Getting around
IC cards: Suica, PASMO, ICOCA
One tap for trains, buses and convenience stores. Get one before you leave the airport.
What to know
- IC cards are prepaid, rechargeable cards. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA all work on trains and buses across Japan, at convenience stores, and at shops with the IC mark.
- Welcome Suica (JR East) is the visitor version sold around Tokyo. There's no deposit. It's valid for 28 days from the purchase date, and the "good thru" date printed on the back is not the expiry date. Leftover balance is generally not refunded, and lost cards can't be reissued.
- Buy Welcome Suica from dedicated machines at the Narita Airport and Haneda Airport Terminal 3 stations, or at JR East Travel Service Centers in stations such as Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ueno. Sales are limited to one per person.
- Top up Welcome Suica with cash only, up to ¥20,000 at a time, at station machines or Seven Bank ATMs. Credit cards can't be used.
- Visitor ICOCA (JR West) costs ¥2,000, including a ¥500 deposit. Buy it at the ticket office at Kansai Airport Station with a foreign passport and temporary visitor status. One per person.
- ICOCA is also available on Apple Pay.
psst, top up in small amounts toward the end of your trip. Spend Welcome Suica down to almost nothing on convenience store snacks before your flight, because whatever's left stays on the card.