Japan has one of the largest and most efficient public transportation networks that we’ve ever seen! The majority of people in Japan take transit on a daily basis and it was not hard to see why. You can reach any point in the country by taking a train or bus. The whole system is famously punctual; if you show up at 12:01 for a 12:00 departure you’ll be staring at the back end of your train as it speeds away.
On the other hand, you can guarantee that you will reach your destination exactly on time too. One way to make sure you aren’t late for your train is to have your Suica Card in your hand. Having your Suica Card along with a JR Pass will make you almost unstoppable!
This pre-loaded smart card lets you effortlessly pay your train, subway, or bus fare. Wondering if and how you should pick up one of your own? Keep reading for all of the Suica Card tips we learned during our adventure in Japan.
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What is the Suica Card?
The Suica Card is an electronic smart card that you pre-load with money to pay fares or even buy things at select shops. It is extremely handy and highly recommended even if you don’t think you’ll be travelling on the metro very much – just add money as you go.
The card also saves valuable time if you’re rushing to catch your train. You can scan your card as you sprint through the gate instead of lining up at a ticket machine!
The next option you have is what type of Suica Card you should buy. You can’t go wrong with buying the “classic” green and white Suica Card that most locals use. You can even get a little fancy and have your name printed on your card as a souvenir. These are both great options but Suica offers a third option for tourists – the Welcome Suica.
This tourist-only card has a beautiful design and is used the same as any other Suica Card. You will need ¥2,000 to get the card – ¥500 for the card itself and ¥1,500 pre-loaded on the card. The Welcome Suica Card is only valid for 28 days after the first time you use it. These also make for a great souvenir of your time in Japan!
Another great feature of the Suica Card is that it allows you to go into an “overdraft” of sorts. Let’s say you’re ready to head back to your hotel after a long day of sightseeing. You head down to the subway for your ¥180 ride home…OH NO! Your card only has ¥100 left and you’re flush out of cash (curse you, gatcha-pon!!).
Do not panic because you will still be able to get home! Your Suica balance will read -¥80 after you leave your destination station but it will let you leave. You will need to bring your balance back to positive before using the card again so make sure to bring reload cash in the morning.
How To Get a Suica Card
Getting your hands on a Suica Card is really easy. Order one online, visit the booth at the airport when you arrive, or find one at just about any major subway station across the country.
We recommend buying your Suica Card after you arrive in Japan because it is so easy! The online options charge a small fee for getting the card to you which you will save by waiting until you get there. Most of the attendants speak perfect English but if there is a language barrier just say “Suica Card” and they will get one for you. You can even pick up a Suica Card when you’re picking up your JR Pass to make things even easier. You will get a receipt with your card that says it must be with the Suica Card at all times.
We assume this is in case you are somehow questioned about your card and you can prove you paid for it. We never came across any need for the receipt but kept it with our card to be on the safe side.
Make Sure You Have Cash
Japan is, surprisingly, a cash-based society so be sure to have ¥2,000 on you per Suica Card you need. It is possible to use a credit card at some major stations like Tokyo Station or a JR East Office. However, we found it was always a better option to have cash in Japan and only use cards for bigger purchases.
When your card is empty (or getting close) you should head to one of the many recharge points at any station. You can usually find one next to the ticket machines outside of the ticket gate. The default language is Japanese so just look for the English button at the top of the screen. Let the machine know you’re there to reload your Suica Card then place it on the pad.
You will need cash to reload your card by putting it into the machine! If you absolutely need to use a credit card to reload your Suica then you will have to visit the ticket attendant. Just be aware that this might not be available at all stations so cash is your best bet.
Suica Card App
There is a Suica App that you can download and use your credit card for reloads. The downside to this, unfortunately, is that the app is only in Japanese and does not work with the tourist Welcome Suica.
Where to Use the Suica Card
It might be faster to list the places you can’t use your Suica card!
You can start using the card right away since it comes with ¥1,500. Just head towards the train or subway gates and tap your card to enter! Keep an eye on what everyone else is doing if you’re not sure where you need to tap. The gate shows you your balance when you enter so you always know what you have left.
When you tap to leave your destination station, the machine will show the final fare and new balance. Most transit in Japan is pay-by-distance instead of being a fixed fare like what we have in Toronto. Don’t worry too much about your budget because the longest subway trips in Tokyo are only ¥320.
We knew that we had to have a Suica Card to get around on the subway but we thought it stopped there. It was quite a surprise to learn how many different ways we could use it and how far the Suica Card can take us.
Suica Card Works Across Japan
It works on just about all metro networks in the cities we visited (excluding JR trains). From Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka to Hiroshima and even in the town of Kawaguchiko, we were able to get around with our Suica.
Japan is full of a lot of different transit systems:
- TOICA (JR Central)
- PiTaPa (Mostly in the Kansai region in places like Hiroshima)
- ICOCA (JR West)
- Manaca (Nagoya region)
- Kitaka (Hokkaido)
And that’s not even all of them! It is confusing when you first look at it but luckily the Suica Card works with each of them. The easiest way to know where your Suica Card works is if the system ends in ‘A’ then it works. Check out this map for a complete list of which transit systems accept your Suica Card.
To complicate things a little more, it is possible (but incredibly rare) to board a train at a Suica-covered station but depart at a non-Suica station. If this happens and your card doesn’t work at the exit gate, just go to the ticket booth and tell the attendant your starting station. They will get you sorted out in no time!
Keep your Suica Card close after you arrive at your destination because it’s not done helping out…
Shopping With the Suica Card
The Suica Card does so much more than pay your fare. This helpful little card can also be used at convenience stores and restaurants! Keep an eye out for the Suica symbol to know for sure that you’ll be able to pay with your card. Like we mentioned above, physical cash is king in Japan so your credit card will not get much use.
We still used credit for bigger purchases from places like The Nintendo Shop or Don Quijote but we are not used to carrying a lot of cash on us. Our compromise was to make sure our Suica Cards were loaded up to bridge the cash-credit gap.
Many Shops Accept the Suica Card
Here’s a very short list of shops/restaurants that accept your Suica Card:
- The Conbini “Holy Trinity” (7-11, Family Mart, and Lawson’s)
- Vending Machines
- Narita Airport
- Many stores in Diver City
- Fast Food places like McDonald’s, KFC, Mister Donut, etc
- Taito Game Stations
The list keeps going but hopefully that gives you an idea of how far Suica can go! It gives you the power to shop and dine without worrying about having excess cash in your pocket.
Pasmo or Suica Card?
No doubt you’ve heard about both SUICA and PASMO when doing your research. There is a lot of information online and it is difficult to decide which is best for you. Luckily, we can clear everything up – there is no difference!
Well, actually the only difference is that they are sold by different companies. You buy the PASMO card in the Tokyo area only and it is sold by the local Tokyo transit system while Suica is sold by the JR East company. They both work exactly the same way and in exactly the same places.
There are overall less places to pick up a PASMO card and if you’re not even going to be in Tokyo it’s a moot point. We chose Suica over PASMO because we needed to visit a JR station anyway to pick up our JR Pass.
We cannot recommend the Suica Card enough! You need to pick one up even if you are only in Japan for a short period. The ease-of-use and variety of ways to use it make it well worth the ¥500 a Welcome Suica costs. There is also a small discount on metro fares when using the Suica Card and those savings add up the more you travel!
Let us know if you have more questions about using a Suica Card in Japan! Or, comment below to let future travellers know about your experience with Suica (or PASMO) and how it helped you.
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