Pickles

Suica can also be used on the subway system and many other private railroads in the Tokyo area.

jib71

Who's on first?

Zarf4

I don't know

I'm surprised that there seems to be a lot of contradictory information about the Suica card floating around (will/won't work on Tokyo trains, etc.) I'm not a Japan expert only having working there for a few months, but wanted to just do a quick summary for a tourist who also might have a JR pass.

Suica card:

1. A prepaid transportation card. You can purchase one at vending machines at any railway/subway terminal in Tokyo. The ones in Narita also offer substantial discounts for the card + the NEX express train (either single- or round-trip) same day from the airport to Tokyo, Yokohama, or Saitama. Of course the round-trip version doesn't have to be used on the same day. There are also specials combined with the monorail from Haneda airport.

2. Cost - IIRC it's a 500 yen for the deposit + a minimum of 1000 yen credit at the machine. You can recharge the card or view remaining credit at any vending machine. Some ticket gates will also show credit as you use the card.

3. Validity - It's good for use for almost ALL trains, subways, busses in the Tokyo & Fukuoka areas except for Shinkansen (bullet trains). There is no discount for using Suica, you could buy individual tickets if you like but many fare maps are in Kanji and it may be difficult to figure out the correct amount - with Suica just swipe and go. Many railway kiosks & convenience stores like 7-11 will also accept Suica as payment. Outside Tokyo is a different story, Suica is ONLY valid for JR TRAINS in Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Shizuoka, and Sapporo. This makes it somewhat useless in those areas.

4. But I already have a JR pass - Use it whenever you can! Make sure to look for the JR logos. Many subways are privately owned and don't accept it. Note the the JR pass is issued by JR EAST and only covers their network. Many times it makes sense NOT to activate your JR pass when you arrive but to bracket the days of most expensive travel. Suica just makes things easier on an off day or cruising around Tokyo (visiting Tsukiji from Shinjuku?) plus you don't have to deal with coinage with holes in them.

5. I'm bugging out of Japan & still have credit on my card - Take the card to any ticket booth & they'll refund the 500 yen deposit. They'll also refund any balance with a 200 yen? service charge. If you don't have much credit left just buy gum, a soda, dried cuttlefish, some li hing mui or other crap at the 7-11 before you turn the card in.

Appreciate if someone with more experience than me would point out any errors.

Oh yeah, 'third base'

jib71

Needs to be a JR ticket booth, I think. (So be prepared if you're departing HND).
Fee is 210 (200yen fee + 10 yen tax).

What's the name of the guy on first?

Ryvyan

I returned my Suica for the 500yen deposit with only 11 yen left on it. If you have 500yen on it, they'll deduct 200yen. If you have 200 yen on it, they'll not refund that to you because it's a service fee. But if you have 11 yen like me, they'll just take the 11 yen as service fee, leaving your 500yen deposit untouched.

So that was a waste of 11 yen

RichardInSF

Pretty good, but I get the balance down to zero every time before refunding it. Just use a small balance as part payment for a more expensive ticket in any ticket machine.

acregal

Whoops! I definitely meant to say "outside of Kanto."

Andrew Tay

Hi
If i turn in an exchange order to receive a JAPAN RAIL PASS right after i reach Narita airport at the Ticket Office, Can i use it immediately for Narita Express from Narita airport to Shinagawa?

I plan to get the JR railway pass to travel from tokyo to kyoto and back tokyo using Hikari Shinkansen also.

thanks so much

msb0b

Yes of course.

ksandness

Yes, that's exactly what I did on my last trip. You turn in your exchange order and make your seat reservation for the Narita Express at the same counter.

lcatfishl

We're visiting Japan for 5 days in November, arriving at NRT. We're thinking of spending 1 day in Tokyo, and 4 days in Kyoto (or just head straight to Kyoto - still up in the air). Is the above deal worth it, or would the NEX+Suica deal still be a better deal?

I read through the thread and I think I gathered that the JR pass won't be useable outside Tokyo, though might still be good if we do Kyoto-Nara-Kyoto, not sure about Kyoto-Osaka-Kyoto.

If the link quoted above is good, it appears we'd have to spend a day in Tokyo as we're arriving at 3pm on Thursday, and the deal only has the latest departure at 12 noon.

Thanks!

abmj-jr

No, you have somehow gotten mixed up. The regular 7-day Japan Rail Pass is definitely usable throughout the country, not just in Tokyo. The basic rule of thumb is that it becomes "worth it" - that is returns more value than the investment - if it is used for a round trip Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo plus any one direction on the Narita Express. Since you would be doing the round trip and BOTH directions on the N'Ex within the 7 days, the Pass is definitely good value for you. It would also cover any other train travel, such as Kyoto-Osaka-Kyoto, Kyoto-Nara-Kyoto, etc. That is, any travel on Japan Rail trains.

Where the JR Pass may not cover some costs would be for local subways or private rail lines in the cities. The Suica card, or some other subway pass might come in handy for that. This would be IN ADDITION to the Rail Pass.

Where the hotel+train deal mentioned above might save some money is in cases where you would have no other rail travel other than the round trip to/from Kyoto. In your case, it might not pencil out when you figure in the additional costs of the Narita Express and other trains, like to/from Osaka and any place else. For the most flexibility, I'd just go with the full 7-day Rail Pass, use it for everything, including the trains to and from the airport, and just book hotels separately.

Pickles

I've never used a JR pass, but from what I've heard, this looks like it's correct. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.