Malaysia to Japan: Touch ‘n Go, Maybank Cards, Maxis and CelcomDigi Roaming, Plugs (2026)

Travel tips · from Malaysia · cards, e-wallets, roaming, plugs, medicine · checked 19 October 2026

By Nobu · bank, e-wallet, telco, rail and Japanese government sources checked on 19 October 2026 · Sources at the end

Touch ‘n Go eWallet, MyPB and BigPay can pay at Japanese PayPay shops that have switched Alipay+ on; Boost, GrabPay and MAE app QR payments are not on PayPay’s two wallet lists (checked 19 October 2026). Standard Maybank and CIMB debit cards list two 1% charges on purchases abroad (not on a Maybank Global Access card with enough yen to cover the purchase; CIMB Preferred waives one), plus RM12 or RM10 per overseas ATM withdrawal. Without a pass in Japan, Maxis Postpaid’s RM38 day pass starts once roaming data use reaches a preset limit, and CelcomDigi Postpaid’s RM39 Daily Roaming Pass starts once data use is detected. On U Mobile, once international roaming is activated before departure, RM38 per 24 hours applies when you use data, unless your plan’s Japan allowance covers it. To drive, you need an IDP from JPJ.

Quick answers for Malaysian travellers

Visa: the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia says the waiver depends on nationality, not residence. See its Visa to Japan page. Weighing Japan against South Korea? Our Japan vs South Korea comparison sets out both countries’ entry rules for Malaysian passports side by side.

If Tokyo is one of your stops, browse places to stay on Agoda.

Touch ‘n Go eWallet, Boost, GrabPay and MyPB

PayPay, Japan’s QR payment service, lists the overseas wallets that can pay at its shops through Alipay+. Three are Malaysian: Touch’n Go eWallet, MyPB (Public Bank) and BigPay. You scan the shop’s PayPay QR code and type the amount in yen. Each shop must switch Alipay+ on, and shops that scan your code, online shops and vending machines with changing QR codes are excluded. Other merchants were not checked.

TNG Digital’s help centre says your account must be verified (eKYC) with MyKad or passport first, and that TNG eWallet charges no foreign transaction fee on overseas QR payments; the rate comes from Alipay+. Public Bank lists Japan for MyPB’s Alipay+ service and says the app needs mobile data at the till.

Boost, GrabPay and MAE app QR payments did not appear on either PayPay list (Alipay+ or HIVEX) on 19 October 2026. Other networks were not checked; ask the issuer. The MAE Debit Card follows Maybank’s card fees below. JNTO warns that overseas phone payments “sometimes cannot be used in Japan”. The full wallet list and till steps: Can You Use Alipay, GCash or Kakao Pay in Japan?

Maybank, CIMB and Public Bank cards

Other banks: see your card’s product disclosure sheet.

Cash from a Japanese ATM

JNTO names Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank. Japan Post Bank takes Visa, Mastercard and other brands, may charge 220 yen per withdrawal and caps each at 50,000 yen. Seven Bank caps each withdrawal at 100,000 yen, or 30,000 yen with a magnetic-stripe card, and with Visa and Mastercard asks which currency to bill in. ATM hours: when banks close in Japan.

Trains: contactless cards, Touch ‘n Go card and Suica

On 25 March 2026, eleven Kanto rail operators, including Tokyo Metro, Toei, Keio, Keikyu, Tokyu, Odakyu, Odakyu Hakone, Seibu and Tobu, began mutual use of “Tap to Ride” with contactless cards, including Visa and Mastercard, and phones holding them; six had already introduced it, and five started that day. At launch the release listed 54 lines and 729 stations, adult fares only, and JR East was not among the eleven. Check current station lists before you rely on it.

PASMO lists ten interoperable transit IC cards, including Suica, PASMO and ICOCA; the Touch ‘n Go card is not among them (checked 19 October 2026). JNTO says ticket machines take only cash for buying and topping up IC cards. Use one of the ten where gates accept IC cards; check rural routes and shinkansen tickets separately: IC cards in Japan: Suica, PASMO and ICOCA.

