Travel tips · from Thailand · TrueMoney, Thai QR, bank cards, roaming, plugs, medicine, driving · checked 19 October 2026
TrueMoney, K PLUS, SCB PLANET PLUS, ShopeePay and BigPay are on PayPay’s list of Alipay+ wallets, so they can pay at PayPay shops that have switched Alipay+ on, by scanning the shop’s QR code. The standard fee tables checked for Kasikorn, SCB and Bangkok Bank debit cards list 100 baht per overseas ATM withdrawal plus an exchange charge of up to 2.5%; exceptions vary by card, and the Japanese ATM’s owner may add its own fee. AIS Ready2Fly packages for Japan start at 449 baht and True–dtac GO Travel at 299 baht, both before VAT; AIS starts a package when you first connect abroad, while True charges when you subscribe. A Thai international driving permit is valid in Japan only in the 1949 Geneva format. Jump to wallets and Thai QR, roaming, medicine or driving permits.
Quick answers for travellers from Thailand
| What you use at home | In Japan (and what to do) | Source · checked |
|---|---|---|
| TrueMoney Wallet | Works with conditions. Scan the QR code at PayPay shops with Alipay+ on | PayPay, TrueMoney · 19 October 2026 |
| K PLUS, SCB PLANET PLUS, ShopeePay, BigPay | Works with conditions. Same Alipay+ route | PayPay, Kasikornbank, SCB · 19 October 2026 |
| Thai QR (PromptPay) from a Krungsri or Krungthai app | Works with conditions. Japan link listed for these two banks only; which shops take it: not confirmed | Bank of Thailand (as of May 2026) · 19 October 2026 |
| GrabPay | Not confirmed. Not on PayPay’s Alipay+ or HIVEX lists | PayPay · 19 October 2026 |
| Kasikorn, SCB or Bangkok Bank debit card | Works with conditions. Standard tables: 100 baht per overseas ATM withdrawal, plus up to 2.5% on foreign-currency spending and cash; the ATM owner may add a fee | Each bank’s fee table · 19 October 2026 |
| Rabbit card | Not confirmed, and not on PASMO’s list of the ten IC cards that work across Japan | PASMO · 19 October 2026 |
| Contactless card at train gates | Works with conditions. Eleven Kanto rail operators take it at listed stations | Tap to Ride release (24 March 2026) · 19 October 2026 |
| AIS | Works with conditions. Ready2Fly from 449 baht before VAT (postpaid and prepaid), counted from first use abroad; calls need AIS HD Voice (VoLTE) | AIS · 19 October 2026 |
| True, dtac | Works with conditions. GO Travel from 299 baht before VAT, Japan listed for both; charged when you subscribe | True–dtac · 19 October 2026 |
| Thai plugs (A, B, C, F, O; 220 V) | Works with conditions. Round-pin C, F and O plugs need an adapter; a three-pin Type B plug needs a socket with a third hole; 220 V-only appliances also need a step-up transformer | IEC (archived 16 August 2026), JNTO, Kashimura · 19 October 2026 |
| Medicines with codeine or dihydrocodeine; pseudoephedrine or ephedrine | Works with conditions. Above 1% codeine or dihydrocodeine, or 10% pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, permission is needed before you travel | NCD list (12 December 2024) · 19 October 2026 |
| Cannabis in plant form (whole plant, flower, leaf) | Doesn’t work. Marked as prohibited to import | NCD list (12 December 2024) · 19 October 2026 |
| Cannabis products not in plant form | Not confirmed as allowed. Listed as a narcotic (N), and a narcotic can be carried in only with a Regional Bureau permit for your own treatment. Check oils, gummies and similar products for cannabis ingredients | NCD list (12 December 2024), Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare · 19 October 2026 |
| Thai international driving permit | Works with conditions. Only the 1949 Geneva format is valid; the Vienna format Thailand also issues is not | National Police Agency (as of June 2026), Tokyo Metropolitan Police · 19 October 2026 |
TrueMoney, K PLUS and SCB PLANET PLUS: paying by QR code
Through Alipay+, overseas QR apps pay with PayPay’s QR codes. PayPay lists 25 linked services; the Thai ones are BigPay, K PLUS, SCB Planet Plus, ShopeePay and TrueMoney (checked 19 October 2026; unchanged on 9 November 2026).
PayPay’s conditions: each shop switches Alipay+ on separately; you scan the shop’s QR code and enter the amount in yen; online shops and vending machines with changing QR codes are excluded. No “PayPay” sound plays, so show the staff your completion screen.
