Suica
- Home region
- JR East and other eastern areas
- Traveler takeaway
- A common Tokyo-region choice. Usable across participating mutual-use areas.
IC Cards in Japan
Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and how to use them
For local trains, subways and buses in Japan's major cities, an IC card is one of the easiest ways to pay. You usually do not need a different major card for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
IC cards quick answer
Get one major IC card if you expect to use local transport in cities. It saves buying individual tickets, but it is neither a rail pass nor a nationwide long-distance ticket.
- Best for
- Local trains, subways, buses and small purchases
- Need one?
- Not required, but useful for most city trips
- Which card?
- Usually the major card easiest to obtain
- Rail pass?
- No. It is stored-value payment
- Shinkansen?
- Needs a separate ticket or booking
- On a phone?
- iPhone: Welcome Suica Mobile. Android: limited
Short answer: Suica can generally work in Osaka and ICOCA in Tokyo on participating systems. One card is usually enough.
Which IC card should I get?
Choose access over branding. The major cards are designed to work across participating systems, so the right card is usually the one you can obtain and use confidently.
You arrive in Tokyo
Use: Choose the available Tokyo-region optionWelcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO are visitor products. A normal Suica or PASMO is also useful when available.
You arrive in Kansai
Use: ICOCA is a natural physical-card choiceIt is part of the same major mutual-use network as Suica and PASMO.
You already have Suica, PASMO or ICOCA
Use: Keep using itYou normally do not need another major interoperable card just because you change cities.
You have an iPhone or Apple Watch
Use: Welcome Suica MobileJR East’s visitor app issues a Suica on your phone for 180 days. Some countries restrict setup until you arrive in Japan.
You have an Android phone bought outside Japan
Use: Buy a physical cardJapanese IC cards need FeliCa hardware that most overseas Android phones lack.
Your itinerary is rural-heavy
Use: Check each local operator before relying on ICThe national mark does not mean every bus or railway accepts a major IC card.
Major interoperable cards
| Card | Home region | Traveler takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Suica | JR East and other eastern areas | A common Tokyo-region choice. Usable across participating mutual-use areas. |
| PASMO | Tokyo private rail and bus operators | Practically comparable to Suica for most visitors. TOURIST PASMO is the current visitor product. |
| ICOCA | Kansai and JR West areas | A straightforward Kansai choice, including a visitor-design ICOCA at Kansai Airport. |
| TOICA, manaca, Kitaca, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken | Central, Hokkaido and Kyushu areas | Major mutual-use cards. Get one if it is the convenient local option. |
| PiTaPa | Kansai | Part of transport mutual use, but its postpaid and e-money rules make it less relevant for typical visitors. |
PASMO
- Home region
- Tokyo private rail and bus operators
- Traveler takeaway
- Practically comparable to Suica for most visitors. TOURIST PASMO is the current visitor product.
ICOCA
- Home region
- Kansai and JR West areas
- Traveler takeaway
- A straightforward Kansai choice, including a visitor-design ICOCA at Kansai Airport.
TOICA, manaca, Kitaca, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken
- Home region
- Central, Hokkaido and Kyushu areas
- Traveler takeaway
- Major mutual-use cards. Get one if it is the convenient local option.
PiTaPa
- Home region
- Kansai
- Traveler takeaway
- Part of transport mutual use, but its postpaid and e-money rules make it less relevant for typical visitors.
Bottom line: Do not collect cards by region. A single major card normally handles local travel in the main cities on a typical visitor itinerary.
Where IC cards work, and where they do not
Think of an IC card as stored value that automatically pays an eligible fare when you tap in and tap out.
Usually useful for
- Local JR trains, subways and many private railways
- Many city buses, with local boarding and exit rules
- Convenience stores, vending machines, lockers and participating shops
- Quick urban journeys where you would otherwise buy a ticket
May need something else
- Limited express and reserved-seat services
- Shinkansen journeys
- Rural buses and smaller operators
- Trips crossing an IC-area boundary
IC card versus ticket versus rail pass
An IC card is stored-value payment for eligible ordinary journeys. A train ticket may still be required when the service or route cannot be represented by the card alone. A JAPAN RAIL PASS or a regional rail pass is a separate travel product with its own coverage rules, not money stored on an IC card, and you can hold both.
Bus use
Bus procedures vary. Some systems tap when boarding and exiting, some tap only when exiting, and some have a flat fare. Follow the reader, farebox and driver instructions on that bus rather than applying a Tokyo rule nationwide.
Interoperability is not a cross-region journey ticket
The important distinction is between a card being accepted in two areas and one trip being allowed to run across the boundary between those areas.
IC area AYour major card is accepted here.
Regional boundary
IC area BThe same card may be accepted here too.
