Japan’s transportation infrastructure is very developed, and various public transportation vehicles are spread across the country. In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese tourists have traveled to Japan. Everyone can experience the most exciting things in Japan. Scenes and pictures, so what are the transportation cards in Japan?

When taking the subway in Japanese cities, if you don’t want to queue up in front of the ticket vending machine every time and look for the station name on the lines that are all over the place, then It is a very good choice to prepare a transportation card in advance.

There are three commonly used transportation cards in Japan: Suica, ICOCA and Kitaca.

The most commonly used card in the Tokyo area is Suica, which is well-known in China.

The similarities between Suica and ICOCA cards

The good brothers Suica and ICOCA are often confusing, but in fact there is not much difference between them. Especially in Tokyo, it's basically the same to use.

Suica watermelon card and ICOCA card are the same as our subway and bus cards. You can recharge the card after you buy it, and then recharge it after use. But one thing to note is that our all-in-one card has preferential policies, while these cards in Japan have no discounts at all! Their biggest function is to facilitate and quickly enter and leave the subway and bus, saving us from facing a lot of unfamiliar coins , the trouble of repeatedly counting and selling tickets, after all, we have long been familiar with mobile payment, and coins have disappeared from life for a long time.

In addition, Suica cards and ICOCA cards can also be used in convenience stores and vending machines. There are vending machines all over Japan. It is very convenient to buy water, but it is really annoying to always carry a pocket of coins. Using a card will be more convenient.

Scope of application (domestic Japan):

1. Railways, buses, subways, and trams with IC signs nationwide;

2. Convenience nationwide Stores;

3. Stores along railway lines nationwide;

4. Vending machines nationwide.

The difference between Suica card and ICOCA card

The only difference between the two cards is that they are issued in different places, and the places to buy and return the cards are different.

1. The Suica card is issued by JR East and can only be purchased and refunded in the Kanto region.

2. ICOCA is issued by JR West, and the card can only be purchased and refunded in the Kansai region.

The watermelon card is available in:

ICOCA card is available in:

Example:

If you buy it in Tokyo, East Japan I bought a Watermelon Card and then went to Osaka in Western Japan. Although you can use the Watermelon Card to take transportation with the IC mark in Osaka, and you can also buy things at convenience stores and vending machines, you cannot refund the card directly in Osaka because the Watermelon Card The card belongs to East Japan and can only be withdrawn in Tokyo.

Vice versa, if you buy an ICOCA card in Osaka, Western Japan, you cannot refund the card in Tokyo, only in the Kansai region.

Special reminder:

1. Suica cards cannot be used on Nara, Kobe, and Keihan Hankyu buses.

2. Shinkansen, cross-border transportation, airport bus, and Okinawa transportation need to purchase separate tickets, and no IC card can be used.

Purchase method

1. Both IC cards can be purchased on domestic travel apps and Taobao, and can also be delivered to your home. It is recommended that friends purchase in advance before traveling to avoid temporary problems that are inconvenient to solve.

2. Suica watermelon card can only be purchased in the Kanto region of Japan. You can buy it at ticket offices, vending machines, travel information centers, and airports in major JR East stations.

3. ICOCA cards can only be purchased in the Kansai region of Japan. They can also be purchased at the airport, ticket offices, automatic ticket machines, and travel service centers at major subway stations in Kansai.

You can buy a Watermelon Card at automatic ticket vending machines and recharge machines with this logo in the Kanto region

Special Tips:

1. Automatic ticket vending machines in Japanese subway stations Most of them have Chinese interfaces to choose from, just follow the instructions.

2. The Japanese interface steps are also very simple:

Click Suica/icocaを_う>Select the amount>Input cash>Select "___あり" (receipt required) or "__ _なし》>

Put out the card.

Explanation of fees

1. When purchasing a card for the first time, the fee includes a 500 yen deposit. That is, if you purchase a card for 2,000 yen, the card includes transportation fee of 1,500 yen + a deposit of 500 yen.

2. Recharging is very convenient. You can recharge at airports, convenience stores, and automatic ticket machines, and you can store up to 20,000 yen in the card. When recharging, you need to use Japanese yen cash, and credit cards are not allowed.

3. When returning the card, a handling fee of 220 yen will be deducted from the balance. What you finally get is: the balance in the card - 220 yen + 500 yen deposit. When the card balance is less than 220 yen (or when the balance is 0), only the 500 yen deposit will be refunded.

Special Notes

1. The card is valid for 10 years. Calculated from the date of use, if the card is not used within 10 years, the card will automatically expire.

2. After returning the card, the card will be taken back and cannot be kept as a souvenir.

3. Let me emphasize again, the card cannot be used on the Shinkansen.

4. Lost cards will not be replaced.