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 more 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")
The JR Pass is quite expensive, not suitable for all itineraries, and there is no way to be certain if it 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 helpful calculators:
* JRPass.com’s calculator
* Japan Guide’s calculator
* Daisuki calculator
IC Card Info (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, etc.)
General Information
An IC card is a stored-value card used to pay for transportation in Japan. It can also be used for payment at convenience stores, restaurants, shops, vending machines, and other locations. There are ten 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. For more information on IC cards, see our wiki or Japan Guide’s IC card page.
Physical IC Cards
If you would like a physical IC card to use on your trip to Japan, here are the options.
If you are landing in/starting your trip in Tokyo, you can get:
- A Welcome Suica at Haneda Airport (HND), Narita Airport (NRT), Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, Shibuya Station, Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, and Ueno Station.
- A registered Suica, available at major JR East train station in Tokyo. A registered Suica requires that you submit information such as your name, phone number, and birthday into the dispensing machine so that the card can be registered to you.
- Possibly a regular Suica at some major JR East stations in the Tokyo area (subject to limited and inconsistent availability).
- A digital IC card (see next section for more information).
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 widely available at airports and train stations in those regions.
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 in order to get a digital IC card. A digital IC card can be loaded and used entirely through Apple Wallet.
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 less than ten years ago, 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.
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’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. For the majority of tourists, you'll be fine sticking with whatever IC card you originally received upon arrival.
Help! I tried to load my digital IC card through Apple Wallet and the transaction didn't go through! What do I do?
Did you attempt to create it/load it overnight in Japan? The digital system goes down for maintenance from about midnight to 5am JST, so try again during Japan's daytime hours. Beyond that, some credit cards (particularly Visas and Mastercards) have trouble with funding digital IC cards. 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
16 comments
my family is going to japan for 36 days. i see welcome suica is only good for 28 days. what would people recommend in this case? we will start in tokyo, and on day 28 would be in osaka. thanks!!
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sorry if the answer is already here or if these are dumb questions, but i’m planning on studying abroad in tokyo for the spring semester (4 months) and am curious about the suica card. obviously i wouldn’t be able to use the welcome suica since it only lasts about a month, so i’m assuming i’d have to use the regular one? do i have to buy those at a ticket counter in a train station or can you get them from a kiosk? i have an iphone 14 so i should be able to put the card in my apple wallet. if i only want a digital one, and not an actual physical card, how do i get one? again sorry if these questions are stupid or if the answer is in plain sight, i’m just trying to get ahead on things as much as possible 🙂
JR Pass Pick-Up Qs
Hi everyone!
My partner and I were looking to buy Hokuriku Arch pass for our trip in a couple weeks, initially flying in to Tokyo! A few questions have popped up for us…
1) If the pass is purchased from the JR West website, can it still be picked up in Tokyo despite it not being in a “JR West” region? And if so, can the pass be picked up via. Kiosk or does it have to be at a ticket office with an agent.
2) If the pass is purchased on the JR West website, are you able to make online reservations for “non-JR West” trains (ie. Going from Tokyo to Tsuruga on the Koruriku Shinkensen).
TIA!
can you load money onto a digital IC with cash?
WOOOOOOOO SUICA/PASMO IS BACK
PARTY
not sure if this is the correct thread for this, but is the Kansai Thru Pass no longer available?
Can you use foreign phone number to register the suica card?
Is it possible to add a Suica card on my kid´s iphone and pay the children´s fare?
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I’m trying to input my start time (Oct 10) on the JR Pass official site, but everything past the 5th of Oct is un-clickable. Am I missing something obvious here?
we can refund the balance of ic cards right? im planning to load around 10k yen at the start of my 7 day trip (rest of expenses will be paid through cash or credit card) so i don’t have to reload multiple times
For a registered Suica, does major JR East locations include Narita airport or is it only Welcome Suica available out of Narita? Thank you!
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Are the regular Suica/Pasmo cards available now at Haneda Airport as well? Does anyone know?
flying into fukuoka, i land there at 22:00. i need to get ic cards for the android users in my family, is there a place to get nimoca cards that late? not sure if there are automated machines at fukuoka airport station