TrueMoney’s Japan page says QR payments carry no fee and show the rate before you pay; its separate fee table lists a 3.5% conversion charge on the TrueMoney Mastercard card at overseas merchants (table dated 1 November 2026). Kasikornbank lists Japan for K PLUS; SCB says SCB PLANET PLUS has no overseas payment fees. FamilyMart lists Alipay+ as a barcode payment that the cashier scans, a different checkout from scanning a PayPay shop’s QR code; check that your wallet can show such a barcode before relying on it.
JNTO warns that overseas phone payments “sometimes cannot be used in Japan” and that many places, especially rural ones, may still accept only cash. Wallets from other countries: home-country wallets in Japan.
PromptPay and Thai QR
The Bank of Thailand’s cross-border QR table (as of May 2026) lists a Japan link since 2018 for Krungsri (BAY) and Krungthai (KTB) apps, through NTT Data and StarPay, with Japanese merchants scanning a QR code from your app; limits are up to 100,000 baht per transaction and 500,000 baht a day (the table says actual limits depend on each provider but do not exceed these). Other banks are not in the Japan row, and no shops are named, so where it works is not confirmed. GrabPay is not on PayPay’s Alipay+ or HIVEX lists, and PromptPay does not appear there either; the Thai QR link runs through NTT Data and StarPay, not PayPay (checked 19 October 2026).
If you will use Thai wallet or banking apps while out in Japan, compare data eSIM plans for an unlocked phone, and keep your Thai line available for bank OTP texts.
See Japan eSIM plansThai debit cards and Japanese ATMs
From the bank fee tables we could open (exceptions vary by card):
| Bank (debit card) | Abroad, from the bank’s fee table |
|---|---|
| Kasikornbank | The table is effective 22 September 2026; its overseas ATM withdrawal fee, from 1 September 2026, is 100 baht plus a forex risk charge of not more than 2.5%. Foreign-currency transactions: not more than 2.5%. For the YouTrip prepaid card, a promotion waives the international ATM withdrawal fee until 31 March 2027 |
| SCB | Overseas ATM withdrawal 100 baht; the Visa or Mastercard rate includes a conversion risk of not more than 2.5% (effective 1 September 2026) |
| Krungthai | Overseas ATM withdrawal 100 baht; exchange risk charge 2.5% on withdrawals and payments. With a debit card linked to Krungthai Inter Wallet, an overseas withdrawal in yen costs 100 baht and is deducted in yen at the bank’s rate. Figures from the table effective 1 October 2026; the file effective 12 October 2026 was identical when checked on 9 November 2026 |
| Bangkok Bank | Be1st Smart debit card: 100 baht per overseas withdrawal. Bangkok Bank Travel Card: 100 baht equivalent per overseas withdrawal (how the exchange charge applies to this card was not confirmed). Exchange risk of not more than 2.5% on foreign-currency spending or cash (effective 1 October 2026) |
Kasikornbank, SCB and Bangkok Bank say these amounts exclude any fee charged by the bank that owns the ATM.
For foreign cards, JNTO names Japan Post Bank and Seven Bank. Seven Bank lists Visa and Mastercard as available 24 hours and UnionPay from 00:10 to 23:50, subject to the building’s hours; it caps each withdrawal at 100,000 yen, or 30,000 yen with a magnetic-stripe card, and says some cards with these marks may not be accepted. With Visa and Mastercard, it asks whether to bill in your home currency or yen. Japan Post Bank takes Visa, Mastercard, JCB and China UnionPay, may charge 220 yen per withdrawal, and caps each at 50,000 yen. ATM hours: when banks close in Japan. Cash or card: Japan cash vs card in 2026.
Trains: Rabbit, Suica and tapping a card
PASMO lists ten transit IC cards that work across Japan, including Suica, PASMO and ICOCA; the Rabbit card is not among them (checked 19 October 2026). JNTO advises carrying cash to buy or top up an IC card at ticket machines; check the payment methods shown on the machine you use. Apple Support says Suica, PASMO, ICOCA or TOICA can be added to Apple Wallet on an iPhone 8 or later with an eligible payment card. More: IC cards in Japan: Suica, PASMO and ICOCA.
Since 25 March 2026, eleven Kanto rail operators, including Tokyo Metro, Toei and Tobu, accept contactless cards and phones under shared “Tap to Ride”: Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay and four other brands, 729 stations at launch, adult fares only. Unlisted lines are not covered, and JR East is not one of the eleven.
