How to Ride a Train in Japan.

Many trains in Japan can be boarded with a special IC card.

Japan has the most developed railroad network in the world. Especially in Tokyo, there are so many train lines and stations that even Japanese people often get confused. For a one-week stay, it is recommended to buy a ticket, but for a longer stay, it is recommended to buy a special IC card. If you are staying for a week or so, it is recommended to purchase a ticket.

Card to ride public transportation in Japan

In Japan, a card for riding trains named “Suica” was created in Tokyo in 2000, and now that IC card can be used on many trains and urban buses throughout Japan, as well as at convenience stores and other outlets.
Residents of Japan can make a credit card to charge money to the IC card, but unless you are travelling or working in Japan, it is best to charge money to the IC card using cash at train stations and convenience stores.
The IC cards used in Japan for public transportation can be used in different areas for different types of transportation, so there is no need to buy a new card every time you go to several places. Below are the types of public transportation IC cards in Japan and the areas where they are natively supported.

• Kitaka / Hokkaido
• PASMO / 27 railroad operators and 77 bus operators in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
• Suica / East Japan Railway (Tokyo, Sendai, Sapporo, Nigata and the capital city area), Tokyo Monorail, Rinkai Line, Saitama New Transit, Izu Kyuko Line, Fujikyuko Line.
• TOICA / Central Japan Railway. (Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka)
• manaca / Nagoya Railroad, Nagoya City Subway.
• PiTaPa / 64 railroad and bus operators in mainly the Kinki area.
• ICOCA / West Japan Railway. (Osaka, Nara, Wakayama, Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi)
• SUGOCA / Kyushu Railway (Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Kagoshima), Kitakyushu Monorail.
• Hayakaken (はやかけん) / Fukuoka City Subway.
• nimoca / Hakodate, Miyazaki, Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto, Saga.

There are as many as 10 public transportation IC cards in Japan. It can be confusing, but if you buy a card sold at the train station where you are staying, you can use that card throughout the country in many cases.
However, only PiTaPa in the Kinki area is not supported by the card, and you cannot use the IC card to make purchases, etc. in areas that are not natively supported by the card. The most popular IC card for public institutions is Suica, and if you are visiting Tokyo, this is the one you should buy.

If you are a gadget lover, you can also install “Suica” and “Pasmo” into your iPhone’s Wallet App or Android’s Google Pay. It is difficult to set up, but very convenient if you are staying for a long period of time.

Shota Uematsu

Designer, Photographer, Researcher.

Hello! I was born and live in Japan. When I studied abroad to learn English, I realized that I need a lot of knowledge to stay and live in Japan. I would like to be of service to you if you come to Japan!