Purchasing individual train and bus tickets from the ticket vending machines or ticket offices every time you take the public transportation in Japan can be a hassle. It is quite common to see groups of foreign tourists taking a long time to figure out the ticket machines or studying the fare maps at train and bus stations close to popular tourist attractions. For ease and convenience, it is best to get a prepaid Suica card.
What is the Suica card?
The Suica card is an IC card issued by the JR East Railways that people can use for travelling, shopping, and other transactions in Japan. It works as a prepaid electronic money card that you can top up or recharge to be able to pay for subway, train, and bus fares, drinks and snacks from vending machines, items bought at convenience stores, and more. With it, there is no need to wait in line at ticket vending machines, or rifle through your coin purse for exact change.
How do you buy a Suica card?
There are three ways to acquire a Suica card.
- You can buy a Suica card at the JR East Ticket Offices or Midori-no-madoguchi, and JR East Travel Service Centers at the major JR East Stations in Tokyo.
If you are flying in to Japan via Narita or Haneda Airport, you can head straight to a JR East Travel Service Center at either airport to purchase your Suica card. Here are maps on where you can find these offices:
In central Tokyo, you can purchase your Suica card at the JR East Travel Service Centers found at the following locations:
- You can get your own Suica card at ticket vending machines once in Japan.
It is also possible to purchase your own Suica card at ticket vending machines found at train stations in the JR East region. Here are the steps on how to do it:
- Tap the screen and select the “English” language option.
- On the next screen, choose the “Purchase New Suica” button.
- You will be presented with two choices: “MySuica” and “Suica”.
- If you want a Suica card that has your name on it and can be replaced in case you lose it, press the “MySuica” button. You will be asked to input your full name, birthday, sex, and phone number in order to create the card. If you are okay with having a regular, blank card with just the Suica logo on it, choose “Suica”. You do not have to provide any personal information for this one.
- Decide how much credits you would like to put into your Suica card. You have six choices: 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen, 4,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen.
- After selecting your desired card value, insert bills and/or coins into the machine’s bill and coin slots to pay for your purchase.
- Your new Suica card should be ready in seconds.
- Purchase your Suica card online before you leave for your trip.
If you do not want to have to deal with figuring out how the ticket vending machines work or how to find your way to the JR East Travel Service Centers after a 12-hour flight, you can always buy a Suica card online, weeks or months before your departure.
We recommend purchasing your Suica card online through a company called simcardgeek.com. They can ship your Suica card to your home address, so you can have one with you ready for use as soon as you arrive to Japan.
How much does a Suica card cost?
Suica cards, whether for adults or children, are sold for the following prices:
- 1,000 yen
- 2,000 yen
- 3,000 yen
- 4,000 yen
- 5,000 yen
- 10,000 yen
Out of the total cost, 500 yen serves as a deposit that you can get back when your return your Suica to any JR East service centre at the end of your trip, while the rest is the amount of credits that you can use for train and bus travel, and others.
If you get an adult’s Suica card, the adult’s rate is deducted per use. If you get child’s Suica card, the child’s rate is deducted per use.
How do you use the Suica to get around?
At train stations, you have to touch your Suica card onto the card readers at the ticket gates. You do this at your departure station right before entering the ticket gates to your train platform, and also after getting off the train to exit your arrival station. Doing so automatically deducts the exact fare from your card.
When riding buses, you also just touch your Suica onto the card reader by the doors or next to the driver upon getting on or getting off to have the exact fare automatically deducted from your card.
How do you use the Suica for shopping?
You can use your Suica card to buy a wide variety of goods and items while in Japan.
- While aboard a train, you can pay for food and beverages you buy from the train trolley service using it.
- You can get bottled water, soda in cans, coffee, ice cream, and other goods from vending machines using your Suica instead of bills or coins.
- Many convenience stores and restaurants also accept Suica as methods of payment. Just check with the staff in advance.
- At many train stations, you can use your Suica to rent coin lockers for your luggage.
Where can you use the Suica card?
A Suica card has wide coverage all over Japan. Upon purchasing it in Tokyo or some other areas in the JR East region, it is valid in several other transportation networks from as far north as Hokkaido to as far south as Kyushu.
It can be used to travel on JR and non-JR train and bus lines within a city or from one city to another, as long as both the departure point and the arrival point belong to the same area. For example, you can use it if travelling between Kyoto and Osaka, as both cities are in the JR West/Kansai area. Take a look at this Suica Map for more details on where you can use your Suica.
Also, just recently, the Tokaido-Shinkansen and Tohoku/Joetsu/Hokuriku Shinkansen lines have started accepting IC cards, including Suica, for non-reserved seats. Your Suica card has to be registered first to be able to avail of this service. More information is available on the Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen Reservation Information Page.
How do you recharge your Suica?
You can recharge your Suica card at the ticket vending machines and recharging machines at JR and non-JR railway almost anywhere in Japan. You can top it up as many times as you need in multiples of 1,000 yen, to a maximum amount of 20,000 yen. You must pay for the load in cash (bills and/or coins), as the machines do not accept credit cards payments.
What is its validity period?
Your Suica card is valid for a period of 10 years. If you get one on your first trip to Japan, you can choose to keep it and not return it yet for a refund, so that you can make use of it once again if you come back to the country within the next decade. If you fail to use your Suica in 10 years, the card becomes invalid, and you will have to get a new one for your next Japan trip.