JR East says a Welcome Suica journey begun in one area must end in that area, and its guide gives Tokyo to Sendai as an example that cannot be made as one continuous card journey. If your itinerary crosses an area boundary, leave the IC area and use the ticket or booking that covers the whole trip. Read the train-ticket guide for the long-distance mechanics.
Buy, use and recharge an IC card
Availability and exact sales locations change, so use operator pages for a current purchase point. Do not assume every regular card is stocked at every station.
Visitor products and regular cards
| Product | Validity and deposit | Refund note | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Suica Mobile | 180 days from issue. iPhone and Apple Watch only. | Remaining balance is not refunded and expires with the card. | Visitor with an Apple Pay device who wants no physical card. |
| Welcome Suica (physical) | 28 days from purchase. No deposit. | No ordinary refund of remaining balance. | Visitor arriving through listed JR East sales locations. |
| TOURIST PASMO | 28 days from purchase. Visitor product. | Added value is not refunded after expiry. | Visitor who can buy the current PASMO tourist product. |
| Regular Suica, PASMO or ICOCA | Product and availability vary. ICOCA is sold with a ¥500 deposit at listed JR West locations. | Issuer rules and issuing region matter. | A longer trip or anyone who wants a reusable physical card. |
Welcome Suica Mobile
- Validity and deposit
- 180 days from issue. iPhone and Apple Watch only.
- Refund note
- Remaining balance is not refunded and expires with the card.
- Best fit
- Visitor with an Apple Pay device who wants no physical card.
Welcome Suica (physical)
- Validity and deposit
- 28 days from purchase. No deposit.
- Refund note
- No ordinary refund of remaining balance.
- Best fit
- Visitor arriving through listed JR East sales locations.
TOURIST PASMO
- Validity and deposit
- 28 days from purchase. Visitor product.
- Refund note
- Added value is not refunded after expiry.
- Best fit
- Visitor who can buy the current PASMO tourist product.
Regular Suica, PASMO or ICOCA
- Validity and deposit
- Product and availability vary. ICOCA is sold with a ¥500 deposit at listed JR West locations.
- Refund note
- Issuer rules and issuing region matter.
- Best fit
- A longer trip or anyone who wants a reusable physical card.
Bottom line: TOURIST PASMO is PASMO’s current visitor product. It replaces PASMO PASSPORT, which PASMO abolished in 2024, so ignore older guides that still recommend PASSPORT.
Visitor products change, so check the current rules on the operator pages: TOURIST PASMO rules (opens in a new tab) and Welcome Suica purchase and refund guidance (opens in a new tab).
At the gate
Using an IC card at a station gate
- Find an IC-compatible gate
Look for the IC mark on the gate or reader.
- Tap once to enter
Hold the card or phone over the reader until it confirms.
- Travel and transfer
Follow the operator signs. Keep enough balance for the completed trip.
- Tap once to exit
The eligible fare is calculated and deducted from your stored value.
- Use the staffed gate if something is wrong
Do not keep tapping when the journey state is unclear.
Recharge carefully
Use a supported station machine, fare-adjustment machine, convenience-store or ATM option where available. JR East says Welcome Suica can be charged with yen at its marked machines and Seven Bank ATMs, but not by credit card. Start with a moderate balance, recharge when needed and avoid leaving a large unused balance at the end of a short trip.
Refunds, expiry and lost cards
There is no universal IC-card refund rule. A regular card deposit and remaining value follow the issuer's conditions and can require handling in its issuing area. Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO have 28-day visitor validity and normally do not refund ordinary unused balance. Anonymous physical cards are not reliably replaceable if lost. A mobile card follows wallet, account and issuer procedures instead.
Mobile IC cards: iPhone and Android
A mobile card can be very convenient, but it is a device and payment setup decision, not a universal tourist default.
| Option | What it means for visitors | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone and Apple Watch: Welcome Suica Mobile | JR East’s visitor app (iOS) issues and tops up a Suica for 180 days and can also book JR East Shinkansen seats in the app. It works with Apple Pay devices. | JR East says app download and top-up are restricted by law in some countries, so some travelers can only set it up after arriving in Japan. Remaining balance is not refunded. |
| iPhone and Apple Watch: Apple Wallet | Suica and PASMO can be added to Apple Wallet. Set an Express Transit Card to tap without opening an app. | PASMO’s Apple Pay setup requires the device region to be set to Japan, and reloads depend on Wallet and your payment-card issuer. |
| Android | Mobile Suica can work on supported Japanese FeliCa or Osaifu-Keitai hardware. Welcome Suica Mobile is iOS only. | Many phones bought outside Japan lack the required hardware. Do not assume an app alone makes it work. |
| Physical card | No battery, wallet setup or phone compatibility question. | Sales locations, stock, deposit and refund terms are product-specific. |
iPhone and Apple Watch: Welcome Suica Mobile
- What it means for visitors
- JR East’s visitor app (iOS) issues and tops up a Suica for 180 days and can also book JR East Shinkansen seats in the app. It works with Apple Pay devices.
