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Can tourists get IC card in Japan?

Welcome Suica: An IC Card for Foreign Visitors The Welcome Suica is an IC card for short-term foreign visitors to Japan.



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You can load a minimum amount of JPY1,000 at convenience stores. Short-term visitors can also consider the special Welcome Suica card. This tourist card with a sakura design comes without a JPY500 deposit fee but is valid for only four weeks and the balance credit cannot be refunded.

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You can purchase the Welcome Suica card at JR East Travel Service Centers at Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Narita Airport Terminal 2/3 Station, Haneda Airport International Terminal Station, Tokyo Station, Hamamatsucho Station, Shinagawa Station, Shibuya Station, Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, or Ueno ...

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Where to buy a My Suica card? You can purchase a “My Suica” at any JR East station ticketing machine or booth, including the ones located at Narita and Haneda airport. You can also buy it at some tourist information centers.

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Suica is the prepaid IC card by JR East for JR trains in the Greater Tokyo, Niigata and Sendai regions. A special version of Suica, called Welcome Suica, is available to foreign tourists. The special cards are valid for only four weeks, come without a deposit fee, but do not allow for refunds.

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The JR pass is only worth it if you travel through different cities, if you are just travelling to Tokyo to Kyoto for example, I would just pay on the Suica. You can do the online calculator or just use google to calculate which trip is easier - paying individually on Suica or getting a JR Pass.

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You cannot buy Suica outside of the greater Tokyo area. in Osaka, you have to buy ICOCA. When you leave the Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto) return your ICOCA and buy Suica when you get to Tokyo.

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Each person needs one. Pasmo/Suica is read when touching the IC card reader upon entering and exiting a gate, and the correct fare is deducted from the card. The same card cannot be read entering twice at the same station.

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Yes, it can. Suica cards can be used anywhere the Suica IC card logo is displayed. It can also be used in convenience stores and vending machines outside of the Tokyo area. You cannot use the Suica to travel between Tokyo and Osaka, but you can use it to travel within cities such as Osaka and Kyoto.

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If you calculate that your travel costs will be lower if you buy individual tickets for each journey, then it's not worth buying a JR Pass. However, if you take into account journeys on Shinkansen high-speed trains or other means of transport, the savings you make become substantial.

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Shinkansen tickets. Regular paper tickets for the shinkansen can be purchased at ticket counters, at ticket machines or online. Alternatively, IC cards can be used. Last but not least, there are several rail passes and other types of discount tickets that can be used on the shinkansen.

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Practical information on the Suica card The Suica card is ready to use and already credited with 2000 yen (including a 500 yen deposit). To recover the deposit, you will have to return your card in Tokyo only, at JR East stations. You can keep your Suica card for your next trip. It will remain valid for 10 years.

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iPhone: How to Add a Mobile Suica or PASMO Card
  1. To add a card to your iPhone, go to the Wallet app and select “Add”.
  2. Select the “Transit Card” option.
  3. Choose either Suica or PASMO, then select “Continue”.
  4. Finally, enter in how much you want to charge your card, and then select “Add”.


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