Do you have a JR Pass or IC Card (Suica/Pasmo/etc.) question? Start here! (Monthly Thread – July 01, 2024)

Got a question about JR Passes or IC cards (Suica/Pasmo/ICOCA/etc)? Read through the information below and feel free to ask additional questions in this thread! Please see here%20question%3F%22&restrict_sr=1&sort=new) for old versions of this megathread.

JR Pass Info

The nationwide JR Pass is a travel pass that allows train and bus travel for a fixed cost over a certain period of days on Japan Railways (JR) services. For a comprehensive source of information on the pass, check out our wiki page or Japan Guide’s JR Pass page.

The JR Pass can be purchased in one of two ways:
* Online at the official site
* Online from an authorized retailer (also often called a "third-party seller")

There is no way to be certain if a JR Pass will be valuable for you without knowing your exact itinerary and doing the math out. If you are trying to work out whether a JR Pass is the right choice for you, here are some calculators:
* JRPass.com’s calculator
* Japan Guide’s calculator
* Daisuki calculator

As of October 1, 2023, the nationwide JR Pass and regional JR Passes have increased in price significantly. The price increase makes it so that there are very few itineraries that the nationwide JR Pass will be worth it for. For more information and discussion on the price increase, see this search result of prior discussion threads.

IC Card Info (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, etc.)

General Information

An IC card is a stored-value card used to pay for transportation in Japan. That means you can load the card with money and use the card to pay for trains, buses, etc by tapping the card at train station gates or fare readers. Even if you have a JR Pass or other travel pass, an IC card is recommended because it can be used across transportation systems operated by many different transit companies, as well as for payment at convenience stores, restaurants, shops, vending machines, and other locations.

For tourism purposes, there are nine major IC cards and all of them are completely interchangeable and usable in each other's regions, so it doesn’t really matter which one you get. Where you start your travels in Japan often dictates what IC card you get, since different IC cards originate in different regions, but then you'll be able to use it during most of your traveling, even if you move to a different region. For general information on IC cards, see our wiki or Japan Guide’s IC card page.

Physical IC Cards

Currently, sales of regular Suica, named Suica, regular Pasmo, and named Pasmo cards are technically officially suspended due to a semiconductor shortage (except children's versions and commuter versions). That said, there have been recent reports in early 2024 of people getting regular Suica cards at some stations in Tokyo.

If you are landing in/starting your trip in Tokyo, tourists can still get:

  • A Welcome Suica at Haneda Airport (HND)
  • Possibly a regular Suica at some major JR East stations in Tokyo, as well as at Haneda Airport and Narita Airport (subject to limited and inconsistent availability)
  • Possibly a Toica IC card at the JR Central portions of Tokyo Station (Yaesu North Exit) and Shinagawa Station (Shinkansen North Exit) (subject to limited and inconsistent availability)
  • A digital IC card (see next section for more information)

A Welcome Suica acts exactly like a regular IC card, with two exceptions: it is only valid for 28 days, and it cannot be refunded.

If you are starting your trip in another region (e.g., Kansai, Kyushu, etc.), sales of their regional IC cards are unaffected by Suica and Pasmo shortages. Please see this page to identify which card you'll get, and it should be available at airports and train stations in those regions.

06/25/24 Update: Pasmo Passport is listed as no longer available on its website.

Digital IC Cards

If you are looking to get a digital IC card, please note that digital Suica, Pasmo, and ICOCA cards can only be used on iPhones, Apple Watches, or Japanese Android phones (this means the phone was purchased in Japan). For instructions on how to get a digital IC card in Apple Wallet, see here. You do not need the Suica or Pasmo apps (which are all in Japanese) in order to get a digital IC card. It can be loaded and used entirely through Apple Wallet.

Please note that not all credit cards work to load a digital IC card. Amex cards seem to have the highest success rate, but Mastercards and Visas can be flaky. Although Visa previously didn't work at all, as of December 2023, loading a digital Suica with some Visa credits cards seems to work, although not all of them. See this At A Distance blog post for more info and updates. It is not uncommon to not have any of your cards work to load a digital IC card, and if that happens, you might need to stick with a physical IC card.

