Dollar Tops 99 Yen For First Time In Nearly Four Years

Above, toys like this Hedorah figure are getting less expensive.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

American tourists considering a vacation in Japan got some encouraging news today.  The dollar topped ¥99 in trading today in Tokyo.

According to Jiji Press:

Tokyo, April 8 (Jiji Press)--The dollar briefly rose above 99 yen for the first time in about three years and 11 months in Tokyo trading Monday, supported by a set of aggressive monetary easing measures introduced by the Bank of Japan late last week.

While this is still far from the ¥116 per dollar exchange rate I received in April 2007, it is a lot better than the 79 yen per dollar rate of July 2011.

This means that American tourists will be able to get more yen in exchange for their dollars, which would make a Japan vacation more affordable.  Some tours and services (such as the JR Rail Pass) are tied to the current rate of exchange.  Those, too, are now cheaper than they were just two years ago.

If you are thinking of taking a trip to Japan to see those kaiju locations and landmarks and to buy those Godzilla toys you've always wanted, this should help you to make your decision a lot easier and put a big smile on your weary wallet.

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