Transportation IC cards are essential for travel nowadays, such as the Oyster card in London and the OMNY in New York. Do you know the similar cards in Japan?

This article will explain what IC cards are available in Japan and the benefits of having them.

What is an IC card?

IC means “Integrated Circuit” and it’s also called a Smart card. This small card, same size as a business card, is embedded with an electronic memory chip and used for financial transactions, including transportation.

IC cards are prepaid cards and very convenient. Just touch the card to a card reader at the gate and you can go through, saving time and the inconvenience of buying tickets from a ticket machine every time you need to travel. You can use the cards for not only for tickets but also for vending machines, parking and baggage lockers at the stations – they are simply e-money cards.

So let’s see the 10 useful IC cards available for travel in Japan.

1. PASMO

Kanto area – includes Tokyo and all across Japan

PASMO app with Apple pay is also available

This prepaid IC card is the most popular IC card in Japan. You can use PASMO for trains, subways and buses but also for shopping. It is really a wallet, not just an IC card for travel.

It can be purchased at almost every rail and subway station as well as online. You can charge it up to 20,000yen.

There is a special version called “PASMO Passport”, and is only available to overseas travellers who are visiting Japan. They use cute graphics of Japanese characters such as Hello Kitty, and can be for your family or friends who visit with you.

2. Suica

Kanto to Hokkaido area

Suica app with Apple pay and Google pay are also available

Suica is another popular IC card operated by JR East and it can be purchased at major JR East stations, ticket machines and Ticket offices.

You can charge them with 1,000yen, 2,000yen, 3,000yen, 4,000yen. 5,000yen and 10,000yen and are for both adults and children.

Suica cards called “Welcome Suica” are available to overseas travellers.

3. Kitaca

Hokkaido, especially Sapporo area

Kitaca can be used for subways, buses and trams. If you live in the area, it would be useful to have as it is also convenient for e-money when shopping.

Non-registered Kitaca can be purchased at the ticket machines and the charge limit is up to 20,000yen.

4. PiTaPa

Kinki, Okayama, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Kanazawa and Toyama area

This is an IC card for the Kansai area, and you can use it for subways and trains. PiTaPa is a unique IC card compared to the others because it is not prepaid, as it is linked to a credit card. Therefore you will pay later with other financial transactions. It might not be that easy for foreign people.

5. manaca

Nagoya area

manaca is a prepaid IC card operated by JR and Kintetsu. You can use it for trains, subways and buses and it can also can be used for shopping. If you live in Nagoya, this is the IC card we recommend.

6. TOICA

Mie, Gifu, Aichi and Shizuoka prefecture

TOICA is also an IC card operated by JR Central Japan which you can use for just trains, buses also at conbini (convenient store) – just touch your TOICA on the card reader.

7. ICOCA

Kinki, Okayama and Hiroshima area

ICOCA is operated by JR West and this IC card can be used for trains, buses and shopping. ICOCA can be purchased at most JR West station’s ticket machines or the Midori-no-madoguchi ticket offices using cash or credit cards.

8. nimoca

Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto, Saga, Miyazaki in Kyushu and Hakodate in Hokkaido

nimoca is one of two IC cards that you can use in the very populated areas in Kyushu. The prepaid IC card is for trains, buses, taxies, coin-operated lockers and shopping. You can also purchase nimoca cards at the Nishitetsu Tenjin bus terminal, Hakata bus terminal, Fukuoka airport and a few more places.

9. SUGOCA

Kyushu area

Another IC card that you can use in Kyushu called SUGOCA. It’s a prepaid IC card operated by JR Kyushu. The naming of SUGOCA comes from Smart Urban Going Card and it means “great”. Of course, you can use for trains but also for shopping at so many different places, such as conbini, Autobacs or restaurants.

10. HAYAKAKEN

Fukuoka city

The prepaid IC card called HAYAKAKEN can be used for trains, subways and buses in Fukuoka. The card looks very cool with HAYAKAKEN written in Japanese. You can use the card for small purchases at conbini, even when you don’t have any coins.

How to make IC cards and top them up?

As we’ve already explained, you can make those IC cards at ticket machines and tickets offices at stations or online paying by cash or using credit cards.

Usually IC cards are rechargeable and you can top up the credit in the same way and at the same places when you first purchased them. Sometimes you can ask a bus driver to top them up for you.

Another benefit to having an IC card is you can collect points every time you use the card.

Convenient Transportation IC card in Japan

We hope now you get a idea of how convenient IC cards are. You can save a lot of time by not having to queue or having to buy tickets every time, just by touching the card to the card reader and go – but also making shopping easier and then being able to collect points.

Have you found which IC card would be suitable for you?

Thank you for your time reading this article!