Convert GBP to JPY Pound sterling ↔ Japanese yen Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Pound sterling and read it in Japanese yen at once. The page uses the European Central Bank's reference rate, and tells you which day that rate is from.
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Common amounts — Convert GBP to JPY (Pound sterling ↔ Japanese yen)
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The last thirty days
Where these codes and rates come from
The three letters in EUR, USD or JPY are not an abbreviation someone invented for a website: they are ISO 4217, a standard in which the first two letters are the country's own code and the third is usually the initial of the currency. The figures on this page come from the European Central Bank, which publishes one set of reference rates each working day, around 16:00 Central European time, agreed between the central banks of the Eurosystem. They are a daily snapshot meant for statistics and accounting, not a live trading feed — which is exactly why they are the same number for everyone, rather than whatever one bank happened to quote at one moment.
Where you meet an exchange rate
You meet an exchange rate four or five times a year without thinking about it: booking a trip, paying an invoice issued abroad, buying from a foreign shop, reading a salary offer in another currency, or checking what a card charge really cost. In all of these the reference rate is the honest middle, and the price you actually pay sits a little to one side of it. Knowing the middle is what lets you see how wide that margin is.
Questions people ask
Is this the rate my bank will give me?
No, and no page can promise one. This is the European Central Bank's reference rate: the midpoint published once a day for statistics. A bank, a card scheme or an exchange office adds its own margin on top — usually between half a percent and three percent, sometimes more at an airport counter. Use this figure to judge the offer you are given, not to predict it.
How often does the figure change, and what happens at weekends?
The European Central Bank publishes once each working day, in the afternoon, Central European time. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays or TARGET holidays, so on those days the page shows the last working day's rate and says which day it belongs to. The chart alongside is one year of the same daily series.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
Eight threads between two island nations, and the yen that runs through them
Britain and Japan sit on opposite edges of the Eurasian landmass, and they have been curious about each other for four hundred years. They drive on the left, drink tea in great quantities, run busy railways and take their weather seriously. They also have a long record of trade, and many British households now own at least one object made in Japan. For anyone who spends pounds and meets yen, the practical question is a short one: what is a pound worth in yen today? This page answers it. It uses the European Central Bank's reference rates, in which both currencies are quoted against the euro, combines them into a pound-to-yen rate and shows the date beside the result. Your amount stays in your browser. The text below follows eight threads that tie the two countries together, and each thread is a reason to Convert GBP to JPY and to understand what the number means.
Using the converter
Type, read, check the date
Enter an amount in pounds sterling and the page shows the equivalent in Japanese yen. Beneath the result is the date of the rate, and at weekends the page says clearly that it is Friday's figure. A table of round amounts and a thirty-day line complete the page. For yen into pounds, use Convert JPY to GBP.
Large numbers, small coins
The simplest way to keep the zeros under control is to Convert GBP to JPY twice, once for the total and once for a typical single price.
One pound is worth many yen, so results are large numbers. That is normal. The yen has no practical subunit; the sen, a hundredth of a yen, disappeared from daily use decades ago. Coins come in 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen, and notes in 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000, with a new series issued from 2024. When you Convert GBP to JPY for a meal, expect a big number and read the sterling price from the page rather than estimating it in your head.
Thread one: a sailor called William Adams
The first Englishman in Japan
In 1600, a Dutch ship, the Liefde, reached the coast of Kyushu with an English pilot called William Adams. He became an adviser to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, was given the Japanese name Miura Anjin and never returned home. He is buried in Hirado, and his memory is celebrated each year in Yokosuka and Ito. The trade he helped to begin was short-lived, and Japan closed its doors for more than two centuries.
Why the story matters for money
It shows how long the pair have been learning each other's customs. Today a British traveller does not need an adviser, only a card without foreign fees and a sense of the rate. Before the journey, Convert GBP to JPY on the amount you plan to spend, and use the figure as a ceiling on your day.
Thread two: a railway built by Britons
Tokyo to Yokohama, 1872
Japan's first railway opened in 1872 between Shimbashi in Tokyo and Yokohama, with British engineers, British locomotives and British capital. It is one reason Japan runs its trains on the left and uses the narrow gauge. The line was a symbol of the country's rapid modernisation, and the Japanese soon learned to build their own.
The Shinkansen and the ticket
For a long ride, it is worth taking a minute to Convert GBP to JPY and compare the fare with the pass.
Today the Shinkansen bullet train connects Tokyo and Osaka in about two and a half hours at a cost of around fourteen thousand yen one way. Reserved seats are more expensive than unreserved ones. A British visitor travelling to Kyoto should Convert GBP to JPY on the fare and compare it with a Standard Class ticket on the main British lines for a similar distance. The Japanese train is faster, usually punctual to the minute, and costs a similar sum.
Passes and their arithmetic
Foreign visitors can buy the Japan Rail Pass, whose price has risen in recent years, so compare it with individual tickets before you buy. For a trip to only two cities, tickets bought as you go are generally cheaper. For several long journeys in a week, the pass can still pay.
