Fumbling with a fare chart in a foreign alphabet while a queue builds behind you is a tax on your time. Mio doesn't do vibes — here's the calculated way to pay for transit in Japan.
Suica and PASMO are rechargeable tap-to-pay cards. You touch the reader at the gate, it deducts the exact fare, done — no working out which paper ticket to buy for which distance. The same tap works at convenience stores, vending machines, coin lockers and many shops, and the card is accepted on most trains and buses nationwide (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Fukuoka and beyond), not just where you bought it. For a traveller, that convenience is the whole point.
A semiconductor / IC-chip shortage from 2023 paused sales of the regular unregistered Suica and PASMO for a long stretch, and tourist-specific cards were introduced to fill the gap. As of recent reports the supply situation has largely recovered and standard cards are on sale again — but availability has flip-flopped before, so verify the current status. The good news: if you have a phone, mobile Suica avoids the physical-card supply question completely.
| Option | Cost / deposit | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Suica — iPhone (Apple Wallet) | No physical card, no deposit; top up with a card | iPhone users — easiest, no shortage |
| Mobile Suica — Android (Google Wallet) | No physical card, no deposit | Android users |
| Welcome Suica / tourist PASMO | No deposit; expires 28 days, balance non-refundable | No smartphone / want plastic |
| Paper tickets | Buy per ride; QR-code tickets exist on some lines | One or two trips only |
Figures are illustrative and change — confirm current terms and availability before you go.
A regular (non-tourist) plastic Suica/PASMO carries a ¥500 refundable deposit. If you return it at the issuing operator's office, a handling fee (around ¥220) is taken out of your remaining balance — and if your leftover balance is smaller than that fee, you still get the full ¥500 deposit back. Welcome Suica and tourist PASMO have no deposit, but by design they're not refundable, so run the balance close to zero before you fly home. Mobile Suica has no plastic deposit at all.
iPhone user → add Suica to Apple Wallet (no physical card, no deposit, immune to the shortage). Android user → Google Wallet Suica. No smartphone → Welcome Suica or tourist PASMO at the airport — just remember it expires in 28 days and won't refund leftover yen. Only making one or two trips → paper tickets are fine. The "right" card isn't a preference; it's which one wastes the least of your money and your minutes.