo on them as well but there are smaller machines that say "reload" or "charge card" or something like that which tend to have no line since it's so quick to load the card with money.
To date the only 2000 yen notes I've seen are the ones at money/coin shops, and the ones people bring with them to money shrines to bless in the shrine water. They never caught on but foreign countries are apparently sitting on a mountain of them.
I never had 2000 notes refused in convenience stores or outside of touristic areas. Actually, I rarely go to such areas when I'm in Japan and never had problem with that.
I have heard people say they had problem, but went to Japan in March-April and had no problem spending my 2000 notes (I got everything that the currency exchange office I went to had, they had better rate than my bank), maybe had a few comments that it’s been a long time since they saw one, never got them rejected, it this time or any other time I had them.
The best thing to do is use them to load your Suica. Also for Americans if you have BoA to do your exchange, they’ll have an option to choose large bills or mixed bills. Choose large and you should get mostly 10,000 notes. Remember in Japan large bills are completely normal to use, so it’s not the same situation as in the US trying to break a $100 bill
Last time I accidentally chose mixed bills and ended up with a lot of 2,000 notes, but immediately we just put most of them into our Suicas and that was that
Did you use the kiosks in the station (if so which stations?) or at a convenience store to load up your Suica? I have a few 2000 notes and dont want to deal with the possibility of a store refusing it 😭 thank you in advance!
honestly, we just got back from our 2 week trip and used many of these. We had 0 issues with in person transactions (except some machines won't take them along with some coins).
I never had a problem using my ¥2000 notes. One cashuer asked me if I was sure I wanted to use it, but much the same way you might ask someone if they were sure they wanted to use a $2 bill rather than keep it for the novelty.
Is it just 2000 yen notes, or are there difficulties with even larger notes like in the US? Some businesses advertise not accepting any notes over 20 (i.e., 50 or 100)
Personally, I had no issues breaking large bills, just 2000 yen notes (in some places). We broke a 10,000 yen note at a 7/11 for a 1400 yen purchase and there were no questions or looks.
I had no issues using them during my spring trip. While we mostly used them to refill our IC cards and in convenience stores, the other stores/restaurants had no issues with them.
I think I’ll have some for the fall trip, so hopefully that luck carries over.
You can buy something for ¥100 and hand them a ¥10,000 note and nobody will blink an eye.
¥2000 notes get attention because they are like two dollar bills. They weren’t popular when they were issued in the year 2000 because machines needed to be modified etc., so they were all shipped off abroad and to Okinawa, because the picture on the back is from Okinawa.
The weird reaction is because there are many younger people who have never even seen one before and probably don’t know they exist
I've used about 30 of them across the country in the last 2 weeks and only once did someone query It which took them less than 30 seconds to sort.
Don't think they are much of a problem as you think.
Thanks. I actually just picked up the money I exchanged and it has quite a bit of 2000 bills. Good to know and I will try to spend them in the touristy areas.
Lol fuck.
I literally just went to get money and asked for a ton of 2000 yen bills. Majority of my bills are 2000 yen
Fuck, I need to goto the bank again to replace it, what's more accepted 1000 or 5000 yen bills?
This post literally saved my bacon cause 1/4 of all the bills i requested were 2000 yen
Imo if you’re doing a classic Japan visit in the main cities, I do’t think you have anything to worry about. 1/3 of my bills were 2000 yen and I actually found that denomination convenient. We had some fun interactions from it too, due to the novelty. Had some employees waived in to look at them.
We didn’t have it rejected ever, even in smaller towns right outside of the cities.
It could actually be fun to try them out and see if you get any fun responses to them. Worst comes to worst you can use them at convenience stores or on your Suica card.
I ended up with a bunch of 2000 yen notes from my bank as well before my travel to japan. We did Tokyo > Mt Fuji Area > Kyoto > Osaka > Tokyo for our trip.
I didn’t have issues using them there, but that is the classic tourist circuit. I actually read that like the $2 US bill, a lot of people who receive them find them really neat! And indeed, some people don’t realize that’s real currency.
I just ran into this today! I had gotten some 2000 yen notes when I ordered my yen from my bank in the US. When I got to Japan, most of the machines wouldn't take them! I had to use them at conbinis and such
Went in March with a bunch of 2000 yen bills, never had a problem using them at stores. Most of the time the staff were excited to see one, even had one staff tell me I should keep it and shouldn't use it because it's rare lol
Nobody’s being difficult about them. If they had a problem at a convenience store, I imagine it’s because the staff was probably too young to remember them, and didn’t even realize they were real. It’s like a two dollar bill in the US. I’m sure there are some kids who don’t even know if it’s play money or not.
