Dollar At ¥159 In Tokyo

Happy April Fool's Day!

Yes, today is April 1 but the following is not an April fool joke. 

As we're in a new month, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchange for those planning a vacation in Japan.

According to The Mainichi:

The U.S. dollar briefly weakened to the lower 158 yen range in Tokyo, as buying on flight-to-safety demand subsided amid speculation of a cease-fire, dealers said.

At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 158.79-80 yen compared with 158.66-76 yen in New York and 159.62-64 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar At ¥156

With the U.S., Israel military action against Iran, the world markets are keeping an eye what transpires. Some are jittery, some aren't.

Since we're in a new month, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen for those who are planning to travel to Japan anytime soon.

Currently, the exchange rate is ¥156.0350/dollar (Source: Yahoo! Finance).

Dollar At ¥153 In Tokyo

Now that we are in a new month, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in Tokyo foreign exchange trading. 

According to the Asahi Shimbun, here's how the currencies looked on Friday:

The U.S. dollar has seen its value sink over the last year because of many of the same risks that drove gold’s price higher. Early Friday, the dollar was trading at 153.85 Japanese yen, up from 152.97 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1921 from $1.1967.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Visitors Exceeded 40 Million In 2025

Above, a view from the Tokyo Skytree. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Years ago, Japan was working to exceed 10 million tourist visitors a year. After awhile, they finally reached that goal and then exceeded it.

Then the pandemic hit in 2020 and Japan was slow to reopen to tourists. Since then, due to the exchange rate of the yen against other currencies, people started coming in droves, which led to the coining of the term, overtourism (especially in places like Kyoto). 

Last year, Japan topped 40 million visitors in 2025, a new record. 

According to The Japan Times:

Foreign visitors to Japan hit a record 42.7 million last year, topping the 40-million mark for the first time, tourism minister Yasushi Kaneko said Tuesday, steadily inching toward the government’s goal of 60 million by 2030.

The number of foreign visitors has been rising after Japan reopened the borders following COVID-19-era restrictions. The figure was a record-high for two years in a row, with 36.87 million foreign visitors coming to Japan in 2024. Foreign travelers have been a boon for the Japanese economy, spending a record ¥9.5 trillion in 2025, up from ¥8.1 trillion in the year before.

To read more, go here. 

USD/JPY Extends Toward ¥157

Now that we're in a new month, it is time to take a little peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen. This should be of particular interest to those planning on taking a vacation trip to Japan this month.

According to Trading News:

USD/JPY Extends Toward ¥157 as Japan’s Finance Minister Warns of “Non-Fundamental” FX Swings and Markets Eye Intervention

The USD/JPY pair traded close to ¥156.70 after Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stated that recent yen volatility “is not moving based on fundamentals.” Speaking on Fuji TV, Katayama emphasized that stability reflecting economic reality is essential, signaling Tokyo’s rising discomfort with the yen’s slide. The remark followed a sharp monthly depreciation that erased earlier gains and positioned the yen near its weakest level since the summer, as traders priced in persistent policy divergence between the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan (BoJ).

To read more, go here. 

Dollar Around ¥153

We're now in a new month (October sure wizzed by), it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchage.

According to The Mainichi:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The yen briefly weakened by around 1 yen to the lower 153 level against the U.S. dollar on Thursday after the Bank of Japan left its policy rate unchanged.

At 1 p.m., the dollar fetched 152.96-97 yen compared with 152.68-78 yen in New York and 152.05-07 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar Down At ¥147.85

We are now in a new month and in a government shutdown thanks to Democrat demands that have been rejected by the Republican senate majority. 

With this in mind, how is the U.S. dollar faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchange trading?

According to Reuters:

In afternoon trading, the dollar fell 0.5% against the yen to 147.85, extending its decline after a mixed Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS. On the quarter, the dollar rose 2.7%, the best quarterly gains since October 2024.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar At ¥147

Now that we're in a new month, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchange. This, of course, is especially of interest to those who are planning to take a trip to Japan.

According to Trading News:

The USD/JPY exchange rate has retreated from its recent monthly peak at 146.19, sliding to 147 after testing the 50-Day SMA at 146.34. The currency pair had rallied from a low of 142.36 earlier this month, but momentum has weakened after the Federal Reserve kept policy options open. If the pair fails to hold above the 144.60–145.90 support zone defined by Fibonacci retracement and extension clusters, the downside could accelerate toward the yearly low at 139.89. On the upside, a breakout above 148.70–150.30 remains possible if U.S. data reinforces dollar strength. 

