An IC card is the tap you use for city trains, buses, convenience stores, and many vending machines across Japan. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, manaca, TOICA, Hayakaken, nimoca, and SUGOCA all work under the mutual IC logos, so one card covers most urban transit. It is not a Japan Rail Pass. Long-distance shinkansen tickets still go through SmartEX, a Rail Pass, or station counters (see the Tokyo to Kyoto shinkansen guide).
For most iPhone travelers, put Suica on the phone. Plastic tourist cards are the backup for Android, missing NFC, or a dead battery day.
Best for most iPhone travelers: Suica in Apple Wallet
Prefer the phone over plastic when you can.
- Open Wallet → + → Transit Card → Suica
- You need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication
- Hardware: iPhone 8 or later, or Apple Watch Series 3 or later
- Turn on Express Mode so gate taps work without Face ID or a passcode
- No cellular needed at the gate once the card is on the device
- Balance cap is ¥20,000
Apple Wallet also supports PASMO, ICOCA, and TOICA as transit cards. Confirm current device and region support on Apple's transit-card help page before you fly.
Midnight to 5am Japan time: you cannot add a new card or add value. Land after midnight? Wait until morning, or buy a physical tourist card at the airport instead.
Welcome Suica Mobile (JR East visitor app)
If you want a visitor-specific mobile Suica with an English UI, JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile is the other phone option.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Devices | iPhone XR / XS or later with iOS 17.2+, Apple Watch Series 3+ |
| Balance window | Valid 180 days from first charge |
| Refunds | No refund of leftover balance |
| Payment | Apple Pay card must be in the user's own name |
| Setup notes | Keep Location Services on; some countries only allow issue or top-up after you arrive in Japan |
| Max deposit | ¥20,000 |
Official source: JR East's Welcome Suica Mobile page on jreast.co.jp. Confirm eligibility for your country and device before travel.
Physical tourist cards (Android, no phone NFC, or backup)
Welcome Suica (JR East)
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Validity | 28 days from the purchase day (the GOOD THRU date on the back is not the expiry) |
| Deposit | None |
| Refunds | No refund of leftover balance |
| Top-ups | Cash at machines and counters |
| Where to buy | Narita T1 and T2·3 Welcome Suica machines and JR EAST Travel Service Centers; Haneda T3 (Tokyo Monorail); city JR centers (Tokyo, Shinjuku, and similar) |
| Rule of thumb | One card per person |
| Denominations | Roughly ¥1,000 to ¥10,000 |
TOURIST PASMO
Launched around May 2026 (per JNTO). Same tourist shape as Welcome Suica: 28 days, no deposit, no refund. Sold at Narita (Keisei information centers) and Haneda (Keikyu traveler machines / info).
Do not buy both Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO. Pick one.
The older PASMO PASSPORT is discontinued; handling ended October 11, 2024. Skip it.
Longer or repeat trips: regular Suica or PASMO
If you will be back within years, or your trip runs past 28 days, a regular Suica or PASMO with a roughly ¥500 refundable deposit is usually the better plastic. Return rules and a handling fee (often cited around ¥220) apply when you cash out. Confirm the current refund fee at a station counter rather than relying on an old blog post. Unregistered PASMO sales resumed in 2025 after the chip shortage.
Landing at Kansai (KIX)
Flying into Osaka? JR West's ICOCA (deposit model) rides the same mutual IC network as Suica and PASMO. Useful if your sakura base is Osaka on points with day trips to Kyoto.
Airport playbook
After landing at Haneda or Narita:
- Finish Visit Japan Web arrival steps (see Visit Japan Web and tax refunds)
- Set up mobile Suica (Apple Wallet or Welcome Suica Mobile) before you leave the terminal, or buy Welcome Suica / TOURIST PASMO at the airport machines
- Tap onto the monorail, Keikyu, Narita Express, or Skyliner with balance already loaded
| Trip moment | Move |
|---|---|
| 2–4 weeks before sakura week | Add Suica setup next to eSIM on the checklist; see the 10-night itinerary |
| After landing | Mobile Suica first; plastic tourist card if the phone path fails |
| Tokyo hotel days | Tap trains and convenience stores from your Tokyo luxury hotel base |
| Exit day | Spend leftover tourist-card balance (no refund); mobile Suica can ride home with you for the next trip if it is a regular Wallet Suica |
Practical tips
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Express Mode on | Gates are faster; no Face ID scramble with bags in both hands |
| Hold the top of the iPhone to the reader | The antenna sits near the top edge |
| Spend leftover before exit | Tourist cards (Welcome Suica / TOURIST PASMO) do not refund |
| Keep the phone charged | A dead phone is a dead ticket; carry a small battery pack |
| Android without Japanese Mobile Suica eligibility | Use physical Welcome Suica or TOURIST PASMO |
| Contactless bank cards | Expanding on some transit as a backup; still plan on an IC card as the primary |
| Area boundaries | IC cards are for travel inside IC areas. Crossing certain boundaries mid-trip may need a fare adjustment at a manned gate. Confirm if your day trip leaves the usual Suica/PASMO zone |
Sakura-week checklist add-on
Two to four weeks out, put Suica next to eSIM, hotel reconfirmation, and sushi holds. Pair it with the cherry blossom itinerary and your Tokyo hotel base so day-one transit is already settled when you land.
Want arrival transit handled in the plan?
Lie Flat Club builds airport choice, Visit Japan Web timing, and day-one IC setup into Trip Design so your first train tap is ready before you clear the terminal. Tell us your dates and which points you hold, and we map the logistics around the trip you actually want.
Travel information only, accurate as of November 2026. Confirm current rules on JR East, PASMO, Apple Wallet, and station counters before travel. Not financial advice.
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