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Three JR companies, JR East, JR West and JR Central now offer IC ‘smart cards’ for use on local trains in major urban areas. IC stands for ‘integrated circuit’, the technology that lets passengers use these convenient cards to board trains without buying individual tickets and allows them to pass through ticket-gates with just a quick touch to a scanner. Although they are not discount cards, their convenience lets you spend your time enjoying sightseeing rather than fussing with tickets.
- Suica
JR East ‘smart card’ for the Tokyo metropolitan, Sendai and Niigata area.
- ICOCA
JR West ‘smart card’ for the Kansai (including Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe) and Okayama-Hiroshima areas.
- TOICA
JR Central ‘smart card’ for the Nagoya and Shizuoka area.
All three IC cards above are compatible with each other allowing easy access to JR local trains.
- Kitaca
JR Hokkaido ‘smart card’ for the Sapporo area after the autumn of 2008.
- SUGOCA
JR Kyushu ‘smart card’ for the Fukuoka-Kita Kyushu area after the spring of 2009.
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 … IC card CAN be used
_____ N/A … IC card CANNOT be used
(*1) After the Spring of 2009----(*2) After the Spring of 2010 |
Click to read more about IC Card:
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| Although stations in Japan have many ticket windows and ticket machines, it can always take a little time to figure out what ticket you need. With an IC ‘smart card’ you don’t need to buy individual tickets: the card will zip you through the ticket gates into or out of the platform area. If the card is low on cash you can always add more from machines located in most stations. |
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| To enter and exit all train station platforms in Japan you must show a valid ticket. Although there is always a station employee available to inspect tickets, most stations now have a large number of automatic ticket inspection machines that allow rapid entrance and exit. If you are using an IC ‘smart card’ you merely have to touch it to a scanner and the ticket gate will open for you. |
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| The three JR ‘smart cards’ allow access to all local JR trains in the urban areas that they cover. In the case of the JR East Suica and the JR West ICOCA cards you also have access to most non-JR lines including subways and some bus lines. |
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| The Suica and ICOCA cards can be used as an ‘electronic money’ cash cards in hundreds of small stores and kiosks, as well as some larger chain stores, that display the appropriate logo.Also these cards can be used on-board sales from vending carts on the most of JR-East Limited Express trains.This may be very handy for small purchases when you do not want to fuss with Japanese coins or bills, but cannot use a credit card. |
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| IC cards are valid for as long as ten years; if you buy one hold on to it for future use if you come back to Japan. So unlike regular tickets or rail passes you do not need to worry about expiration dates. If you have money left on your IC card when you leave Japan you can save it to use later or get a refund with a small handling charge. |
| Both IC cards and rail passes have their advantages. Depending on your travel plans you may wish to use both, or only one. |
- The Suica and ICOCA ‘smart cards’ can be used not only on JR trains but also on non-JR lines in their respective areas of validity. The Japan Rail Pass, JR East and JR West passes can only be used for JR trains. For this reason the IC cards may be useful for someone using a lot of local non-JR trains. But remember, the IC card is not a ‘discount’ ticket like the rail passes.
- The IC card can be used with a scanner at ticket inspection gates for rapid entrance and exit. Rail passes must be shown to a station employee for examination.
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- The nationwide Japan Rail Pass and the regional passes are discount tickets offering great savings if you travel a lot in the valid period. The IC cards are not discounted. If you can use the rail passes for local travel during part of your stay they can possibly save you some money.
- Rail passes cover all kinds of trains including the Shinkansen ‘bullet train’ network and the numerous long-distance Limited Express trains, as well as part of the cost of overnight sleeper trains. The IC cards are only for use on local trains in metropolitan areas.
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- For all long-distance travel only a Rail Pass will be of use.
- For urban transit you should use a Rail Pass if you have some leftover days from your long-distance travels, but if you are not doing any long-distance trips you might want to buy an IC card for its convenience.
- You may wish to combine the two by using your rail pass for local JR trains and an IC card for any non-JR trains if you are doing a lot of city travel.
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Remember that the IC ‘smart cards’ are for local transit: commuter trains, downtown trains and subways and some cases buses. They cannot be used on long-distance Super Express Shinkansen ‘bullet trains’ or Limited Express trains. Please note also that if you are going to be living in Japan for an extended period, the IC cards also come in commutation pass versions. |
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Information in English can be found on the JR EAST site. SUICA means Super Urban Intelligent Card, but it also refers to the ‘sui-sui’ that describes the quick swipe or swish of the Suica card over the automatic scanner. The maps show the area of Tokyo where the Suica card can be used on local trains, subways and buses. It is also useful as a shopping card: you can use it at any shop or kiosk displaying the Suica or PASMO logos. (PASMO is the ‘smart card’ issued by non-JR companies in the Tokyo area; it is now fully compatible with Suica). The Suica card can also be used in the urban areas of Sendai and Niigata, as well as in the JR West ICOCA card territory. A basic card costs 2,000 yen (including a 500 yen deposit), and you can add money to the card up to 20,000 yen. |
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The name of JR West’s ‘smart card’ ICOCA stands for IC Operating Card, but it can also be read as the Japanese phrase ‘Ikō ka?’ meaning ‘Shall we go?’. Since 2003 the card has covered the ‘Urban Network’ of JR trains in the Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe area. Now the card can be used in the Tokyo (Suica Card) area also, and is compatible with the PiTaPa or PASPY ‘smart card’ used by non-JR local lines in the Kansai or Hiroshima area.. Travelers in the greater Osaka area just can’t resist a cuddly mascot, nor the advantages of the handy ICOCA card. The card is easy to buy at numerous stations; it costs 2,000 yen initially (including a 500 yen deposit) and additional funds can be added at any time. The card can be used for shopping at stores or kiosks with the ICOCA logo. It is also valid for travel in the JR East Suica card areas. |
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The TOICA IC card is sold by JR Central for use in the Nagoya and Shizuoka area. The TO of TOICA reflects the other name of JR Central: JR Tokai. At present, TOICA is only valid on JR local trains but there are plans to expand the card to include non-JR service in the future. It is also not an ‘electronic money’ card for shopping. The card is available from machines in many stations and costs 2,000 yen initially (including a 500 yen deposit). |
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In the autumn of 2008, JR Hokkaido will introduce its IC card called Kitaca for use in the Sapporo area and by the spring of 2009 the Kitaca card will become compatible with JR East’s Suica card. This means that holders of either card will be able to use their cards for local JR transit in the JR East metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Sendai and Niigata and also in the Sapporo area. The existing Suica functions as both a prepaid transit card and also as an electronic money card for shopping; the new Kitaca will have the same functions. The reciprocal use agreement will also cover some non-JR lines such as the Haneda Airport monorail in Tokyo and the Sendai Airport Access train. The Kita of Kitaca means ‘the North’ in Japanese. |
In the spring of 2009, JR Kyushu will introduce its IC card called SUGOCA for use in the Fukuoka-Kita Kyushu area and by the spring of 2010 the SUGOCA card will become compatible with JR East’s Suica card.SUGOCA stands for Smart Urban GOing Card. |
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