To read more, go here. 

Yen Falls To Four-Month Low Against Dollar

Now that we're in a new month, it is time to take a little peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchange.

According to Nippon.com:

Tokyo, Aug. 1 (Jiji Press)--The yen fell to hit four-month lows past 150.50 per dollar in Tokyo trading Friday morning, with market players believing that the Bank of Japan is cautious about an early interest rate increase.

At noon, the dollar was at 150.75-77 yen, up from 149.38-40 yen at 5 p.m. Thursday.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar Drops Versus Yen

Now that we are in a new month and the summer vacation season has started, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen. This, of course, is of major interest to Americans traveling to Japan.

According to MSN:

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The U.S. dollar weakened on Tuesday, falling the most against the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc, as President Donald Trump's massive tax-cut and spending bill stoked fiscal worries and uncertainty around trade deals weighed on sentiment.

Investors have also started wagering on a quicker pace of monetary policy easing by the Federal Reserve this year ahead of a slew of U.S. economic data this week, headlined by Thursday's nonfarm payrolls report.

That spurred dollar-selling, which slipped 0.33% to a new 10-year low and fetched 0.790 Swiss francs, while the greenback dropped 0.64% to 143.08 Japanese yen. The yen capped the first half of the year with a 9% gain - its strongest performance since 2016.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar At ¥144

As we are now in a new month, it is time to take a little peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in foreign exchange.

This is of great interest to Americans planning to travel to Japan.

According to FXEmpire:

Trade headlines, hawkish Fed signals, and uncertainty about the timing of a Bank of Japan rate hike drove USD/JPY higher in the week ending May 30.

However, the gains were modest as US court drama left trade developments center stage. The USD/JPY pair rose 1.04% to close at 144.038. USD/JPY dropped to a low of 142.10 before recovering.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar At ¥149.62 In Tokyo

We're now in a new month (no, this is not an April Fool's joke) and it is time to see how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in Tokyo trading.

According to Jiji Press:

As of 5:00 p.m. on the 1st, the yen was trading at 149.62 to 149.63 yen per dollar on the Tokyo foreign exchange market, down 48 sen from the previous day (149.14 to 14 sen).

This is still great for American travelers to Japan as their dollars will get them more yen.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar Around ¥150.18 In Tokyo

Since we are now in a new month, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in Tokyo trading.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks fell Tuesday, pressured by fears over a trade war triggered by U.S. tariffs imposed on China, Mexico and Canada, while exporters were sold on the yen's brief appreciation.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 454.29 points, or 1.20 percent, from Monday at 37,331.18. The broader Topix index finished 19.38 points, or 0.71 percent, lower at 2,710.18.

On the top-tier Prime Market, decliners were led by nonferrous metal, securities house and mining issues.

The U.S. dollar briefly weakened to as low as 148.60 yen in Tokyo as the yen was bought after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Japan is pursuing a policy to devalue the yen, dealers said. The U.S. currency later rebounded to the lower 149 yen level.

At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 149.34-36 yen compared with 149.45-55 yen in New York and 150.17-18 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Monday. 

To read more, go here. 

Dollar Around ¥150 In Tokyo

Today is December 1 and it is time to take a look at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in Tokyo trading.

It is still doing well enough that many Americans are heading to Japan to take advantage of the exchange rate's increased purchasing power for the dollar.

According to Jiji Press:

The dollar-yen exchange rate (quote) in the Tokyo foreign exchange market on the 29th fell to around 150 yen per dollar due to the strengthening of adjustment selling due to the end of the month, as well as the pressure of the decline in US long-term interest rates in after-hours trading at the end of the day. As of 5:00 p.m., it was 150.00-01 yen, a significant 1.72 yen drop in the dollar and 1.72 yen rise in the yen from the previous day (151.72-73 yen at 5:00 p.m.).

 To read more, go here.

Japan Hotel Rates Hit September Record

Above, Tsukuba Hotel in the Ueno section of Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hotel rates in Japan hit a record in September due to the tourism boom.

