乗Japan Train Trips
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How to ride trains in Japan

How to use Suica, PASMO and ICOCA on Japanese trains

交通系ICカード（Suica・PASMO・ICOCA）の使い方

Which card to get as a visitor, tapping in and out, topping up, the IC-area boundary you can't cross in one trip, and what IC cards don't pay for.

A rechargeable IC card is the easiest way to ride local trains, subways, buses and trams: tap it at the gate when you enter and again when you leave, and the fare is deducted automatically. Ten regional cards — Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken — work on each other's trains, so one card covers most of Japan's cities.

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乗り方の流れ

Step by step

  1. 01Get a card

    Welcome Suica (physical): no deposit, valid 28 days, no refunds — sold at JR EAST Travel Service Centers and machines at Narita and Haneda airports and major Tokyo stations. Welcome Suica Mobile (iPhone app, 13+): valid 180 days. Tourist PASMO (from May 2026): 28 days, sold at Haneda and Narita airports. Regular Suica and PASMO cards are on sale again too (¥500 refundable deposit). You can also add Suica, PASMO or ICOCA to Apple Wallet on an iPhone.

  2. 02Top up with cash

    Charge the card at ticket machines or fare adjustment machines (cash only, up to ¥20,000 on the card). Welcome Suica can also be topped up at Seven Bank ATMs.

  3. 03Tap in at the gate

    Touch the card flat on the reader until the gate beeps and opens. If the balance is below the minimum fare, the gate stays shut — top up first.

  4. 04Tap out at your destination

    Tap the same card again when you leave; the fare is deducted then. If you didn't tap out (or the gate didn't read it), the card won't work next time — show it at a staffed gate. Not enough balance at the exit? Top up at the fare adjustment machine just inside the gates.

  5. 05No gate? Tap the post on the platform

    Small unstaffed stations have a simple IC reader on a post instead of a gate. Tap it when you arrive at the station and when you leave, just like a gate.

The IC-area boundary

Each card works in many areas, but on ordinary (conventional) lines one trip must start and end inside the same IC area. Riding from the Tokyo area to the Sendai area on one tap, or across the JR East / JR Central / JR West boundaries, doesn't work. Buy a paper ticket for those trips, or get off at the boundary, leave the gate and tap in again. JR East plans to merge its six Suica areas (Tokyo, Sendai, Niigata, Aomori, Morioka, Akita) into one by the end of March 2027.

What the card doesn't pay for

Limited express, express and Green Car charges need a separate ticket — the card only covers the basic fare. Exceptions: on JR East commuter lines you can buy a Suica Green Car ticket at an IC machine and tap the reader above your seat; JR East's Touch de Go! Shinkansen lets a registered card pay for non-reserved Shinkansen seats on same-day trips; and online Shinkansen tickets (Smart EX, JR-EAST Train Reservation) can be linked to your card so you just tap through.

The same card pays for buses (tap on and off), vending machines, coin lockers and convenience stores.

Contactless credit cards

Since 25 March 2026, eleven private railways and subways around Tokyo — including Tokyo Metro, Toei, Odakyu, Keio, Keikyu, Tokyu, Seibu and parts of Tobu — accept tap-to-ride with Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners, Discover and UnionPay at gates with the card-touch mark (adult fares only; enter and exit with the same card). JR East lines don't accept it.

Good to know

  • Welcome Suica and Tourist PASMO balances are never refunded — top up only what you'll use.
  • Children's IC cards charge child fares; Welcome Suica child cards need the child's passport.
  • Android phones bought outside Japan generally can't use mobile Suica or PASMO.

Sources

Rules differ between railways and change from time to time — last checked 3 Nov 2026. Follow signs and staff on the day.