ATMs That Accept Foreign Cards in Japan: Seven Bank & Japan Post Guide

Quick answer (30 seconds): The two easiest ATMs for an overseas card in Japan are Seven Bank (inside almost every 7-Eleven, open 24/7) and Japan Post Bank / Yucho (at post offices and some FamilyMart stores). Both accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay and more, with English menus. You will usually pay a small ATM fee plus whatever your home bank charges, so withdraw a larger amount less often rather than many small amounts.

Why this matters: Japan is still a cash country

Japan has modernized fast, but cash still rules at small restaurants, local shops, temples, festivals, and many clinics. If your foreign debit or credit card gets declined at a regular Japanese bank ATM, do not panic — most domestic bank machines simply are not set up for overseas cards. The trick is knowing which ATMs are built for international cards. Two networks cover the whole country.

General guidance only. Fees, limits, and hours change and vary by your card issuer. Confirm exact figures on the official Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank pages (linked below) and with your own bank before you rely on them.

The two ATMs that reliably take foreign cards

1. Seven Bank (セブン銀行, Seven Ginko) — inside 7-Eleven

This is the go-to for most travelers and new residents.

• Where: Inside nearly every 7-Eleven convenience store, plus major airports, big stations, and shopping centers. There are over 28,000 machines nationwide.
• Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at most locations.
• Cards accepted: Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club. (Some individual cards carrying these marks may still be refused — that is your issuer's call, not the ATM's.)
• Language: Full English menu, plus Chinese, Korean, and several others. Press the language button before you insert your card.
• Per-withdrawal limit: Up to 100,000 yen per transaction for overseas cards. Older magnetic-stripe-only cards are capped at 30,000 yen per transaction.

A few brands have a short nightly maintenance gap (roughly a few minutes around midnight) — Visa and Mastercard run a true 24 hours, while UnionPay, JCB, American Express, Discover, and Diners pause briefly around 23

–00. In practice this almost never affects a normal withdrawal.

2. Japan Post Bank / Yucho (ゆうちょ銀行, Yucho Ginko)

The post office bank, with the widest physical reach in the country, including rural towns where there is no 7-Eleven.

• Where: At post offices nationwide, and as compact ATMs inside many FamilyMart convenience stores.
• Hours: Limited, unlike Seven Bank. Typical post-office machines run about 7
  –23
  on weekdays and 7
  –21
  on Sundays and holidays, with shorter hours at small branches. FamilyMart-located Yucho ATMs run much longer (roughly 00
  –23
  ). Always assume a post-office ATM may be closed at night.
• Cards accepted: Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, JCB, UnionPay (China UnionPay), and Discover.
• Per-withdrawal limit: 50,000 yen per transaction.
• Look for the "International ATM Service" sticker on the machine; not every Yucho ATM enables foreign cards, though most do.

What it costs

There are two separate charges, and people often confuse them:

1. The ATM operator's usage fee (Seven Bank or Japan Post Bank).
2. Your own bank's charges — foreign-transaction fee, out-of-network ATM fee, and the currency conversion spread. This is usually the bigger cost, and Japan's ATM has no control over it.

ATM	Operator usage fee (overseas cards)	Per-transaction limit
Seven Bank (7-Eleven)	Varies by card brand — many cards have little or no Seven Bank surcharge; check the official page	100,000 yen (30,000 yen magnetic stripe)
Japan Post Bank (Yucho)	220 yen (tax included) per use for certain overseas cards	50,000 yen

Always choose to be charged in Japanese yen, not your home currency, on the ATM screen. If the machine offers to convert for you ("would you like to pay in USD/EUR?"), that is Dynamic Currency Conversion and the exchange rate is almost always worse. Decline it and let your own bank do the conversion.

Because there is a per-use fee on top of your bank's fees, the cheapest strategy is simple: take out one larger amount instead of several small ones.

Step-by-step: making a withdrawal

1. Tap the English (or your language) button on the welcome screen.
2. Insert your card. For Seven Bank, choose "Transactions with cards issued outside Japan" / the overseas-card option.
3. Select Withdrawal.
4. Enter your PIN (the same one you use at home). If you have a 6-digit PIN but the screen wants 4, try your usual 4 digits.
5. Enter the amount (a multiple of 1,000 yen).
6. Decline currency conversion if offered — choose to pay in yen.
7. Take your cash, card, and receipt.

Common problems and quick fixes

• Card declined? Tell your home bank you are traveling, or turn off the "block overseas transactions" setting in your banking app. Many declines are your own bank's fraud filter, not the ATM.
• "This card cannot be used." Try the other network — if Seven Bank refuses it, a Yucho ATM (or vice versa) sometimes works, since they run on different systems.
• No 7-Eleven nearby? Look for a post office, a FamilyMart (Yucho ATM), or a Lawson/E-net ATM, which also handle many foreign cards.
• Credit card cash advance: A credit card will dispense yen, but it is treated as a cash advance with interest from day one. Use a debit card if you can.
• PIN you never set? You cannot withdraw without a PIN. Set one with your bank before you fly.

Quick comparison

	Seven Bank	Japan Post / Yucho
Coverage	Every 7-Eleven, airports, stations	Post offices + many FamilyMart
Hours	24/7 at most sites	Limited; often closed at night
Per-withdrawal cap	100,000 yen	50,000 yen
Best for	Cities, late nights, tourists	Rural areas, daytime

For more on choosing the right plastic before you arrive, see our guides on credit and debit cards in Japan and getting cash and managing money as a newcomer. (If those pages are not live yet, search the money-cards section of this site.)

FAQ

Do I need a Japanese bank account to use these ATMs? No. Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank ATMs let you withdraw yen directly from your overseas account using your foreign-issued card. A Japanese account is not required.

Will my US/EU/Australian debit card work? Almost always, if it carries a Visa, Plus, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, UnionPay, JCB, or Discover mark. Notify your bank you are in Japan first to avoid a fraud block.

Why was I charged twice? You likely saw the ATM operator's usage fee and, separately, your home bank's foreign-transaction or out-of-network fee on your statement. They are two different charges.

Can I deposit cash or check my balance? Foreign cards are mainly for withdrawals. Balance display may work; deposits to a non-Japanese account do not.

Which is cheaper, Seven Bank or Yucho? It depends on your card's brand and your own bank. Seven Bank's surcharge varies by brand (often minimal), while Japan Post charges a flat 220-yen usage fee for certain cards. Your home bank's fees usually matter more than the difference between the two.