Which card to get
Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA and the regional equivalents are mutually compatible across almost the entire country. Whichever you obtain first will work in the other cities you visit, so the choice barely matters.
Put it on your phone
The simplest approach is a digital card added to your phone's wallet before departure, topped up with a card. You tap your phone at the gate, and top up in seconds from the platform rather than queueing at a machine.
Where they work
- Subways, JR lines, private railways and most city buses.
- Convenience stores, vending machines, many cafés and station shops.
- Coin lockers at major stations — far easier than feeding in coins.
What they don't do
IC cards do not cover shinkansen fares on their own, and they are not a discount — they are a convenience. Rural buses and some small operators still take cash only.
