What Are IC Cards in Japan?
If you’re about to travel in Japan, one of the most important things you can get (besides the almighty Japan Rail Pass) is an IC card. What are prepaid IC cards? IC (integrated circuit) cards are rechargeable cards you put money on. They use RFID technology to tap, scan and pay for things. They can be used to purchase tons of different things, but their main use is for public transportation, especially on Japan’s amazing rail system.
How Do I Get an IC Card in Japan?
IC cards can be purchased at almost any major train station right at the ticket machine. The process takes about a minute and is fairly pain free, as there is normally an English language option if needed. The card is free; however they require a 500 Yen (~$5 USD) deposit, which is refundable if you return the card after you’re done with your Japan trip. You then preload some money onto the card and ‘Bam!’ you can now use your new IC card to quickly pay for your transportation fares.
You might be wondering if it’s really worth it to buy the card over just paying for a normal ticket. And the answer is, unless you plan on using the train only once or twice on your whole trip… it is absolutely worth it.
How to Use IC Cards in Japan
Assuming you got your IC card at the ticket machine and put some money on it, you can now enter the gate you need by simply tapping the card on the ticket gate IC card scanner. As long as you have at least the minimum fare amount, i.e. enough money to go on the cheapest train ride, then it will beep and let you in.
Once you get to your destination, you’ll do the same thing and scan your card at the gate to exit. As long as you have enough money already preloaded on the card you can leave. The fare is automatically calculated based on where you initially scanned to enter and where you are scanning to exit. So, there is no need to figure out the fare amount yourself.
If for some reason you don’t have enough money, you can easily recharge the card at a nearby machine before exiting.
In practice this seems like only a slight time save, but if you do it a bunch of times then it just makes train travel that much less stressful and the time saved adds up. Especially because almost every Japanese person around you will be using an IC card instead of a ticket. If you buy an IC card, you won’t be the foreigner fumbling with your train ticket at the super busy gate; but will instead be able to smoothly keep the line flowing.
Are IC Cards Worth Getting?
You can see the worth in an IC card by comparing its process to the process of just buying a regular ticket.
If don’t have an IC card, then you need to buy train tickets. To do that, you go to a ticket machine and buy a ticket for the correct price. You have to pay up front so you need to know how much your route will cost before you buy your ticket.
You can find the prices by looking at where your stop or connection is on the big map above the ticket machines. The maps can sometimes be a bit confusing and it might take a minute to find your station, but you can always ask a ticket attendant at the office if you’re not sure.
After buying your correctly priced ticket you need to insert it into the station gate and then grab the ticket back out on the side. You need to keep ahold of it until you get to your destination otherwise you’ll have to pay the max ticket price since they can’t confirm where you got on.
Once you arrive, and assuming you held onto your ticket, you then have to reinsert the ticket into the exit gate before you leave.
If you made a mistake and didn’t buy an expensive enough ticket you won’t be let through. You then would have to go to a nearby ticket exchange machine to pay the correct price for your train ride and get a new ticket to get out of the train terminal.
This entire process is avoided with an IC card because the money is pre-loaded, no trip calculating is required, and you don’t need to keep track of the tiny ticket while traveling on the rail.
How to Recharge an IC Card?
After a while, you will eventually run out of funds on your IC card and you’ll need to recharge it. Luckily the process to do so is super easy.
IC cards can be recharged at either a ticket machine or at special recharging machines, which can be found throughout the different train stations. Simply select the recharge IC card option and then follow the on-screen instructions. The instructions should have you set your card on a scanner and then enter in the amount of money you want to put on the card. Insert the money into the machine and then wait for prompt and jingle signaling that it’s okay to remove your IC card. At that point, you are good to go!
Where Can I Use an IC Card?
Obviously train stations are the number one use for IC cards, but they can be used for so much more.
First, let’s look at a limitation, which is that you can’t travel outside or between IC card areas. If you start in a Passmo area, you can’t directly travel cross over to another IC cards’ area you have to exit the ticket gate and re-enter when you are at a train station that borders two areas. Once you are crossed over, you can use the same IC card normally again.
