If you’re flying into Osaka/Kyoto or points west, you can buy an ICOCA reloadable transit card at any train station and use it anywhere in Japan. But as of August 2023, you can no longer buy Suica or PASMO transit cards in Eastern Japan (Tokyo region and east), so you have to put one on your phone or buy a temporary visitor card at the airport.
These cards are for visitors only. Here’s what’s different about them:
• They expire 28 days from date of purchase and can’t be reloaded after that
• You can only buy one per person
• You can reload them at any ticket machine, but they can only be bought at the airport
You can buy Welcome cards at:
• The JR East Travel Centers in Narita terminals 1, 2 and 3
• The JR East Travel Center near the monorail ticket gate in Haneda Terminal 3
• The dedicated Welcome card vending machine near the monorail ticket gate in Haneda Terminal 3.
Here’s how and where to get one at Haneda Airport
Here’s a FAQ (in English) about how and where to buy PASMO “Passport” cards
*Highly recommend buying yours at the airport when you arrive. Availability at the advertised train stations can be unreliable
Using your card:
You go through an electronic ticket gate when you enter and exit the system. You need your transit card to enter the platform and get out the gate at your destination because you are charged by the distance traveled and train lines used.
• Tap it on the sensor on the front of the ticket gate that says “Suica” or “Pasmo” (both kinds of card work at both) and when you hear the beep, walk through. This works even if the card is inside your wallet.
• Choose the platform that will take you to your destination. (Your phone navigation app should tell you the name of the station that is the last stop in the direction you’re going). Above the stairs leading to the platform or somewhere near the end of the platform stairs will be a map of the subway stops serviced by the trains that stop at that platform. If you don’t see your destination on the map, cross over to the platform on the other side of the tracks.
• When you exit at your destination, tap your card on the sensor at the ticket gate and it will let you through, automatically debiting the proper amount from your card.
How to reload your card:
• At any station, find the row of ticket machines along the wall near an entrance. (The ones that sell cards and allow you to add money have a Suica or PASMO logo on them.)
• Look for the “English” button (usually near the top of the screen)
• Feed your card into the left-hand slot, face up.
• Feed bills into the right-hand slot. It doesn’t matter which way you put the bill in. The smallest amount of money you can add to your card is ¥1000.
• Choose how much money you want to add from the choices displayed on the touch screen.
• The machine will add money to your card and spit it out. Your change will come out the slot where you put in the bills.
How to tell how much money is left on your card:
After you tap your card on any sensor as you enter or exit a station, check the lighted display on the right side of the ticket gate as you walk through. The amount left on your card will be displayed.
What if there isn’t enough money left on my card to exit?
If this happens, a loud noise will sound, the sensor will flash red, and the gate will snap closed in front of you.
If it does, back up and find the bright yellow “Add Fare” machines near the exit. Feed your card into the slot and select “English,” then follow the directions on the screen.
How to figure out where you’re going
You could do it the old-fashioned way by carrying a paper map or consulting the map on the wall at the station, but by far the fastest and easiest way is to use a phone app.
*The JR Line also runs long distance trains like the “bullet train,” but you’ can’t ride them trains with transit card. Here’s how to get a ticket for those trains.
Get more Japanese goodness straight from the source!
Subscribe to my monthly Japanagram e-magazine・° ♪・☆ It’s free!
Japanese Home Cooking recipes • Beyond Tokyo travel destinations • Seasonal Secret shopping & events • The Thing I Learned Today • Why, Japan, Why? • Monthly book or J-swag giveaway
•
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 