IC cards in Japan: Suica, PASMO and ICOCA for visitors

How an IC card works

You load money onto the card, tap it on the reader at the ticket gate when you enter, and tap again when you leave. The gate works out the fare and takes it from your balance. It is the same idea as an Oyster card in London or an OMNY or Clipper card in the US, except that in Japan you cannot yet tap a foreign bank card at most gates, so a transit card is still the way to go.

Japan's main transit IC cards are compatible with each other. A card bought in Tokyo also works in Osaka and Kyoto, on most city trains, subways and buses, and in convenience stores and shops that show the IC mark (JR East (opens in a new tab)).

Which card to get

For a trip of up to four weeks, the Welcome Suica is the simple choice: buy it at a Welcome Suica machine at the airport or a major JR East station, and use it all over Kanto and beyond (JR East rules for visitor IC cards (opens in a new tab)). Check the expiry date on the reference paper you get with it, not the date on the back of the card (JR East FAQ (opens in a new tab)).

Staying longer, or coming back to Japan soon? A regular Suica, PASMO or ICOCA has no 28-day limit. You pay a ¥500 deposit inside the price (JR East (opens in a new tab)), and the card keeps working on your next trip.

On your iPhone

Welcome Suica Mobile is an iPhone app that puts the card on your phone, so there is no plastic to lose. Like the card, it lasts 28 days, counted from when you start using it, and the balance is not refunded (JR East (opens in a new tab); JR East (opens in a new tab)).

The ten cards that work together

Each region has its own card, but ten of them are accepted in each other's areas: Suica, PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, Hayakaken, nimoca and SUGOCA (PASMO (opens in a new tab)).

So your Tokyo Suica also works on the subway in Fukuoka in Kyushu or in Sapporo in Hokkaido (JR West, where ICOCA works (opens in a new tab)). Welcome Suica cannot be used in shops in PiTaPa areas, but it still works for trains there (JR East (opens in a new tab)).

Where your card does not work

• Journeys that cross card areas. A card covers trips inside one area, not a single journey from one area into another, for example a local train from Tokyo all the way to Nagoya. Buy a paper ticket for those (JR East FAQ, in Japanese (opens in a new tab)).
• Shinkansen and limited express seats. For long-distance trains, buy a ticket or use a JR Pass.
• Some rural lines and small buses. Many still take only cash or paper tickets, so carry coins in the countryside.

Topping up and spending

• Top up with cash at ticket machines that show the IC mark, from ¥500 to ¥10,000 at a time.
• A card can hold up to ¥20,000.
• Credit cards cannot top up a Welcome Suica card, so keep some yen cash for this (JR East (opens in a new tab)).
• Use the balance for drinks, snacks and small purchases at shops that show the IC mark, including most convenience stores and many station vending machines.

Riding buses with an IC card

City buses take the same card. Where you tap depends on the city: on many buses you tap the reader when you get on and again when you get off, while on flat-fare routes you tap once. Watch the people ahead of you, or the sign by the door, and tap the reader marked with the IC logo.

IC card or JR Pass?

They do different jobs. An IC card is for everyday city trips in Kansai or Kanto; a JR Pass is for long shinkansen journeys between cities. Many visitors carry both. Still planning the basics? Start with entering Japan visa-free.