Maxis, CelcomDigi and U Mobile roaming in Japan

Checked 19 October 2026 (Maxis, U Mobile: Japan selected).

Or use a Japan data eSIM on an unlocked phone; if you keep your Malaysian SIM on for bank codes, turn off its data roaming unless you bought a pass.

Malaysian plugs and Japan’s 100 V

The IEC lists Malaysia as 240 V, 50 Hz, Types A, C, G and M, and Japan as 100 V, Types A and B; JNTO says Japan runs at 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west. A three-pin Type G plug needs an adapter, which changes the shape, not the voltage.

Read each charger’s INPUT line: 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz (as on Apple’s USB adapters) needs only the adapter if the device needs no earth connection; if it needs one, earth it as its manual says. A 220–240 V-only appliance also needs a suitable step-up transformer. Kashimura’s WT-19EJ and WT-20EJ convert voltage and are rated 50Hz/60Hz, so the appliance itself must also support the frequency where you use it (50 Hz in eastern Japan, 60 Hz in western Japan). For hair dryers, motors and other high-current products, Kashimura advises two to three times the rated power.

The IEC calls Type A an ungrounded plug, so use appliances that need earthing only where the earth can be connected as the manual says. Adapters, chargers and hair dryers: Japan plug type and voltage.

Medicine from Malaysia

Japan’s Narcotics Control Department (NCD) lists ingredients, not brands.

MHLW says permits are issued by the directors of its Regional Bureaus of Health and Welfare; the NCD is where you apply and ask, so send codeine and pseudoephedrine questions to the NCD. Apply at least 14 days ahead to the NCD office covering your arrival airport; the Tokyo office “cannot accept any last-minute applications for any reason”. Permitted medicine must travel with you, not by post. For more than a month’s supply of a psychotropic, the NCD gives yakkan@mhlw.go.jp. When we checked on 14 November 2026, the NCD’s application page carried a notice that an email problem was stopping it from processing applications or issuing permits; check that notice before you apply.

Driving with a Malaysian licence

Japan’s National Police Agency accepts a Japanese licence, a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit (IDP), or a translated licence from six places that do not include Malaysia (1 April 2026). Its IDP list (June 2026) marks Malaysia’s Geneva-style permit, issued by the Road Transport Department (JPJ), as valid. An IDP is valid for up to a year after landing, or until it expires if sooner.

JPJ’s licence FAQ says only holders of a Competent Driving Licence (CDL) aged 18 or over may apply; Probationary Driving Licence (PDL) holders cannot. The fee was not confirmed on a JPJ page on 19 October 2026. Carry the IDP with your Malaysian licence. Road signs: Japanese road signs for foreign drivers.

Grab, taxis, halal food and tipping

Grab. On 8 July 2022, the taxi app GO announced that Grab users from Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines could call GO taxis in Japan from the Grab app. GO’s English page, checked on 19 October 2026, does not mention Grab, and no 2026 confirmation was found, so install Uber or GO. For Uber Taxi, Uber Japan lists the meter fare (it says a 100-yen app usage charge is included), plus a booking fee of up to 680 yen and any facility usage fee. More: Does Uber work in Japan?

Halal food. JNTO says “there is no central agency for halal accreditation” in Japan and that cooking sake and mirin are the base of many seasonings. Its guide for Muslim travellers lists Muslim-friendly resources.

Tipping. JNTO says it is “not common” to tip in Japan, including at restaurants, in taxis and at hotels. More: Tipping in Japan.

Before you leave Malaysia

• Verify your Touch ‘n Go eWallet (eKYC); pack a Visa or Mastercard.
• Look up your card’s fees abroad; Public Bank users turn on overseas ATM withdrawal in MyPB (for other banks, check your bank’s app).
• Buy or pre-book a roaming pass that lists Japan, or unlock your phone for a Japanese eSIM.
• Check every medicine’s ingredients against the NCD list; apply at least 14 days ahead where permission is needed.
• Get a 1949 IDP from JPJ if you will drive. With both in hand, compare rental cars.
• If you plan long shinkansen trips, compare the Japan Rail Pass price with separate tickets for your route before you fly.

Questions Malaysian travellers ask