It is Useful that you have the traffic system IC card of the railway company in Japan. It is prepaid electric money card for moving around and shopping. By having it, there is no more need to buy a ticket from a vending machine, every time you get on a train. It is possible to save the time. Just touch your IC card to the ticket gate and the fare is automatically deducted from your card within the amount of pre-charge money.
(Reference: http://www.kantetsu.co.jp/)
The most famous IC-card is the “Suica” by JR East. Subsequently other railway companies have individually issued each IC card. Therefore, the type of cards are enriched in variety, but each functionally is nearly identical. These cards can be used not only for their trains, but subways and buses as well. These cards can also be used to pay for things with e-money. Buy soft drinks and coffee and so on from vending machines, on the train, shop for example at the station kiosk and convenient store. In addition, in the major railway companies and bus companies in the current, it has become each possible mutual entry in most of the route. So, that is almost available in Japan if you had the one. For living in Japan, the IC card makes a more convenient life.
(Reference: https://www.i2i.jp/)
Exemplary IC card is as follows.
Kitaca (JR Hokkaido), Suica (JR East), TOICA(JR Central), ICOCA (JR West), SUGOCA (JR Kyushu), PASMO (Tokyo metropolitan area, PASMO Council), manaca (transportation Breau of city of Nagoya, Meitestu), PiTaPa (kansai thru pass), Hayakaken (Fukuoka city subway), nimoca (NIshitetsu, others)
*Incidentally, “Okika” was born as an IC card that can be used as a ticket in Okinawa urban monorail and Okinawa route bus, except for regular tourist bus and limousine bus, in the main island of Okinawa Prefecture in 2015. However, currently, it cannot use across the other areas of IC cards.
Exemplary English web page of IC card is as follows.
SUICA: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html
PASMO: http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/
ICOCA: https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/icoca-haruka/
How to obtain these cards is simple. The cards can be purchased at Multifunction Ticket Vending Machines in major stations. Deposit is 500 yen.
IC cards can be loaded from 1,000 yen up to a maximum of 20,000 yen and used as many times as desired at Automatic Ticket Vending Machines or convenience store. Only yen may be used to load a card. A credit card cannot be used to load.
(Reference: https://nomad-saving.com/)
These IC cards makes your life convenient. If you didn’t have it, would you like to take it immediately?
Churako
Japan
