By Porter Lang
If you pack one thing for moving around Japanese cities, make it a card that fits in a pocket. Fumbling for coins at a ticket machine is the slowest way to start a day.
What it is
Wikipedia describes Suica as a prepaid, rechargeable contactless smart card and e-money system, launched on 18 November 2001 by East Japan Railway Company, JR East. The name is a backronym for Super Urban Intelligent Card, with the logo picking out “ic” for integrated circuit. The page also links it to “sui sui”, a word for moving smoothly, and to suika, the word for watermelon, which connects to the penguin imagery. The penguin mascot first appeared in a 1998 picture book.
It uses Sony’s FeliCa contactless technology, readable from a short distance. Wikipedia says the card stores a record of the past 20 trips or e-money purchases.
The ten cards that talk to each other
The travel site japan-guide.com lists ten major IC cards: Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, Pitapa, Toica, Manaca, Kitaca, Sugoca, Nimoca and Hayakaken. Nine are prepaid; Pitapa is postpaid and not available to foreign tourists. Wikipedia says Suica became fully interoperable from 2013 with Kitaca, Pasmo, Toica, Manaca, Icoca, Pitapa, Sugoca, Nimoca and Hayakaken. Japan-guide adds that ten major cards work interchangeably in most major cities, while some minor local cards do not.
At the gate
Japan-guide says you touch the card to the reader for about one second at ticket gates and the fare is deducted when you exit. Wikipedia says that in the JR East area riders must have enough balance for at least the minimum fare to enter, and the fare is charged on exit. On buses, readers are at the entrance, the exit, or both. Each traveller needs a separate card.
Cards also pay at vending machines, shops and restaurants. Wikipedia counts convenience stores, chain restaurants, station shops and many vending machines in JR stations.
Buying, topping up and giving it back
Japan-guide says cards are bought at ticket machines and ticket counters of the issuing railway company, and that the purchase includes a refundable deposit plus an initial amount on the card. Recharging is possible at ticket machines, recharge machines, stations of other companies and convenience store cashiers. The balance shows on the gate or store display, and ticket machines can show usage history. Refunds are made only at the issuing company’s ticket counter, and a handling fee is taken from any remaining balance.
Regular cards become invalid after ten years of non-use, according to the same page.
The tourist version
Wikipedia says Welcome Suica, announced in August 2019, is aimed at international visitors. It is reloadable, needs no deposit, expires 28 days after purchase and is nonrefundable. Japan-guide agrees on the 28 days for the physical card and says Welcome Suica is available only at limited locations. Two 2026 travel guides say the physical card is sold at JR East Travel Service Centers at the Narita and Haneda airports and at major Tokyo stations, and their station lists differ, so the list changes. Japan-guide also lists Tourist Pasmo at Narita and Haneda airports. Welcome Suica Mobile, an iPhone app launched on 6 March 2025 according to a travel guide citing JR East, lasts 180 days from issue. Check JR East for where and how to buy before you travel.
On a phone
Mobile Suica began in January 2006 on mobile FeliCa phones, says Wikipedia, with an Android app on 23 May 2011. Suica was added to Apple Pay on 7 September 2016 and to Google Pay on 24 May 2018. Japan-guide says iPhone 8 and later can add Suica, Pasmo and Icoca to Apple Pay, and that some foreign-issued credit cards cannot be used to charge them. Phone support, app languages and card compatibility change often, so check JR East’s pages for your device before you rely on one.
Where it stops
This is the practical part, so we give it in full from japan-guide.
- Cards work only within coverage areas. Travel between disconnected areas is not possible, except on shinkansen.
- Many highway buses cannot be paid by IC card.
- Limited express supplement fees must be bought separately.
- Coverage varies by city. Kagoshima’s non-JR transport is not covered, and Kumamoto’s buses are not covered but its trams are.
- IC cards generally offer no discount. Fares may differ by a few yen from paper tickets because of rounding.
Shinkansen tickets
Japan-guide says that on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen you register cards and a credit card on smartEX and buy tickets online. In eastern and northern Japan it points to e-tickets through EkiNet, and on JR East non-reserved seats it describes “Touch de Go”, which needs a one-time setup at a ticket machine.
Dates in order
- 18 November 2001: Suica launches, according to Wikipedia.
- January 2006: Mobile Suica begins, according to Wikipedia.
- 2013: interoperability with other major cards, according to Wikipedia.
- 8 June 2023: JR East suspends sales of unregistered cards during a chip shortage; standard cards return in January 2024 in limited quantities, registered cards on 1 September 2024 and unregistered cards on 1 March 2025, according to Wikipedia. A 2026 travel guide citing a JR East press release agrees that unrestricted sales resumed on 1 March 2025.
- 6 March 2025: Welcome Suica Mobile launches for iPhone, according to a travel guide citing a JR East press release.
Questions a buyer would ask
Is a Suica only for Tokyo? Wikipedia and japan-guide both say it works across several regions. Can I get my deposit back? Japan-guide says a deposit is refundable at the issuing company’s counter, less a handling fee, but Welcome Suica is not refundable. Does it save money? Japan-guide says IC cards generally offer no discount.
What kind of sources these are
Wikipedia (Suica), japan-guide.com, a travel guide, and three 2026 travel guides that cite JR East. We could not read JR East’s own pages, so every rule here should be checked against the operator before you travel. Card availability and phone support change.
What we left out
Fares and deposit amounts, card prices, the 2027 Samsung and Ise Shima notes that japan-guide gives as plans, and the names of the mascot’s creator.
Quick answers
How do you use a Suica at a station gate? Touch it to the reader for about one second, and the fare is deducted when you exit, according to the travel guide japan-guide.com.
Does Suica work in other cities? Mostly yes. Wikipedia lists ten cards that became interchangeable from 2013, and japan-guide says they work in most major cities.
How long does Welcome Suica last? The physical card expires 28 days after purchase, according to both Wikipedia and japan-guide.com. It is nonrefundable.
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Roam first. Shop later.