Rates went up an average 12.6% according to Nikkei Asia. For American travelers, that isn't too bad of an increase considering that the dollar and yen exchange rate is around ¥152 per dollar in Tokyo.

They reported:

TOKYO -- The average hotel rate in Japan increased 12.6% on the year in September to 19,381 yen ($127) per night, led by an influx to tourists from overseas, new data from analytics company STR shows.

Cities popular with foreign travelers, like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, helped drive the average rate up to its highest for September in data going back to 1996.

The number of foreign visitors in Japan was up 31.5% on the year on the first days of the two three-day weekends in September. Still, hotel rates rose less than during longer holidays, having little effect on stays by domestic guests.

To read more, go here. 

Japanese Yen At ¥152.56

Now that we're in November (where has this year flown?), it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen.

Currently, Godzilla fans are in Japan for G-TOUR 4. They are there from October 25th through November 5th, 2024. So they are taking advantage of the dollar's current strength against the yen. If the tour were of shorter duration, I would have joined them.

According to Jiji Press:

As of 5:00 p.m. on the 1st, the yen was trading at 152.56 to 57 yen per dollar on the Tokyo foreign exchange market, down 34 sen from the previous day (152.22 to 22 sen).

To read more, go here. 

Japan Visitors Set New Spending Record

Above, the Hozomon Gate at Asakusa's Senso-ji temple. Photo by Armand Vaquer

Thanks to the weak Japanese yen, tourist spending in Japan has reached record levels. 

Reuters reported:

TOKYO, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Visitor spending in Japan broke an annual record in just nine months, official data showed on Wednesday, demonstrating the economic power of a tourism boom fuelled by the weak yen.

Travellers spent 5.86 trillion yen ($39.27 billion) through September, preliminary figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed. That eclipsed the 5.3 trillion yen spent in all of 2023, a record for any 12-month period.

The current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen is 1 USD = 149.92 JPY.

To read more, go here. 

Dollar In ¥144 Range

Now that we're in a new month and the fall season should entice more Americans to visit Japan thanks to cooler weather, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun:

The U.S. dollar rose to lower 144 yen range in Tokyo on buying after Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell said the U.S. central bank is not in a rush to cut interest rates, fueling expectations that the U.S. and Japanese rate differential would remain wide, dealers said.

At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 144.16-19 yen compared with 143.57-67 yen in New York and 142.37-39 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Monday.

To read more, go here. 

Travel To Japan On The Cheap

Above, a view of the Sumida River and Asahi Beer Hall from the Tokyo Skytree. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to the favorable exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen in Tokyo, Japan is not the expensive place to visit as it once was.

American visitors can even save even more money visiting Japan. 

Boing Boing has posted a video on how to travel to Japan "on the cheap."

They begin with:

Japan was once an expensive country to visit. It isn't any longer. Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, it's much cheaper to travel around Japan for a lot less than in the United States or most of Europe. Plus Japan is generally safer, cleaner, and has better food than the U.S. or Europe.

In this 30-minute YouTube video from Abroad in Japan, you'll learn how to stretch $1000 for two weeks in Japan  (excluding flights).

To see the video and read more, go here. 

Rising Credit Card Usage Giving Headaches To Japan's Merchants

Above, Shibuya Crossing in Shibuya's shopping district. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan is generally known as a cash-only country. Credit cards have historically been rarely used.

However, since there is now a tourism boom of foreigners to Japan, credit card usage has been rising. Along with that, they come with a few headaches for merchants.

During my eight trips to Japan, I have never used a credit card. I strictly used cash obtained from the foreign exchange window at Narita Airport.

Nikkei Asia reported:

TOKYO -- As international visitors flock to Japan, their shopping and dining have put such a strain on credit card companies here that some are considering charging higher fees for foreign-issued cards.

When a foreign-issued credit card is used in Japan, the Japanese card company that processes transactions for the merchant must pay fees to both the overseas issuer and the international brand holder, such as Visa or MasterCard.

These payments can outweigh the merchant fees they collect in Japan, leaving losses that are expected to top 30 billion yen ($205 million) this year, about 50% more than in 2023.

Seven out of eight major Japanese credit card companies surveyed by Nikkei say their losses have grown from last year. Of these, six said they were considering or already had begun applying different fees to overseas cards.

To read more, go here.