Japan IC card / Suica setup guide for tourists
The Suica card is the single most useful thing you'll set up in Japan. Get it as soon as you land. Here's everything — green vs red card, topping up, Shinkansen e-ticket registration, coin lockers, and what actually happens when you lose one.
What is a Suica / IC card?
A Suica is a prepaid contactless smart card issued by JR East. You tap it at train gates, bus readers, and store terminals — the correct amount is deducted automatically. No calculating fares, no buying paper tickets, no fumbling for exact change.
Japan has several IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA) issued by different railway companies, but they all work interchangeably across the country. If you're arriving in Tokyo, get a Suica. It's the most widely recognised and works everywhere.
JR trains
All local JR lines in Tokyo and beyond
Subways & private lines
Tokyo Metro, Toei, Keio, Tokyu, and more
Buses
Most city and regional buses with IC logo
Convenience stores
7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart — tap to pay
Vending machines
Almost every vending machine in Japan
Coin lockers
Tap to lock / unlock — no coins or keys needed
Official JR East Suica page
jreast.co.jp/e/pass/suica.html ↗Do this right after landing — step by step
The ideal order when you land at Narita or Haneda:
Clear immigration and customs
Get your passport stamped and collect your bags. Make sure you get a physical entry stamp — you'll need it for tax-free shopping later.
Withdraw cash from the 7-Eleven ATM
The visitor centre floor at both Narita and Haneda has 7-Eleven ATMs that reliably accept international cards. Withdraw ¥10,000–¥20,000. You'll need cash to buy and top up your IC card.
Head to the train station area (usually basement level)
Follow signs for trains. At both major airports the JR and private railway ticket areas are clearly signposted in English.
Buy your Suica card at the ticket vending machine
Green machines at JR stations have an English option. Select 'Purchase new Suica card', insert cash, and choose how much to load. Load at least ¥2,000 (¥500 of which is a refundable deposit on a regular Suica, so ¥1,500 is your usable starting balance).
Green vs red Suica — what the staff was actually explaining
Our green Suica — name printed, penguin and all.
When we arrived Narita Airport, the JR staff in front of the counter steered us towards the green card. So we got our Suica card from the green machine. You can select to purchase a new Suica card, and then can select between Blank Suica or Name-Inscribed Suica. Name-Inscribed Suica can be reissued if lost. We preferred the Name-Inscribed Suica, a good souvenir to remember our trip.
Green and Red Suica are functionally identical. Both cards work on exactly the same trains, subways, buses, stores, and vending machines. The difference is purely about validity period, deposit, and refundability. For a trip under 28 days, either works. For repeat visitors to Japan or longer stays, the regular green Suica is the better long-term choice.
Here's the real difference — and why green was good advice for us.
Regular Suica
We got thisWelcome Suica (red)
Tourist cardiPhone users — consider skipping the physical card entirely
JR East launched the Welcome Suica Mobile app in 2025, and it's genuinely the best option if you have an iPhone or Apple Watch. You set it up before you leave home, top up via Apple Pay, and tap your phone at every gate. No queuing at the airport, no physical card to lose. Go to your Wallet app, tap on '+' icon on the top right corner, select Transit Card, select Suica and follow the instructions to pay, and you're good to go.
Welcome Suica Mobile — official JR East page
jreast.co.jp/e/welcomesuica ↗How to top up your Suica
Ticket vending machines at any station
Most commonThe most common method. Look for machines with the IC card symbol. Insert your card, select 'Charge', choose an amount (¥1,000 / ¥2,000 / ¥3,000 / ¥5,000 / ¥10,000), and insert cash.
Convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart)
24 hrsTell the cashier you want to charge your Suica. Place your card on the reader, hand over cash, and they'll add the amount. Available 24 hours — useful if you run low late at night.
Apple Pay / Suica app (iPhone only)
iPhone onlyIf you're using Mobile Suica, open the app or Wallet and top up with your linked credit or debit card. No need to visit a machine. Fastest method.
Buses
Tell the driver you want to charge your Suica, place the card on the reader and insert money.
Linking your Suica to a Shinkansen e-ticket — tap and go
You can associate your card with a Shinkansen e-ticket booked on the Eki-Net system, then just tap your card at the Shinkansen gate. No paper ticket, no stopping at a counter.
How IC card registration works (from JR East)
Option 1 — register at the same time as booking. On the application completion screen, select "Specify IC card" and enter your IC card number. If you pre-register your card in your Eki-Net membership, it appears as a dropdown — no need to type the number each time.
Option 2 — register after purchase. Go to your purchase history on Eki-Net and use the "Register/Change IC Card" section. Do this before you arrive at the boarding station.
⚠️ Important: You must register your IC card number before passing through the Shinkansen automatic ticket gate. You need one IC card registered per passenger.
Eki-Net — JR East online ticket booking- IC registration guide
eki-net.com (English) ↗Coin lockers — one of the best Suica use cases
Japanese train stations are full of coin lockers in various sizes (small ¥400, medium ¥500–¥600, large ¥700–¥900). Most modern lockers no longer use physical keys or coins at all — you tap your Suica to lock the locker, and tap again to open it. The fee is deducted from your card balance when you retrieve your bags.
This is incredibly useful when you arrive in a city before your hotel check-in time, or when you want to explore a city without dragging your luggage around. Just tap, drop your bags, go explore, tap again to retrieve.
What happens if you lose your Suica — our actual experience
We lost our Suica card mid-trip. Here's what happened and what your options are depending on the type of card you have.
😬 Unregistered / anonymous card
✅ Registered card (name printed)
We did not have time to find the nearest JR East station to report our lost card, also we never overloaded the card with too much money, so we just bought a new one.
What Suica cannot do
✗ Long-distance travel between regions
You can't tap in at Tokyo Station and tap out at Kyoto. Suica only covers local and regional transit within each IC zone. Crossing zone boundaries will lock your card and trigger an alarm at the gate — you'll need to speak to a station attendant.
✗ Shinkansen (bullet train) on its own
Suica doesn't cover Shinkansen fares by default. You need a separate Shinkansen ticket (paper or e-ticket) or a JR Pass. You can however link your Suica to an e-ticket for tap-and-go boarding as described above.
✗ Narita Express (N'EX) without a ticket
The Narita Express requires a reserved seat ticket on top of the IC card fare. You can't just tap your Suica and board — you need to book the express ticket separately.
Official resources
Related Japan guides
Japan eVisa — Indian Passport, US Resident (H1B)
Complete process, documents, rejection reason, and full timeline.
Japan immigration QR code — register before you fly
How to use Visit Japan Web for immigration and customs clearance.
Tax-free shopping in Japan
How the Visit Japan Web tax QR code works, store by store.
Get the card, keep it topped up, and Japan's transit network becomes genuinely effortless.
Safe travels ✈️
- Dee