visa or mastercard

Hello,

Are creditcards accepted in restaurants and shops? I have read that Japan is still a "cash" country. Which card would be best to pay with and to withdraw money, visa or mastercard?

Thanks!

Personally I found that Mastercard was fine in all the places I used cards (large stores, hotels, train station ticket offices). I also took a Visa card as a back up but never used it.

For the rest, I took cash to get started and then used my regular debit card in the international ATMs in post offices or 7-11s.

If you're from the UK you need to tell your credit card issuer before you go that you will be using the card in Japan and what dates. Otherwise any payments may get flagged and blocked.

Oh and in answer to the general question... most big shops and chains take credit cards, as do hotels, train companies and some more tourist oriented eateries and attractions.

But a lot of small shops, taxis, bars, cafes, visitor attractions and the like are cash only. Nohi buses were also cash only. Suica cards also need to be topped up with cash. So you will need cash on a daily basis.

Are creditcards accepted in restaurants and shops?

As mentioned, most large chain stores and restaurants take credit card, while smaller places do not. The best advice is to use your card when possible, but always keep enough cash on hand just in case.

Also just add to the previous answer, most taxis do take credit cards, especially around major cities.

Which card would be best to pay with and to withdraw money, visa or mastercard?

Both are widely accepted, but Visa tends to be more reliably accepted. Which is best for you depends on the specifics of your cards. For example, one of my visa cards doesn't charge foreign transaction fees so its good for most purchases abroad, while my mastercard has lower cash advance fees (not that I use cash advance, but its good for emergencies). Before you depart check the details of your card and/or apply for cards designed for travellers.

Depends where youre going I must say.
If you stuck to touristy places in tokyo then yeah, should have no trouble with a card, but even in major shops in most of the country it might be hard.

Never get a cash advance on a a credit card. They charge a high interest from the minute you get the cash.
Use your debit bank card at ATMs. Either the the Post Office or 7-11.

I have been to Japan regularly since the mid-90s and never had a problem using credit cards in big stores, hotels etc. etc.

I don't use credit cards at home for anything under 20$, so I never use credit cards abroad for small purchases either.

Thanks for the help, i'll take my mastercard and apply also for a visa card just in case and foresee enough cash!!

Seeing Red Frog's post, I just thought I'd mention that there are actually a few credit cards available from British card issuers that don't charge any interest or fees on cash withdrawals (even abroad). Not sure if I'm allowed to post details here, but a quick look at any of the UK's "money saving" sites should provide you with all the information you need.

I used to live in Japan and my Visa was connected to OS account(australia),I had huge problems buying electrical goods of more than about 80,000yen or using it twice on the same day for purchases that totaled a similar amount.I happened to meet and speak with a senior executive from Visa who explained Japan is a hot spot for fraud and triggers for card cancellation/suspension are set low to protect clients.It didn't seem to matter how many times I told my bank I was in Japan and not to block my card it occured continualy and sorting the problem out was long and painful.My advice to you is take several cards(as many as you can)and withdraw cash from ATM's at convenience stores and post offices.Do not expect to be able to access ATM's at night,a vast majority in the regions that I lived and travelled are not open 24 hours.So carry lots of cards and lots of cash.Your bank will charge an international withdrawal fee for using ATM's,so withdraw the maxium as the charge is the same regardless of the amount withdrawn.Good luck.