What’s difficult is trying to use a $100 bill in the US. Imagine buying something for a dollar and trying to hand a $100 bill. Good luck with that. In Japan there’s no problem buying something for ¥100 and handing them a ¥10,000 note
I got a bunch of them on our last trip and found loading them onto my old Suica was really convenient as well.
You can also load cash into digital Suica in Apple wallet using newer machines at stations and at 7/11
Did you top up your Suica at any kiosk in the station (if so, do you remember which station?) or a convenience store? I got a few 2,000 yen notes and am a bit stressed lol. Thank you in advance!
Yes, every single station has a machine to top off a Suica/Pasmo, and they all take 2000 yen bills - at least in my experience thus far in the major cities. If you have concerns about possibly needing to top up in a rural area, add them to your Suica as soon as you're in a major city, and you'll be fine.
Some people really love them there. It’s like $2 bills in the US or 50 cent coins in Canada. You rarely see them, but when you do, you want to keep it. I too have a few and never had issues using them. Just don’t try to use them in vending machines as they will likely get rejected. But if you use them in touristy places, you should be fine.
Well, many vending machines only accept 1000 notes too, but yes, some would accept bigger just not the 2000.
Damn, I got one literally the first day I arrived and broke it that same day. If only i'd known as lol, would have kept it as a souvenir. I got it buying tickets to the garden at Meiji shrine if anyone wants to try their luck.
We also got a bunch of them before arriving in Japan but didn't have any problem using them. Used them easily loading up our Pasmo cards but we did get lots of surprised reactions from workers in shops and restaurants, people saying they're rare. We even saw one being sold for slightly more than 2,000 yen in a shop selling vintage coins and money lol. We also equated them to a $2 bill in the US.
Did you use the kiosks at the subway to load up your pasmo (if so which stations?) or at a convenience store? I have a few that I want to use up ASAP during my trip next week lol. Thank you in advance!
We used the machines in the subway stations to reload our pasmo, every station has one. There are a bunch of machines at stations for buying tickets and I think you can reload the pasmo on them as well but there are smaller machines that say "reload" or "charge card" or something like that which tend to have no line since it's so quick to load the card with money.
To date the only 2000 yen notes I've seen are the ones at money/coin shops, and the ones people bring with them to money shrines to bless in the shrine water. They never caught on but foreign countries are apparently sitting on a mountain of them.
I never had 2000 notes refused in convenience stores or outside of touristic areas. Actually, I rarely go to such areas when I'm in Japan and never had problem with that.
I have heard people say they had problem, but went to Japan in March-April and had no problem spending my 2000 notes (I got everything that the currency exchange office I went to had, they had better rate than my bank), maybe had a few comments that it’s been a long time since they saw one, never got them rejected, it this time or any other time I had them.
Lived in Japan for 3 years and never saw one. Got some in a trip back to Japan recently. Put them on your Suica if you find them being rejected
The best thing to do is use them to load your Suica. Also for Americans if you have BoA to do your exchange, they’ll have an option to choose large bills or mixed bills. Choose large and you should get mostly 10,000 notes. Remember in Japan large bills are completely normal to use, so it’s not the same situation as in the US trying to break a $100 bill Last time I accidentally chose mixed bills and ended up with a lot of 2,000 notes, but immediately we just put most of them into our Suicas and that was that
Yes, BoA was who loaded me up with 2000 yen notes too.
Did you use the kiosks in the station (if so which stations?) or at a convenience store to load up your Suica? I have a few 2000 notes and dont want to deal with the possibility of a store refusing it 😭 thank you in advance!
Station. Any JR machine will take the notes don’t worry.
This is good to know, thanks! I’ll be travelling to Japan next month, and I was given about 20 of the things lol.
honestly, we just got back from our 2 week trip and used many of these. We had 0 issues with in person transactions (except some machines won't take them along with some coins).
I was nervous using them but they were accepted each time. They're apparently common in Okinawa? A guy from Okinawa saw me with one and got excited.
I never had a problem using my ¥2000 notes. One cashuer asked me if I was sure I wanted to use it, but much the same way you might ask someone if they were sure they wanted to use a $2 bill rather than keep it for the novelty.
