Them you for all your valuable advice. I will be arriving in Tokyo in a couple of days and I am a little confused about the situation regarding the Suica and Pasmo cards. While some sites suggest the standard Suica is available to foreign visitors at a limited number of stations the JR East website seems to suggest this is not so. The JREast website does say the Welcome Suica is available at Haneda where I will be arriving. I thought I might get the Welcome Suica when I arrive with a minimal amount of credit and try to get the standard Suica at one of the main stations. (I plan to return to Tokyo later this year with further trips possible so I would prefer the standard Suica if I can get it.)
Do you think my plan makes sense or would you advise anything else?
First of all, your plan is perfect. If you are coming back to Japan again soon, it is best to get a green(ordinary) SUICA since you can use it repeatedly for the coming ten years. Please let me know where you will stay so I can send you where you can easily buy a green one.
Thank you for your advice. We will be staying near Haneda for the first couple of nights and travelling into downtown - probably Shinjuku or Ginza. Then I'm switching to the Tokyo Stay Hotel in Shinjuku.
Thane for all you help and for your newsletter which is a great resource.
If you will stay in the Haneda area, go to JR East Travel Service Center at Haneda Airport T3 and check if they have the green SUICA. If they don't, please get the Welcome SUICA.
JRE runs the JR East Travel Service Center at major stations, and you can buy the green SUICA(500 Yen deposit included). They only sell them to foreign tourists. Please don't go to the Ticket Office. The ticket office doesn't set the green SUICA.
Your newsletter is so helpful! I found that I could purchase a digital SUICA in my iPhone, would you happen to know if it is the same type of SUICA as the “regular” SUICA you mention? Or do you recommend that I get the physical card when I arrive in Japan? Thank you for your help!
Thanks for your comment, Maya. What we call "Mobile Suica," which can be used with your iPhone, and the physical Suica card are nearly the same when used functionally. The most significant difference is the way you charge. You can use your credit card for Mobile Suica, but you need the cash to charge the physical Suica card since the physical one only accepts credit cards issued by JRE.
For more details, please refer to the following Japanese site and use the translation function.
Them you for all your valuable advice. I will be arriving in Tokyo in a couple of days and I am a little confused about the situation regarding the Suica and Pasmo cards. While some sites suggest the standard Suica is available to foreign visitors at a limited number of stations the JR East website seems to suggest this is not so. The JREast website does say the Welcome Suica is available at Haneda where I will be arriving. I thought I might get the Welcome Suica when I arrive with a minimal amount of credit and try to get the standard Suica at one of the main stations. (I plan to return to Tokyo later this year with further trips possible so I would prefer the standard Suica if I can get it.)
Do you think my plan makes sense or would you advise anything else?
Thank you again.
First of all, your plan is perfect. If you are coming back to Japan again soon, it is best to get a green(ordinary) SUICA since you can use it repeatedly for the coming ten years. Please let me know where you will stay so I can send you where you can easily buy a green one.
Thank you for your advice. We will be staying near Haneda for the first couple of nights and travelling into downtown - probably Shinjuku or Ginza. Then I'm switching to the Tokyo Stay Hotel in Shinjuku.
Thane for all you help and for your newsletter which is a great resource.
If you will stay in the Haneda area, go to JR East Travel Service Center at Haneda Airport T3 and check if they have the green SUICA. If they don't, please get the Welcome SUICA.
Location: https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/customer_support/service_center_haneda.html
JRE runs the JR East Travel Service Center at major stations, and you can buy the green SUICA(500 Yen deposit included). They only sell them to foreign tourists. Please don't go to the Ticket Office. The ticket office doesn't set the green SUICA.
<Locations>
SHINAGAWA: https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/customer_support/service_center_shinagawa.html
SHINJUKU:
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/customer_support/service_center_shinjuku.html
TOKYO MARUNOUCHI:
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/customer_support/service_center_tokyo.html
I hope this will help.
Thank you very much. This is very helpful. We will be staying quite close to Shinagawa station so that will be very convenient.
Shinagawa Branch opening hours are 10:00-17:00. They close earlier than other branches. Please be careful.
Thank you again. We arrive around 2.30 so I think there should be time to get there.
Your newsletter is so helpful! I found that I could purchase a digital SUICA in my iPhone, would you happen to know if it is the same type of SUICA as the “regular” SUICA you mention? Or do you recommend that I get the physical card when I arrive in Japan? Thank you for your help!
Thanks for your comment, Maya. What we call "Mobile Suica," which can be used with your iPhone, and the physical Suica card are nearly the same when used functionally. The most significant difference is the way you charge. You can use your credit card for Mobile Suica, but you need the cash to charge the physical Suica card since the physical one only accepts credit cards issued by JRE.
For more details, please refer to the following Japanese site and use the translation function.
https://msfaq.mobilesuica.com/faq/show/26?site_domain=default
But you can always charge to Mobile Suica by cash at most convenience stores. Please charge the minimum amount when you do it for the first time.