From arrivals to anywhere.
Know the route. Know the fare.
Trains, buses, taxis, and the card in your pocket. Make the first journey part of the plan.
Choose the journey
FOUR WAYS TO TRAVELStart with the line, direction, and service type.
JR, private railways, and city subways can appear in the same journey. A transfer may involve another operator, another gate, and another fare.
- 01
Check the whole route
Use Google Maps or Japan Travel by NAVITIME for a starting route, then confirm the operator, destination sign, platform, and departure time. Local, rapid, and express services do not stop at the same stations.
- 02
Tap the same card in and out
For an eligible local trip, tap an IC card or device at entry and exit. A physical card, iPhone, and Apple Watch are not interchangeable mid-journey. Ask staff if the gate rejects your card; do not follow someone through.
- 03
Buy the extra ticket when needed
Shinkansen and many limited-express services need a separate ticket or reservation beyond the ordinary fare. A booked service linked to an IC card, such as a supported SmartEX reservation, is not paid simply by loading that card with money.
- 04
Check the last connection
Most rail networks do not run through the night. Check service notices and the last usable connection, including transfers. Ask station staff in advance about step-free routes or boarding assistance.
An IC card is pay-as-you-go, not a JR Pass, a seat reservation, or permission to ride every train. Compare any rail pass against the trips you will actually make.
Suica is a wallet, not a pass
PREPAID TRAVEL & SHOPPING
Load yen, then tap for eligible local fares or purchases. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, and the other major interoperable cards can be used on many of the same networks. You usually do not need to buy a new brand in every region.
A straightforward choice for almost any phone.
Buy the local major IC card at a participating station machine or counter. You do not need a separate brand for every city: one interoperable card can cover many local journeys across Japan.
- In the Tokyo area, ask about regular Suica or PASMO, or the short-stay Welcome Suica. In Kansai, ICOCA is a practical first card. Sales locations, product availability, and opening hours vary.
- Regular physical Suica, PASMO, and ICOCA generally include a refundable JPY 500 deposit. Check the total purchase amount, usable balance, and issuer-specific refund fee and return location.
- Top up at compatible ticket machines, staffed convenience-store registers, or supported ATMs. Carry yen cash: do not assume a foreign payment card can load a physical IC card.
- Get a separate card for each fare-paying traveler. For a child-fare card, ask staff about age eligibility and identity documents such as a passport.
Standard physical Welcome Suica has no deposit, lasts 28 days including purchase day, and has no balance refund. Keep its reference slip and do not load more than you expect to spend. Its terms are different from regular Suica and Welcome Suica Mobile.
Where you can use it
Participating local railways, subways, buses, convenience stores, vending machines, lockers, and other merchants displaying accepted IC logos. Retail use is payment from your balance, not credit.
Where not to assume it works
Long-distance rail, reserved trains, highway buses, rural routes, and local-only networks may need a separate ticket or payment method. Contactless bank-card acceptance and transit IC acceptance are different systems.
Separate IC areas generally cannot be crossed in a single ordinary tap-in/tap-out journey. Buy the appropriate ticket before crossing boundaries. Shinkansen or limited-express travel needs its own ticket or supported linked booking; extra services are not included just because you have a balance.
Top-ups, refunds, children, and lost cards
- Major prepaid cards generally hold up to JPY 20,000. Use compatible machines, participating shops, or supported ATMs for cash top-ups; phone cards need a compatible reader at cash machines.
- A foreign credit or debit card may work in a supported mobile wallet but not at a physical-card top-up machine. Carry yen and keep a fallback ticket option.
- Each fare-paying passenger normally needs their own card. Child cards and discounted fares have specific age and identity rules; ask staff before buying.
- Regular-card deposits, balance refunds, fees, and reissue options depend on the issuer and product. You cannot necessarily return a Tokyo-issued card at an Osaka station.
- Standard physical Welcome Suica is non-refundable and expires after 28 days including purchase day. Check different terms for other visitor or mobile products. Anonymous lost cards generally cannot be recovered like registered cards.
- Keep the card separate from other contactless cards at the reader. Use the same physical card or device at both gates and ask staff to resolve an incomplete journey.
Different names, connected networks
10 / 10 MAJOR CARDSSuica
JR East / Tokyo and participating eastern areasRegular and visitor products have different validity and refund terms.
PASMO
Tokyo-area private railways, subways, and busesA practical alternative to Suica for participating local journeys.
Kitaca
JR Hokkaido participating linesNot every Hokkaido railway or rural bus is in an IC area.
TOICA
JR Central participating linesLocal IC use does not include an ordinary Shinkansen ride.
manaca
Nagoya-area subways, private railways, and busesCheck the route, not just the city name, for acceptance.
ICOCA
JR West and participating western networksUseful for Kansai arrivals, with use on other interoperable networks.
PiTaPa
Participating Kansai private railways and other operatorsA post-pay product with application requirements, not the simplest visitor purchase. Its shopping network is not mutually interchangeable with Suica e-money.
SUGOCA
JR Kyushu participating linesAcceptance covers designated areas, not every journey across Kyushu.
nimoca
Nishitetsu and other participating rail/bus operatorsIts home network extends beyond a single city; verify the operator.
Hayakaken
Fukuoka City SubwayA local issuer in the same major interoperability family.
Home networks indicate where a card originates, not its full acceptance area. PiTaPa is post-pay and its shopping system is an exception. Local cards such as Sapporo's SAPICA or Okinawa's OKICA have their own rules; a local network accepting Suica does not mean its own card works everywhere else.
Official acceptance guidanceLand with a first-journey plan
AT THE AIRPORTHaneda / HND
- Card options
- JR East lists Welcome Suica machines and a travel-service counter at Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) Station. Check the current hours and your arrival terminal; this is not a promise of sales at every terminal.
- Getting into town
- Compare Keikyu, the monorail, airport coaches, and official taxis against your hotel location. Eligible ordinary rail trips can use an interoperable IC card.
- Allow for
- Late arrivals need a last-train and last-bus check. Allow time for immigration, baggage, and any terminal transfer.
General travel guidance, not live service or stock information. Confirm current routes, fares, hours, product eligibility, device support, and payment acceptance with official operators. Airport names do not guarantee that every terminal has the same facilities.