Keep in mind that digital IC cards cannot be refunded (that requires a Japanese bank account), so you will need to burn down whatever value you’ve loaded onto them before the end of your trip.

IC Card FAQ

I have an old IC card from a previous trip. Can I use it on my upcoming trip?

IC cards are valid for ten years after their last date of use, so if you received the card and/or used the card in/after 2014, it’ll work.

Can more than one person use the same IC card for travel?

No. All travelers who want to use IC cards on transit need to have their own card. Most transit in Japan is distance-based, and the card is “keeping track” of your journey, and it can only keep track of one at a time.

Are there children’s IC cards? How do I get one for my child?

Children under six years old can ride transit for free. If your child is between the ages of six and eleven, you can get a children’s IC card from JR offices by presenting the child’s passport for proof of age. There is also a Welcome Suica version for children. If you are getting IC cards at the airport, they are able to provide children’s cards.

Can I load money onto a physical IC card with a credit card?

No. Physical IC cards can only be loaded with cash, which can be done at ticket machines in train stations, convenience stores, and 7-Eleven ATMs.

I have a physical IC card and I want to transfer it to my phone. If I do that, can I still use the physical card?

No. Once you “move” the physical card to your phone and turn it into a digital card, the physical card becomes invalid. It cannot be used or reactivated.

I’m landing in Tokyo, but then I’m going to Osaka and Kyoto. Do I need a suica in Tokyo and then an ICOCA in Osaka/Kyoto?

No. Once you have one of the major IC cards, it can be used pretty much anywhere. There are some exceptions to this, but they are mostly on individual lines or in specific rural regions. If you are traveling to major tourism cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, etc., you are likely fine with whatever IC card you originally received upon arrival.

Should I buy an IC card online before arriving in Japan?

If you want to get an IC card online from a reputable vendor, there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of the authorized JR Pass website (as well as other websites targeted at tourists) will sell them bundled with other purchases. That said, there isn’t really any reason to get your card ahead of time. If you’re landing in Tokyo, the 28-day Welcome Suica is good enough for most tourists. And if you do end up in the country for longer than 28 days, you can simply get an IC card from another region once you’re in one (such as the ICOCA from Kansai).

Help! I tried to load my digital IC card through Apple Wallet and the transaction didn't go through! What do I do?

To start, did you attempt to create it/load it overnight in Japan? The digital system goes down for maintenance from about 1am to 5am JST, so try again during Japan's daytime hours. Beyond that, Visa cards often cannot be used to load digital IC cards. Mastercards sometimes have issues too, depending on the issuing bank. Unfortunately, if you can't find a digital card + credit card combo that works for you, you may not be able to use digital IC cards.

Recent IC Card Threads

To see some recent discussion on IC cards, check out the following threads from our search results here.

by Himekat

25 comments
  1. Posting my same top-level comment as I did last thread:

    Despite all the horrible communication and confusion from JR and places online, it’s really not that hard to get an IC card.

    – Arriving in Tokyo at Haneda? Get a Welcome Suica at the Terminal 3 station TVMs.
    – Arriving in Tokyo at Narita or after hours, or if you’re here for over a month? Get a regular green Suica from a JR East Travel Service Center near you (with fluctuating availability).
    – Arriving anywhere else that’s not Tokyo? Even easier, get your local variant – ICOCA, TOICA, manaca, SUGOCA, Kitaca, etc. – from a TVM at any train station.

  2. I have a digital IC card from a previous trip from last year which still has a maximum 20.000 YEN on it. I’ve read that it might be locked because it hasn’t been used within x months and I can’t top it up either to unlock it because it has the maximum ammount on it. I’m going back to Tokyo in October. Do I just show it to someone at the service point to unblock the card?