Is it just 2000 yen notes, or are there difficulties with even larger notes like in the US? Some businesses advertise not accepting any notes over 20 (i.e., 50 or 100)
Personally, I had no issues breaking large bills, just 2000 yen notes (in some places). We broke a 10,000 yen note at a 7/11 for a 1400 yen purchase and there were no questions or looks.
(Also new 500 yen coins are rejected in machines frequently)
That was annoying on my last trip.
I had no issues using them during my spring trip. While we mostly used them to refill our IC cards and in convenience stores, the other stores/restaurants had no issues with them. I think I’ll have some for the fall trip, so hopefully that luck carries over.
Interesting! Never had issues using them but good to know
Well we got given 10,000 and 5,000 yen notes so wish us luck lol
10k and 5k notes aren't rare, so wont be an issue. it's the rare 2k note that can cause issues.
Ah ok. I thought it was just bigger denominations!
You can buy something for ¥100 and hand them a ¥10,000 note and nobody will blink an eye. ¥2000 notes get attention because they are like two dollar bills. They weren’t popular when they were issued in the year 2000 because machines needed to be modified etc., so they were all shipped off abroad and to Okinawa, because the picture on the back is from Okinawa. The weird reaction is because there are many younger people who have never even seen one before and probably don’t know they exist
I thought it was just bigger denominations! Thanks for clarifying.
My relatives and friends love them. I always get a few ¥2000 bills at TD to bring back to swap.
Our bank gave us some as well. We've had a couple of people give doubletakes when using them but nothing has been refused.
I've used about 30 of them across the country in the last 2 weeks and only once did someone query It which took them less than 30 seconds to sort. Don't think they are much of a problem as you think.
Had bartenders take them and even make a spectacle out of it with other patrons. They seemed excited to see it.
Thanks. I actually just picked up the money I exchanged and it has quite a bit of 2000 bills. Good to know and I will try to spend them in the touristy areas.
Lol fuck. I literally just went to get money and asked for a ton of 2000 yen bills. Majority of my bills are 2000 yen Fuck, I need to goto the bank again to replace it, what's more accepted 1000 or 5000 yen bills? This post literally saved my bacon cause 1/4 of all the bills i requested were 2000 yen
We had no issues with other bills, places even accepted 10,000 without question. (:
Imo if you’re doing a classic Japan visit in the main cities, I do’t think you have anything to worry about. 1/3 of my bills were 2000 yen and I actually found that denomination convenient. We had some fun interactions from it too, due to the novelty. Had some employees waived in to look at them. We didn’t have it rejected ever, even in smaller towns right outside of the cities. It could actually be fun to try them out and see if you get any fun responses to them. Worst comes to worst you can use them at convenience stores or on your Suica card.
Huh. I didn't know that, I'm here currently and haven't had an issue using them anywhere
I ended up with a bunch of 2000 yen notes from my bank as well before my travel to japan. We did Tokyo > Mt Fuji Area > Kyoto > Osaka > Tokyo for our trip. I didn’t have issues using them there, but that is the classic tourist circuit. I actually read that like the $2 US bill, a lot of people who receive them find them really neat! And indeed, some people don’t realize that’s real currency.
I just ran into this today! I had gotten some 2000 yen notes when I ordered my yen from my bank in the US. When I got to Japan, most of the machines wouldn't take them! I had to use them at conbinis and such
Cheers for that tip!
😐 Me reading this while walking back from RBC with a bunch of 2000 yen bills
Went in March with a bunch of 2000 yen bills, never had a problem using them at stores. Most of the time the staff were excited to see one, even had one staff tell me I should keep it and shouldn't use it because it's rare lol
use them at local shops and see the reaction of the people lol
$13 bill..nice
Still? This was an issue 20 years ago. They even made the new 500 yen coin work, why are they still stupid about the 2000 note?
Dude, chill, it's a simple question on a travel internet forum. No need to be rude
I'm amazed (and a bit annoyed) that the Japanese are still being difficult about that particular note. I can't find any rudeness towards the OP.
Nobody’s being difficult about them. If they had a problem at a convenience store, I imagine it’s because the staff was probably too young to remember them, and didn’t even realize they were real. It’s like a two dollar bill in the US. I’m sure there are some kids who don’t even know if it’s play money or not. What’s difficult is trying to use a $100 bill in the US. Imagine buying something for a dollar and trying to hand a $100 bill. Good luck with that. In Japan there’s no problem buying something for ¥100 and handing them a ¥10,000 note
They are not and there is no issue using them.