What Japanese Coins and Bills Do Vending Machines Accept?

What you will actually find

For an ordinary drink purchase, the accepted-cash diagram beside the slots is the authority. Many machines are designed around the coins and low-value note most useful for a small purchase, while older hardware may reject a newer coin or note even though it is legal tender.

Practical advice

Carry several ¥10, ¥50 and ¥100 coins and a clean ¥1,000 note. Check the printed denomination icons before inserting anything. Flatten folded notes and insert only one at a time; use a convenience store or station counter to break a large note when necessary.

The current ¥1,000 note

Japan's current banknote series was first issued on July 3, 2024. The ¥1,000 note carries Kitasato Shibasaburo on the front and Hokusai's Great Wave on the back. Older valid ¥1,000 notes can still circulate, but machine acceptance depends on the installed validator and its updates rather than the note being legally valid.

The current ¥500 coin

The Bank of Japan lists the bicolor clad ¥500 coin first issued in 2021. Older machines were not all designed for that construction, so travelers should check the coin symbols on the cabinet. A rejected ¥500 coin should be retrieved and replaced with supported smaller coins or another payment method; never force it into the slot.

Valid does not mean useful for one purchase

The ¥1 and ¥5 coins are official currency but are rarely helpful for a typical drink-machine price, while ¥2,000, ¥5,000 and ¥10,000 notes are poor assumptions for a small vending transaction. Commemorative coins and foreign coins require separate handling. Use the machine's denomination diagram, not a general currency list, as the final instruction. If an older but valid note is rejected, a staffed convenience store or station counter is a better place to ask about exchanging it after making a normal purchase; the vending cabinet cannot explain why its validator refused the note.

Cash checklist

1. Read the accepted-denomination icons beside the slot.
2. Use smaller cash close to the displayed price.
3. Insert coins or one flat note without forcing it.
4. Press the illuminated product button.
5. Collect both the item and any returned change.

What not to assume

Do not infer machine acceptance solely from a currency being valid. Damaged, wet, heavily folded, commemorative, newly designed or foreign money may be rejected by the validator.

Sources and verification

• Bank of Japan notes and coins currently issued
• Bank of Japan guidance on valid older notes

Research status: reviewed July 13, 2026. Prices, products and installations can change; the live machine and operator are authoritative.