  3. Just sharing to let people know, successfully got a Suica at the JR East Travel Centers in Shibuya and Shinjuku. (Had to hit both because I needed one for me and one for my husband, but I was going to pick them up alone and they only give one per person)

  4. JR Rail Pass Not Worth It For 20 Days? (Mainly Going City 1 to City 2 + tons of travel within each city)

    Hello! I’ve been planning my trip to Japan for the last two months and will be leaving EWR on July 11 and landing at Haneda Airport on the 12th (or 11th idk exactly how the time difference is gonna work). I’m going to be in Japan from July 11 to July 31. I already have a Suica Card I loaded with an initial 5000 yen in my Apple Wallet and was PLANNING on getting a JR Rail Pass since I’ll be traveling across the country over my time here. I skimmed the FAQ and mainly looked into the JR Rail Pass section and used [https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/](https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/) to see if a 21 day JR Rail Pass was worth it. According to the website, I will only spend 45000 yen over my time in Japan on the JR Rail vs buying the 3 week pass for 114000 yen.

    Quick context: My general route will be:

    * July 12 – 14: Tokyo
    * July 14-16: Fukuoka (for the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival)
    * July 16 – 23: Kyoto (for the Gion Matsuri festival)
    * July 23: Nara (first ryokan)
    * July 24 – 25: Kobe (second ryokan)
    * July 25 – 29: Osaka
    * July 29 – 31: Tokyo

    I want to also note I’ll be taking tons of trains to get around the cities I’m actually in, but I don’t think the JR Rail Pass helps much there.

    I genuinely thought with how long I’m in Japan, all the research I’ve done, all the YouTube videos I’ve watched, etc. that the JR Rail Pass would be worth it for the distance and time I’m on vacation. If this massive trip (from my POV) isn’t worth buying the JR Rail Pass, in what world is it even worth it anymore?

    1. My initial question is basically ensuring that I’m not incorrect in my research at the moment and it’s better for me to just buy individual tickets from each location to the next as I travel across Japan.
    2. My second question is assuming I do not buy the JR Rail Pass, I just want to confirm I could just pay for every train I board by tapping my Suica Apple Wallet card on the train entrance gate vs having to stop and buy an actual ticket at each train (which was a major reason why I considered the JR Rail Pass vs buying tickets)
    3. Third, just a general question, but has anyone been to either of the festivals I’m going to and have any input/advice? I’m super excited and have my entire itinerary planned as of yesterday!
    4. Fourth is just a repeat from earlier: Is the JR Rail Pass worth it for my trip and assuming it isn’t, in what case is it even worth it then? Since my approximate travel time is about 18.5 hours total according to the website.
    5. Lastly, I wasn’t able to find much on this question as I’m just now doing extensive research to understand the train system, but separate from traveling from CITY TO CITY but when it comes to traveling WITHIN cities like Osaka, Tokyo, etc. will the JR Rail Pass help at all? I assumed that the Japan calculator website above may have said it wasn’t worth it to buy the JR Rail Pass because it didn’t include the dozens of train I’ll be taking to travel around the city I’m in, but does the JR Rail Pass even help at all for those or will I just be using my Suica card the whole time to get around a city?

    Sorry for the bulking post and I’m sure lots of people ask these questions, but thanks for your input. Any advice is helpful as this is my first ever solo trip and although I’ve done extensive planning and have almost everything I need booked such as hotels, museum/building tickets, restaurant reservations specific nights, etc. – any advice is still helpful!

    Additional Note: My friends went to Japan and bought the JR Rail Pass but after talking with them, they did a TON of round trips where it’s more of Tokyo to City back to Tokyo at the end of the day vs me just going direct city onto the next city. It seemed very worth it for them vs me as I look more into it…

  5. Hey folks, I’ll be traveling with friends to Japan in September and was wondering if the 7-day nation-wide JR pass still makes sense to us:

    7 days in Tokyo + surroundings
    5-6 days in Osaka (as Kansai hub)
    From those 5-6 days we plan to do day-trips to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe (potentially Himeji too), Nagoya (potentially Wakayama too)
    Then 2-3 days back in Tokyo (we might go up to Nikko)

    FWIW it’s not my first time in Japan but it was before the price hike

  6. With no more Pasmo Passports and Welcome Suica only available at Haneda is my only option for flying in to Narita a digital card on iPhones?