AIS, True and dtac roaming in Japan
From each operator’s page (True and dtac share one), 19 October 2026, prices before 7% VAT:
| Network | Japan |
|---|---|
| AIS | Ready2Fly Asia and Australia packages for Japan start at 449 baht on both the postpaid and prepaid lists (for example 13 GB for 10 days, including 5 GB free). It starts counting when you first connect abroad; one unused for 60 days is cancelled free. Without a package: data 0.0049 baht per KB (about 5 baht per MB). Calls in Japan need AIS HD Voice (VoLTE) on a supported phone. Prepaid customers top up the full amount |
| True and dtac | GO Travel Asia and Australia: from 4 GB for 3 days at 299 baht to 16 GB for 10 days at 649 baht. Japan is on the compatible-country lists for True and for dtac customers (checked on the 299-baht package). Charged when you subscribe; it starts when a roaming network is detected and expires if unused within 30 days. Postpaid without a package: 350 or 499 baht a day depending on the country (Japan’s rate not confirmed) |
The other route is a Japan data eSIM on an unlocked phone. If you keep your Thai SIM on for bank OTP texts, turn off data roaming on that line.
Thai plugs and Japan’s 100 V
The IEC’s plug guide lists Thailand as 220 V, 50 Hz, with Types A, B, C, F and O, and Japan as 100 V with Types A and B; JNTO says Japan is 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west. Round-pin C, F and O plugs need an adapter, which changes only the shape, not the voltage. The IEC describes Type B as two flat pins plus a round earth pin, so a three-pin plug needs a socket with a third hole; the two-slot socket pictured has none.
A charger whose INPUT line reads 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz covers Japan. An appliance marked 220 V only needs a step-up transformer; Kashimura, which sells them, advises two to three times the rated power for heating appliances such as hair dryers.
The IEC describes Type A as ungrounded. Use an appliance that needs earthing only where its earth can be connected as the manual says. Adapters and hair dryers: Japan plug type and voltage.
Medicine and cannabis
Japan’s Narcotics Control Department (NCD) lists controlled ingredients; check every label.
| Ingredient or item | Rule in Japan · source |
|---|---|
| Codeine, dihydrocodeine | Narcotics; products containing 1% or less are excluded. Above that, permission is needed before you enter Japan · NCD list (12 December 2024) |
| Pseudoephedrine, ephedrine | Stimulants’ raw materials; products containing 10% or less are excluded. Above that, permission is needed. The threshold is a percentage of the whole product, so ask the NCD about any product that lists either · NCD list |
| Amphetamine (including dexamphetamine) | Prohibited “even if they are prescribed medicines in your country” · NCD guidance and list |
| Cannabis in plant form (whole plant, flower, leaf) | Marked as prohibited to import or export · NCD list |
| Cannabis not in plant form (check the ingredients of oils, gummies and similar products) | Listed as a narcotic (N). A narcotic can be carried into Japan only with a prior permit from the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare for your own treatment · NCD list (12 December 2024), Regional Bureau |
| Paracetamol, ibuprofen | Not named in the NCD list dated 12 December 2024. Over-the-counter medicines: up to a 2-month supply without an import confirmation, if the product has no controlled ingredient · NCD list, MHLW |
| Prescription medicines without NCD-controlled ingredients | Up to a 1-month supply without an import confirmation; more needs one before you travel · MHLW, 19 October 2026 |
The Director of the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare grants the permission; apply through the NCD office for your arrival airport at least 14 days ahead (Tokyo “cannot accept any last-minute applications”). For medicine imported under such a permission, the NCD says to carry it yourself rather than send it by post. 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: the Thai permit must be the Geneva format
Japan’s National Police Agency lists Thailand as issuing permits in both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna formats, through the Department of Land Transport. Its table (as of June 2026) marks the Geneva format valid in Japan and the Vienna format invalid. Before you collect the permit, check that it is the 1949 Geneva format.
A valid permit can be used for one year from the date you enter Japan, and only while the permit itself, valid for one year from issue, has not expired. The Japan Automobile Federation says drivers “must keep to the left”. Road signs: Japanese road signs for foreign drivers.
Grab, Uber and tipping
Grab. In July 2022 Japan’s GO taxi app said Grab users from Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines could book GO taxis through Grab; Thailand was not named. For Thai accounts in 2026: not confirmed.
Uber. Uber Taxi in Japan charges the meter fare plus a booking fee of up to 680 yen and any facility fee. More: Does Uber work in Japan?
Tipping. JNTO says tipping is “not common” in bars, cafes, restaurants, taxis and hotels.