Thread three: whisky, from Glasgow to Yamazaki
Masataka Taketsuru's notebook
In 1918 a young Japanese chemist called Masataka Taketsuru went to Scotland to study whisky making. He studied at the University of Glasgow, worked in distilleries, married a Scottish woman, Rita, and returned to Japan. His notes helped to found the first Japanese malt distillery, Yamazaki, near Kyoto, in 1923, and later his own company, Nikka. Japanese whisky now wins international prizes and sells at high prices.
What a bottle costs
A bottle of Japanese whisky in Britain is often priced above its price at a shop in Tokyo, but rare bottles in Japan have become scarce and expensive. Visitors carry bottles home within the duty-free allowance, which for spirits is usually one litre. Check the price in yen, Convert GBP to JPY and compare with a British shop to see whether the journey has saved money.
Thread four: tea, the sweet and the ceremonial
Green tea and the afternoon tea
Britain imported tea from China and India and made it a national habit with milk and sugar. Japan prefers green tea, whisked as powdered matcha in a ceremony or steeped as sencha for everyday drinking. A tea ceremony experience for visitors costs between two and six thousand yen. A tin of good matcha costs about the same as a box of fine British loose tea.
Vending machines and convenience stores
At a vending machine, the price is small enough that you will not Convert GBP to JPY every time, but doing it once for a day's total keeps you honest.
Japan has more than two million vending machines, selling hot and cold drinks at every corner, usually for 130 to 200 yen. Convenience stores, called konbini, sell fresh sandwiches, rice balls and hot meals at fair prices. A day of eating at konbini costs perhaps 1,500 yen, and a quick run through the converter shows how modest that is in sterling, which makes Japan easier on the budget than its reputation suggests.
Thread five: a mountain and a hill
Mount Fuji
Fuji is 3,776 metres high, and the climbing season runs from early July to early September. Huts on the mountain offer a bed and a meal for about ten thousand yen. A climber from Britain, used to Ben Nevis at 1,345 metres, can use Convert m to ft to find that Fuji is about twelve thousand four hundred feet. The weather at the summit can be near freezing even in August.
Prices for mountain gear
For a pair of boots or a jacket, Convert GBP to JPY and compare with a British shop, remembering that tax-free shopping may lower the price further.
Outdoor equipment is sold in Japan at prices that are broadly similar to Britain, with some brands cheaper. Boots, jackets and gloves are all available in Tokyo's large shops. Temperatures in Japan are in Celsius, and visitors from the United States can read forecasts with Convert °C to °F.
Thread six: football, rugby and the sports calendar
The Rugby World Cup in 2019
Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2019, and British fans discovered a country welcoming to visitors in large numbers. Football is now also popular, with the J-League drawing steady crowds. Tickets for a match in Japan cost between two and five thousand yen, much less than a Premier League seat.
Sumo and baseball
Take the ticket price in yen, Convert GBP to JPY and include the train to the stadium, a programme and a drink.
Baseball is Japan's most popular spectator sport. A ticket for a Tokyo Giants game costs between two and six thousand yen. Sumo tournaments run for fifteen days, six times a year, in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Seats range from three thousand yen at the back to over twenty thousand at ringside. Convert GBP to JPY for the date you plan to attend, since tournaments sell out.
Thread seven: manners, cash and cards
Tipping is not done
In Japan, tipping is not practised. Good service is the standard, and leaving money on the table can cause confusion. A restaurant bill is exactly what you pay, plus a consumption tax of ten per cent, which is already included in most displayed prices. This simplicity makes budgeting easier than in countries where tips are expected.
Cash is still used
Before you withdraw, Convert GBP to JPY for the amount you expect to need over three days, and round up to the nearest ten thousand.
Japan is more cash-based than Britain. Many small restaurants, temples and rural shops do not accept cards. Cash machines in convenience stores accept foreign cards and are open all hours. A withdrawal of 30,000 to 50,000 yen at a time is common. Check your bank's fee and the rate on the day, and choose to be charged in yen if the machine asks.
Transport cards
When you top up a card, think of the amount in pounds: Convert GBP to JPY once, and you will know what ten thousand yen means in sterling.
Prepaid IC cards such as Suica and Pasmo work on trains, buses and in many shops. Load them with a few thousand yen at a time. They save time and spare you from working out fares, though the balance is hard to refund in full, so do not load more than you will use.
Thread eight: the economy and the exchange rate
Interest rates and the yen
For many years, Japan kept interest rates near zero while other countries raised theirs. Investors borrowed yen to invest elsewhere, which tended to weaken the currency. When the Bank of Japan changes policy, the yen can move sharply in a few days. A weak yen makes Japan cheaper for British visitors; a strong one makes it dearer.
The pound and the yen
The pair has moved in a wide range over the decades. Over the decades the number of yen to the pound has swung widely, falling and rising by tens of per cent within a few years. These swings are why people planning a big trip to Japan convert in stages, not all at once.
Tourism and the weak-yen effect
In years when the yen is weak, those who Convert GBP to JPY find that the same trip buys more, though crowds and prices at popular sites rise.
