Need Coins? How to Get Change for an ID Photo Booth in Japan

Photo Booths at Stations #Job-Hunting ID Photo #ID Photo #ID Photo Booth #Job Hunting

August 29, 2022November 6, 2026 Chiharu

ID photo booths let you take a passport-style or résumé photo right in the middle of the city.
More and more machines now accept cashless payment, such as IC cards (like Suica) and credit cards.

However, plenty of booths still take cash only. Many of them accept ¥1,000 bills, but it is a good idea to bring extra coins just in case.

In this article, we'll show you how to get extra coins while you're out in the city!

Use a Bank's Exchange Machine or Counter

At banks, shinkin banks (credit unions), credit cooperatives, and JA (agricultural cooperative) branches, you can exchange money at the exchange machine or the counter in the main office or a branch.
The rules for using exchange machines differ from bank to bank, but if you have an account there, it is often free up to a certain limit.

Withdraw Coins at an ATM That Handles Coins

If a bank has an ATM marked "coin-compatible" (硬貨対応), you can get coins by making a deposit or withdrawal there.

Please note that there may be limits on operating hours and the number of coins you can handle.
In particular, we recommend checking the operating hours before you go to the ATM.
Some banks let you include "coin-compatible" as a search condition when looking up ATM locations, so it's worth checking your bank's website.

Check Available Payment Methods in Advance for Peace of Mind

To avoid the trouble of having no cash or not enough coins, the best solution is to check in advance whether the photo booth you plan to use supports cashless payment.

On the website for Ki-Re-i, the ID photo booth from DNP Photo Imaging Japan, the location search lets you filter by conditions such as transit IC cards (electronic money) and mobile payment.

https://www.dnpphoto.jp/CGI/search/search.cgi

If you're planning to use a Ki-Re-i booth, be sure to check it out. (The site is in Japanese.)

Photo Studios That Accept Cashless Payment

Photo studios often state their accepted payment methods on their websites, so if you want to be sure you can pay cashless, shooting at a studio is the safer choice.

It costs a little more than using an ID photo booth, but in return you get a higher-quality photo.
We introduce the advantages that only a studio can offer in this article.

In this article, we covered what to do when you need coins at an ID photo booth.

Chiharu: Loves writing articles and is studying copywritingI love writing and I'm currently studying copywriting. I turn the questions our guests often ask and the things I notice in the studio into easy-to-read articles about job-hunting and ID photos, so that even first-timers can understand them.