  7. We are arriving at Narita next week and our plan for our youngest was a Pasmo Passport but now it seems as that is suspended or is that not for child cards? For a child card, is the best option the JR East offices in Narita? He doesn’t have a phone, the other 6 of us will use digital Suica cards. We are staying in Gotanda and will go via private transport so I would like to have it handled in the airport if at all possible!

  8. I’d like to get the Welcome Suica with the lowest amount on it as a souvenir, but will switch to apple wallet Suica after.

    I’m confused about the Welcome Suica, do they all have the 1 day pass? Is it only valid on the same day or 24 hours? We’ll be arriving around 330pm @ Haneda, so will definitely need 1 monorail and a trip on the Yamanote line to get to the hotel, but if it’s just the remainder of the day, then it’s probably not worth the pass (if theres a difference)? I know it’s the savings of like $1

  9. FYI that I was able to get a physical Suica from Narita today with no issues, but only the 1000 and 2000 yen varieties were available, not that that’s a huge inconvenience. They were requiring it be purchased with cash though, so stop by the ATM first.

  10. Is it possible to reserve a seat on shinkansen, without currently having a JR pass, and then later getting the pass and using the reserved seat?

    I’m planning to buy the JR East-South Hokkaido Pass, to travel from Tokyo through Nikkou, Sendai, Aomori and Hakodate to Sapporo. I did the math and it should save me 5-10k per person (with two extra days unused on Hokkaido).
    The problem is, JR east refused my primary card, so I had to use a different one. But that account does not have enough balance and the transfer will take probably until tuesday to arrive. But, we want to get the last train from Aomori to Hakodate on 7th of August, when there is a Nebuta festival fireworks finale.

    I expect the reserved seats will go fast and fear that they will all be gone by the time I have enough on the card to buy the passes. I’d rather pay for the reservation, than wait for a free one with the pass, only to miss out.

  11. We will be traveling this late Nov to Osaka and is a little concerned about the IC cards.
    I know that there is a problem with the supply of IC Cards.
    JR Pass is not something that we would like to consider because of how expensive it has become and we may not be able to utilize it in many places since our trip is in Osaka-Nagoya-Ueno/Tokyo-Kyoto-Nara.

    Aside from buying in the ticket booths, can I just use our credit cards or debit cards to tap in the station?
    I have watched some Youtube videos and some have mentioned it.

    Any advise is welcome. Thank you so much in advance.

  12. Landing in New Chitose airport in Sapporo, is it guaranteed I would be able to get an IC card (Suica perhaps) or availability is not guaranteed?

  13. Tried looking for Icoca IC card in Hiroshima but, looks like I need to fill in a form to get it. I was wondering if I should fill the form or is it only for citizens living in Japan?

  14. Went to the JR East desk at NRT last night and the line was long and slow, but we figured out that at least half of the people trying to get SUICAs couldn’t get their credit cards to work and spent a ton of time failing to pay. There’s a Lawson in NRT with an ATM, so get cash.

  15. Got a regular Suica card at JR East Travel Service Center in Shibuya station today. No luck at Ueno station though

  16. Does anyone know how the IC card should have been handled in this case where I picked up tickets purchased on smart-ex? (It’s not that important, more out of curiosity from a system perspective.)

    * Should the fare for Yotsuya to Tokyo have been deducted from my IC card?
    * The JR East staff member reset my IC card, but she then realized that she couldn’t issue the smart-ex tickets. What would the proper handling have been? (Should she have undone the resetting of the IC card, if that’s possible?)
    * When I inserted my smart-ex ticket in the transfer ticket gate, I wasn’t asked to tap/insert the IC card/ticket used to get to the Shinkansen boarding station. Is this intended behavior? (In contrast, when you pick up the smart-ex tickets from the transfer gate Reserved Seat Ticket Vending Machines, I know the transfer ticket gate will ask you for your ticket/IC card to that station.)

    Here’s the order of events:

    1. Four days before departure date, I purchased a discount ticket for Tokyo → Kyoto using smart-ex.

    2. On the departure date, I went from Yotsuya to Tokyo (entered at Yotsuya using my Welcome Suica, rode to Tokyo, did not exit Tokyo).