Before you leave Thailand
- Check entry rules for your passport on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan visa exemption page.
- Buy a roaming package or eSIM; AIS calls need HD Voice.
- Check medicine ingredients against the NCD list; apply 14 days ahead where needed.
- If you will drive, get a 1949 Geneva-format international driving permit.
- For intercity shinkansen trips, compare the Japan Rail Pass price with separate tickets for your actual route.
Planning the route
Questions travellers from Thailand ask
Can I use TrueMoney in Japan?
At PayPay shops that have switched Alipay+ on, by scanning the shop’s QR code (checked 19 October 2026).
Can I pay with PromptPay or Thai QR in Japan?
The Bank of Thailand lists a Japan link only for Krungsri and Krungthai apps (as of May 2026); which shops take it was not confirmed.
How much is AIS or True roaming in Japan?
AIS Ready2Fly packages for Japan start at 449 baht before VAT on both the postpaid and prepaid lists, counted from first use abroad. True and dtac GO Travel packages start at 299 baht before VAT for 3 days, charged when you subscribe (checked 19 October 2026).
Do I need an adapter from Thailand?
For round-pin C, F and O plugs, yes; Japan uses Types A and B. A three-pin Type B plug needs a socket with a third hole; a two-slot socket like the one pictured has none. A 220 V-only appliance also needs a step-up transformer.
Is a Thai international driving permit valid in Japan?
Only the 1949 Geneva format; the Vienna format Thailand also issues is not valid, per the National Police Agency.
A shop shows a PayPay sign. Will my Thai wallet work?
Not necessarily. The shop must also have Alipay+ switched on, which PayPay sets shop by shop. Ask before paying and keep a card or cash as a backup.
Sources
- Checked 19 October 2026 (PayPay’s Alipay+ list and TrueMoney’s fee table re-checked 9 November 2026) — PayPay, What is Alipay+ (Japanese), applying for Alipay+ (Japanese), Alipay+ payment flow (Japanese), HIVEX (Japanese) and release of 15 June 2023; TrueMoney, paying in Japan (Thai) and fee table (Thai, 1 November 2026); Kasikornbank, Alipay+ with K PLUS (Thai); SCB, SCB PLANET PLUS launch; FamilyMart, Alipay+ and WeChat Pay (Japanese); Bank of Thailand, Cross-border Payment Linkages (QR table as of May 2026)
- Checked 19 October 2026 — Japan National Tourism Organization: Cashless payments; Credit cards; Plugs and electricity; Tipping
- Checked 19 October 2026 (Kasikornbank and Krungthai re-checked 9 November 2026) — Bank fee tables: Kasikornbank (PDF, effective 22 September 2026); SCB card fees (Thai PDF, effective 1 September 2026); Krungthai fee tables (Thai; tables effective 1 and 12 October 2026, identical files); Bangkok Bank Table 3 (Thai PDF, effective 1 October 2026)
- Checked 19 October 2026 — ATMs: Seven Bank, overseas cards usable at ATMs and how to withdraw cash; Japan Post Bank, withdrawals with cards issued abroad
- Checked 19 October 2026 — Rail: Eleven Kanto railway operators, Tap to Ride mutual use (PDF, 24 March 2026); PASMO, interoperable transit IC cards; Apple Support, Add a transit card to Apple Wallet in Japan
- Checked 19 October 2026 (viewed in a browser) — Networks: AIS, Ready2Fly (Japan selected) and Japan, prepaid; True–dtac, International Roaming Service (packages, compatible countries and FAQ)
- Checked 19 October 2026 — Plugs: IEC, World Plugs (Internet Archive capture of 16 August 2026); Kashimura, WT-19EJ and WT-20EJ transformers (Japanese, PR TIMES, 26 June 2026)
- Checked 19 October 2026 — Medicine: MHLW, bringing medicines for personal use into Japan; Narcotics Control Department, application guidance and controlled substances list (12 December 2024); Tokai-Hokuriku Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, permits to carry narcotics and stimulants’ raw materials (Japanese)
- Checked 19 October 2026 — Driving: National Police Agency, international driving permit formats by country (PDF, as of June 2026); Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, international driving permits (PDF) and Thai version (PDF)
- Checked 19 October 2026 — Japan Automobile Federation, Traffic rules in Japan; GO, Grab link release (Japanese, July 2022); Uber, Uber in Japan; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, visa exemption
Join travelers discovering Japan's hidden side
Weekly dispatches from off-the-beaten-path Japan — spots and stories you won't find in guidebooks.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Welcome aboard!
You're in. See you in your inbox soon.