When the yen is weak, Japan becomes a favourite destination, and hotels in popular areas fill early. Book accommodation in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo well ahead, especially for spring and autumn, and check the cancellation terms.
Ten days from Tokyo to Kyoto, line by line
Accommodation, from capsule to ryokan
Japan offers a range of lodging that is unlike anything in Britain. A capsule hotel bed costs around four to six thousand yen; a business hotel room, ten to fifteen thousand; a traditional inn called a ryokan, with futon bedding, a bath and a multi-course dinner, thirty thousand yen a person and far more. Hostels run from three to five thousand. Compare the options by converting each price, and remember that many ryokan quote per person with meals, not per room.
Eating well for little
A few minutes spent to Convert GBP to JPY for a typical set lunch will show how reasonable Japanese prices can be.
Ramen shops, noodle counters and set-meal restaurants serve a full lunch for 800 to 1,500 yen. Evening meals at an izakaya, the Japanese pub, run to 3,000 or 5,000 yen with drinks. Sushi ranges from conveyor-belt plates at a hundred yen each to counters where a meal costs tens of thousands. Many visitors find that they eat better and spend less than they feared.
Seasonal menus and festivals
Cherry-blossom season in late March and early April and the red maples in November bring crowds and rising prices, both for hotels and for seasonal treats. A cherry-blossom picnic with friends under the trees costs a few thousand yen for food and drink, and the view is free.
Temples, castles and museums
Entry to most temples and shrines is free or costs 300 to 1,000 yen. Castles such as Himeji charge around 1,000 yen, and museums between 500 and 2,000. A guide for a half day costs between 10,000 and 20,000 yen. Add the lot, then Convert GBP to JPY to see how it fits into your sterling budget.
Getting around the cities
Tokyo's metro charges by distance, with typical single fares between 180 and 320 yen. A day pass for foreign visitors costs around 800 to 1,500 yen. Kyoto relies on buses and a small subway, and taxis are available but dear. A cycle hire is a pleasant alternative at 1,000 to 2,000 yen a day.
Paying for things in Japan: a short guide
Tax-free shopping
Remember to Convert GBP to JPY for the price before and after tax, and keep the receipts in your passport wallet.
Visitors from abroad can buy goods tax-free in many shops, if they spend over a certain amount and present a passport. The consumption tax of ten per cent is removed at the till or refunded. Electronics, clothes and cosmetics are the main candidates. Items must not be used in Japan and are sealed until departure for some categories.
Cash machines
Convenience-store machines marked for international cards accept most foreign cards. They give yen in notes, and some limit the daily amount. Your bank may charge a fee, and the machine may ask whether you prefer to be charged in your own currency. Choose yen.
Mobile wallets and cards
Contactless payment by phone is growing, and large stores, hotels and restaurants take foreign cards. Smaller places may accept cash only. Keep at least 10,000 yen in cash at all times, as a rule of thumb, and a second card as backup.
Currency counters
Airports and banks exchange pounds for yen, but the rate includes a margin. For small sums, a cash machine is better; for larger sums, order yen from your bank at home in advance, or use a travel-money card loaded with pounds. Convert GBP to JPY on this page to see how far the offer is from the reference rate.
Working and studying in Japan
British teachers and professionals
Anyone paid in yen who plans to save in pounds will Convert JPY to GBP each month, and the habit of noting the date matters just as much.
Thousands of British people work in Japan, many as English teachers or in finance and technology. Salaries are paid in yen, and rent in major cities is comparable to British prices, with small apartments the norm. A teacher saving to send money home needs to Convert JPY to GBP, so the reverse page is just as useful.
Students and exchange programmes
British students spend a year at Japanese universities through exchange programmes. Tuition is usually paid at the home institution, while living costs are in yen. A monthly budget of 120,000 to 180,000 yen is common, depending on the city.
Related conversions
Other currencies in the region and beyond
For the dollar, Convert GBP to USD gives the pound price of an American stopover, and Convert USD to JPY shows the same stopover in yen. For a transfer through Europe, Convert EUR to JPY and Convert GBP to EUR complete the picture. Australia, a common stop on a longer tour, is covered by Convert GBP to AUD.
Distances and units
Japanese road signs and train timetables use kilometres. Convert km to mi turns them into miles. Floor space in apartments is quoted in tatami mats and square metres, a detail that matters when you rent.
Mistakes to avoid
Confusing the yen and the yuan
The Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan are written with the same character, 円 and 元 in different forms, and both are sometimes called yen in English. Check the code JPY or CNY before you compare prices.
Counting the zeros
With numbers in the thousands and tens of thousands, it is easy to drop a zero. Check twice, especially for rail tickets and hotels.
An old rate
The yen can move several per cent in a week. A rate noted last month is a memory. The date beside the result protects you.
Back home
The page downloads only the table of daily reference rates. The amount you type never leaves your device, and no account is needed. From William Adams to the Shinkansen, the habit is the same: Convert GBP to JPY, read the date, compare any offer against the figure and keep the note.