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Here is the thing almost every Japan guide gets wrong: they tell you to download PayPay.
You probably can't, and you probably don't need to. The Japanese QR services now accept your own home-country wallet. You scan the shop's Japanese QR code with the app already on your phone, and the yen amount converts to your currency automatically.
Whether that works depends on two things — which wallet you carry, and which Japanese QR service the shop uses. Below is what each one actually accepts, taken from the operators' own announcements.
Which Japanese QR service accepts what
| Japanese service | Foreign wallets it accepts | Announced |
|---|---|---|
| PayPay | 35 services across 17 countries and regions, via Alipay+ | Jun 2026 |
| Rakuten Pay | WeChat Pay, Alipay+, UnionPay, JKOPAY | Sep 2024 |
| au PAY | WeChat Pay, then WeChat Pay HK | Jun 2025 / Apr 2026 |
| d払い / Merpay shared QR | WeChat Pay (first of more, via StarPay) | Sep 2025 |
PayPay is not just the biggest — for most of Asia it is the only one. Rakuten Pay, au PAY and d払い are built around the Chinese-speaking market. If you carry a Korean, Thai or Vietnamese wallet, PayPay is your route.
Does your wallet work?
PayPay describes its Alipay+ coverage as reaching "roughly 80% of inbound visitors by nationality". Here is what that means in practice.
Korea — Kakao Pay, NAVER Pay, Toss. All three work at PayPay merchants. None of the other three Japanese services carry them, so look for the PayPay sticker specifically.
Taiwan — seven wallets. JKO PAY, icash Pay, iPASS MONEY, E.SUN Wallet, PXPay Plus, Plus Pay and Taishin Pay+ all work at PayPay. JKO PAY additionally works at Rakuten Pay.
Mainland China and Hong Kong — Alipay and WeChat Pay. The best-covered case by far: Alipay and WeChat Pay reach PayPay, Rakuten Pay, au PAY and d払い. Hong Kong's WeChat Pay HK was added to au PAY in April 2026.
Thailand — TrueMoney, K PLUS, ShopeePay, BigPay, SCB Planet Plus. PayPay only.
Vietnam — MoMo, Zalopay, VCB Digibank. PayPay only.
Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Macau, Mongolia and, in Europe, Germany, Austria and Italy are also on PayPay's list.
Not covered: Indonesia's DANA, OVO and GoPay are not on it. Neither are Spanish or French wallets, nor US, UK or Australian ones. If that's you, this article is not your solution — skip to the bottom.
The catch nobody mentions
A PayPay sticker in the window does not guarantee your wallet is accepted there. The shop has to have switched the feature on. Most tourist-facing shops in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto have; a small card shop in a back street may not have.
So treat this as a convenience, not a plan. Carry a contactless credit card and some yen in cash, and use your wallet when it works. Small second-hand shops, older restaurants and market stalls are still cash-first, and no amount of QR coverage changes that.
What actually to do at the till
- Look for the PayPay logo (or Rakuten Pay / au PAY / d払い).
- Open your own app — not a Japanese one.
- Scan the shop's QR code, or show your app's barcode.
- Enter the amount in yen if asked. Conversion happens automatically.
You do not create a Japanese account, link a Japanese bank, or set anything up in advance.
If your wallet isn't on the list
Two things cover almost everything:
- A contactless credit card. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners and Discover are all accepted at Rakuten Pay terminals, and tap-to-pay is now standard at convenience stores, chains and stations.
- A transit IC card (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA). Made for trains, but accepted at convenience stores, vending machines and many shops. Load it with cash and you have a working payment method with no bank account at all.
We have a separate guide to transit IC cards covering which to buy and how to get your deposit back.
And when the shop is sold out or you're short on time, Rakuten Ichiba delivers to your hotel, usually next day — see our note on what shipping does to your tax-free claim.
Official sources