- Check before relying on it
- JR East says app download and top-up are restricted by law in some countries, so some travelers can only set it up after arriving in Japan. Remaining balance is not refunded.
iPhone and Apple Watch: Apple Wallet
- What it means for visitors
- Suica and PASMO can be added to Apple Wallet. Set an Express Transit Card to tap without opening an app.
- Check before relying on it
- PASMO’s Apple Pay setup requires the device region to be set to Japan, and reloads depend on Wallet and your payment-card issuer.
Android
- What it means for visitors
- Mobile Suica can work on supported Japanese FeliCa or Osaifu-Keitai hardware. Welcome Suica Mobile is iOS only.
- Check before relying on it
- Many phones bought outside Japan lack the required hardware. Do not assume an app alone makes it work.
Physical card
- What it means for visitors
- No battery, wallet setup or phone compatibility question.
- Check before relying on it
- Sales locations, stock, deposit and refund terms are product-specific.
Bottom line: Choose mobile only if you can test the card and reload path before your first train. A physical card avoids battery and compatibility risk.
Payment-card limits matter
For the ordinary Mobile Suica app, JR East says overseas-issued and prepaid cards generally cannot be registered. The visitor app, Welcome Suica Mobile, is a separate product that tops up through Apple Wallet, and Apple Wallet and issuer support can differ from either app. Check your exact device and payment card before departure, then keep a physical card or cash as a fallback rather than assuming a phone setup will work.
IC cards, limited express and the Shinkansen
An ordinary IC card is not a ticket for premium or long-distance services.
For a limited express, the IC card may handle an ordinary fare in supported cases, while the limited-express or reserved-seat ticket remains separate. For the Shinkansen, you need a valid ticket or booking. SmartEX can use a registered compatible IC card at the gate on its supported routes, but it charges the Shinkansen fare to the booking payment card, not the IC-card balance. Read the Shinkansen guide or learn how Shinkansen booking works.
Contactless bank cards are a separate system
Tap-to-ride with a Visa, Mastercard or another bank-card network is not the same as using Suica, PASMO or ICOCA.
Bank-card transit is postpaid and operator-specific. It has expanded: Tokyo Metro and ten other Kanto operators began mutual use for participating contactless services in March 2026, while Kintetsu, Osaka Metro and JR Kyushu publish their own supported network and card-brand rules. Coverage, transfer rules and accepted networks vary, so look for the contactless mark and check the operator before relying on it for a multi-city trip.
💡Good to Know
Practical choice: contactless bank-card tap can be handy where it is offered, but a major IC card remains the more broadly useful local-transit option across a typical multi-city itinerary.
What if my IC card does not work?
Stop at the first clear signal rather than guessing at the gate.
- Check for insufficient balance, an unsupported operator or the wrong gate.
- Consider whether an earlier tap failed or you crossed an IC-area boundary.
- Remove other contactless cards from the reader area and try once more if the physical tap was unclear.
- For a phone, check battery, wallet state and the selected transit card.
- Use the staffed gate and show the card or device. Do not repeatedly tap when the trip state is unknown.
Common mistakes
Buying a new card in every city
Instead: A major mutual-use card is usually enough for participating systems in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Treating mutual use as a continuous cross-region ticket
Instead: A card can be accepted in both places but still not settle one journey that crosses IC-area boundaries.
Using an ordinary IC tap as a Shinkansen booking
Instead: Buy a valid Shinkansen ticket or booking. A linked card only acts as the gate key for supported booking services.
Assuming a station top-up machine takes a foreign card
Instead: Physical-card charging is commonly cash-based. Carry yen and check the machine before you rely on card payment.
Confusing contactless Visa or Mastercard with an IC card
Instead: Bank-card tap is a different, operator-specific postpaid system.
IC-card checklist
A few decisions before your first ride remove most of the friction.
Before your trip
- Choose physical or mobile based on your own phone and payment card.
- Check current sales locations and tourist-card conditions.
- Keep a payment and cash backup.
During your trip
- Keep a moderate balance and recharge when needed.
- Tap correctly at both ends of a journey.
- Use separate tickets or bookings for long-distance travel when required.
- Check rural and bus acceptance locally.
Before departure
- Check your remaining balance before you reach the airport.
- Read the issuer refund rule before making a special trip to claim one.
- Keep a visitor card as a souvenir if its balance cannot be refunded.