    3. I went to the JR East Ticket Office next to the Shinkansen transfer gate where:
    * I placed my Welcome Suica on the IC card reader
    * I told the staff member that I want to pick up tickets purchased using the Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen Internet Reservation Service, and passed her a piece of paper on which I had written the pick up code
    * Staff member told me that she had reset my IC card, so I can take it (“ICカードをリセットしましたので、カードを受け取ってください”)
    * Staff member realized that I can’t pick up tickets at the JR East Ticket Office (apparently, for JR East, smart-ex pickup can only be done at Reserved Seat Ticket Vending Machines), so she told me to go to the JR Central Ticket Office

    4. I went to the JR Central Ticket Office next to the Shinkansen transfer gate where I:
    * Same first two bullet points as in (3)
    * Staff member told me in Japanese that the entrance record on IC card seems to have already been erased, and she asked me to explain what happened. I told her it was erased at the JR East Ticket Office, and she said “OK”, and that I can take the card.
    * She issued my smart-ex tickets and handed them to me.

    5. I tried to exit from the Yaesu South Gate. Trying to exit using the smart-ex ticket resulted in an error message saying “Please adjust fare” and trying to exit with the IC card resulted in an error message saying “Please ask station staff.” So I showed the ticket and the IC card to the staff member, and he let me through.

    6. I used a ticket vending machine outside the paid area to print the IC card balance statement. There were two lines at the bottom, which made me think that no fare was deducted for Yotsuya to Tokyo

    0706 物販 **897
    0706 入 四ツ谷 窓出 東京 **897

    7. I used my IC card to re-enter the conventional line area at Tokyo station. When I passed through the transfer gate, I inserted my smart-ex ticket and tapped my IC card. **However, the IC card reader portion was not lit up, and tapping my IC card did not do anything.**

    My impression was that the entrance record at Tokyo station would remain on the IC card. Sure enough, when I tried to use it for the Kyoto subway, the gate told me I need to ask staff, and the staff member told me I need to ask a staff member at Tokyo. I’ve sent an email to JR East and JR Central with more specific details for comment.

  17. Hi. Anyone bought the Sapporo-Furano pass before and know whether the pass covers all stations between the designated areas? Like for example, the official [website](https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/ticket/railpass/index.html) writes unlimited train rides between Furano and Biei. Does it mean I have to only arrive and depart at T30 Furano and F37 Biei stations? Or does it mean I can also depart at stations between T30 Furano and F37 Biei, for example, F42 Naka-Furano? Does the area pass cover these in between stations as well? Thanks in advance!

  18. Hi,
    We are visiting Tokyo next month for just over 1 week, flying into Narita quite late at night. I’m wondering if anyone can help with what our best option will be for IC Card seeing as we have the following restrictions:
    – we have a young child with us that does not have a mobile phone so will require a physical card.
    – we do not have apple phones and as such will not be able to use the digital cards.
    – we get in to Narita quite late and have been told that the desk to purchase may not be open and physical cards are limited or unavailable.

    Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

  19. Are the Children IC card (not Welcome card) available at Narita/Tokyo stations or are they limited from the chip shortage too?

  20. I’m Android user, wife Apple phone / watch. Is it possible for her to use the digital IC to load up and then pay for my fares without any disruption to others? Sounds like I should just get one of the physical IC cards

  21. I’m an Android user though I’m fortunate enough to be able to bring an iPhone to use specifically for the apple wallet functionality. My question is, will I be able to use the apple wallet functionality for the digital Suica I loaded without internet connection? Or will I need to move my SIM card over to my iPhone for the duration of the trip?

  22. Hi 🙂

    Is the kansai one pass worth the hassle compared to just using my iPhone. I don’t see it providing many savings to attractions or am I missing something?

  23. Hello all!

    I am planning on getting a 72hr tokyo metro/toei pass. I was wondering if I hop onto a subway train in Asakusa station and go to Ueno station then I hop into a train in the JR Yamanote Line to Ikebukuro, do I tap out using the metro card in UENO and tap in the Yamanote Line or just transfer directly to the Yamanote Train and tap out in Ikuburo paying a fare difference?

    Is it too much of an inconvenience or is it ok?

    Or should I just stick to da Suica card and pay as I go?

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