Japan may feel futuristic, and in many big venues it is. Many hotels, large department stores, chain restaurants, movie theatres and taxi services accept credit and debit cards. In most cities you’ll often find Visa, Mastercard (and sometimes JCB) widely accepted.Even so: “yes you can” doesn’t mean “everywhere you go”. So one of the smartest moves you can make is to bring a good card and some cash, just in case.