Remember all the IC cards work in one another’s respective area. You are only limited in that you can’t directly cross over from one IC card area to another, unless you are using certain Shinkansen lines or a long haul bus.
As of now you can use IC cards on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen, as long as you buy your ticket ahead of time and then designate your IC card. You can also use IC cards on all of the eastern and northern Shinkansens. Non-reserved seats for Shinkansen operated by JR East can be purchased normally using a regular IC card, as long as you set it up first at a ticket machine. Lastly JR Kyushu is supposed to allow the use of IC cards by June 25, 2022.
Highway buses and taxis are another use for IC cards, but be aware that not all of them will take IC cards. Besides only public transportation, many vending machines, convenience stores (konbini), restaurants, and shops will also accept IC cards. Additionally, there are many other random services in Japan that will accept them.
Should I Get an IC Card if I Have a JR Pass?
Even if you have a Japan Rail Pass you may still want an IC card as JR passes only work on JR lines. You can then use your IC card on non-JR lines, local metros, and bus travel. JR passes can then be used to travel more cheaply on JR lines and on the Shinkansen. The JR pass doesn’t have limitations going between IC card areas. This can make having both the JR pass and IC card a potent duo to getting around Japan more easily.
How Do I Get My Deposit Back?
To get the deposit back you simply need to return your IC Card to the ticket office where you originally bought it from. This means if you get a Passmo card in Tokyo, then you won’t be able to return it in Hokkaido.
Do IC Cards Expire?
The cards only expire if you don’t use them for over 10 years.
Which IC Card Should I Get?
There are 10 major IC cards companies that service different areas throughout Japan:
Suica Card – JR East, Tokyo and Eastern Japan
Suica is the prepaid IC card from JR East for JR trains in the Greater Tokyo, Niigata and Sendai area.
Passmo Card – Tokyo Metro
Passmo is the prepaid IC card for Tokyo’s railway, subway and bus operators other than JR.
Icoca Card – JR West, Osaka
Icoca is the prepaid IC card for JR West to be used on JR trains in the Kansai, Chugoku and Hokuriku regions.
PiTaPa Card – Kansai Area
Pitapa is the IC card for the Kansai Region’s railway and subway operators other than JR. Unlike the other IC cards, PiTaPa is a postpaid, rather than prepaid system, and you need a registered Japanese bank account where the funds are taken out each month. This means that it is not a good option, nor likely even a possible choice for most foreigners.
Toica Card – JR Central
Toica is the prepaid IC card for JR Central for JR trains in the Greater Nagoya area and parts of Shizuoka Prefecture.
Manaca Card – Nagoya Area
Manaca is the prepaid IC card for Nagoya’s train, subway and bus operators other than JR and Kintetsu.
Sugoca Card – JR Kyushu
Sugoca is the prepaid IC card for JR Kyushu to use on JR trains in the Greater Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Oita and Nagasaki areas.
Nimoca Card – Fukuoka
Nimoca is the prepaid IC card for Nishitetsu to be used on Nishitetsu trains and buses in Greater Fukuoka. It can also be used on select transportation in other cities in Kyushu and in Hakodate.
Hayakaken Card – Fukuoka
Hayakaken is the prepaid IC card for Fukuoka City to be used on the Fukuoka Subway.
Kitaca Card – JR Hokkaido, Sapporo
Kitaca is the prepaid IC card for JR Hokkaido to be used on JR trains in the Greater Sapporo region.
Functionally the IC cards are all pretty much interchangeable. The brand you get just depends on where you bought it from. The biggest consideration you might need to make is if you want your refund back. Since you can only get the refund from a ticket office that services the same brand, you need to think about where you will likely leave Japan. That way you can return your card in the same region you bought it.
The deposit is usually only 500 yen, and if getting a refund doesn’t seem possible based on your travel plans, then you can still just keep the card. If you come back to Japan within ten years, then you may have another chance to use it before it expires.
Should I Get an IC Card?
In short, yes! Unless you don’t plan on using the subway more than a few times, then it makes using the train easier and much more fun.
