(Updated 26 August 2026) In major Japanese cities, using trains for transportation is more convenient than cars. Japan’s railway system is highly efficient, with a wide variety of train types and routes, allowing for fast and safe travel. Let’s discuss Japanese trains in more detail.
Types of Trains in Japan
Japanese trains are known for their punctuality, with minimal delays except in exceptional circumstances, and they run at a frequency of approximately every 3 to 5 minutes in densely populated areas. Consequently, trains are widely used for commuting, school, and tourism. Japanese railway companies can be categorized into three main groups:
1, JR (Japan Railways): Previously operated as the national railway, JR now consists of six passenger companies (and one freight company). JR also operates the Shinkansen (bullet trains).
2, Major Private Railway Companies: These private railway companies serve major cities and their surrounding areas, including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. There are 16 major private railway companies in total.
3, Other Railway Companies, Monorails, Trams, etc.: Japan has over 100 additional railway companies, including short-line railways. These serve various regions and purposes.
For long-distance travel between cities or in rural areas, you’ll often use JR lines or flights. Once you arrive at your destination, you can consider using private railways, buses, or rental cars to reach your final destination.
To board a train, you’ll need a ticket, an IC card – or, on some lines, just a contactless card
There are now three ways to pay your fare in Japan: a paper ticket, a rechargeable transport IC card, or – since 2026, and only on certain railways – a contactless credit card that you simply tap on the gate. Which of the three is available depends entirely on which company’s line you are riding, so it is worth knowing all three.
Paper tickets
Tickets can be purchased at ticket vending machines in stations. Depending on the type of ticket, you may need to input the fare amount and the destination station or line name. You insert the ticket into the automatic gate on the way in, and again on the way out.
IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and others)
IC cards are preloaded with funds and automatically deduct the fare for your journey. Using an IC card is simple; just touch the card to the IC card reader on top of the ticket gate when entering and exiting the station. The fare and card balance will be displayed on the gate’s screen. If your IC card balance runs low, you can recharge it at ticket vending machines or convenience stores. At ticket vending machines, press the “Charge” button, select the amount, and insert the money. At convenience stores, inform the cashier of the amount you’d like to charge, and hand over the money. IC cards can be used not only for trains but also for buses, taxis, convenience stores, and vending machines, making them extremely convenient to use.
Which IC card can I actually buy right now? (as of August 2026)
This is the part that has changed the most since this guide was first written, so please read it carefully.
Sales of unregistered (non-personalized) Suica and PASMO cards were suspended in June 2023 because of the global semiconductor shortage. JR East, the PASMO Council and Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit announced in February 2025 that supply had stabilised, and sales of unregistered Suica, Rinkai Suica and PASMO resumed on 1 March 2025. So an ordinary Suica or PASMO can be bought again at station vending machines.
For short-term visitors there are also cards made specifically for you:
Welcome Suica: a physical card with no deposit, valid for 28 days from purchase. Any balance left on it is not refunded, so try to spend it down before you fly home. It is sold at JR East Travel Service Centers and dedicated machines at the airports and major stations – check the JR East page below for the current list of counters.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/welcomesuica/welcomesuica.html
Welcome Suica will be sold at the following locations. In principle, only one Welcome Suica can be sold to each individual.
> JR EAST Travel Service Center : Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station, Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) Station, Tokyo Station, Shibuya Station, Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, Ueno Station, Yokohama Station, Sendai Station
> Welcome Suica Ticket Vending Machines : Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station, Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station, Haneda Airport Terminal 3 (Tokyo Monorail) Station
> JAPAN RAIL CAFÉ TOKYO
> TAKANAWA GATEWAY Travel Service Center
Welcome Suica Mobile: an app version released on 6 March 2025. You can issue and top up a Suica from your phone before or after you land, without visiting a counter, and it is valid for 180 days rather than 28. Note that it is currently for iPhone and Apple Watch only – Android is not supported at the time of writing, although JR East and Samsung announced in April 2026 that overseas Galaxy models released from the first half of 2027 will be able to use it.
TOURIST PASMO: the visitor card formerly known as PASMO PASSPORT is no longer sold, and PASMO launched a replacement, TOURIST PASMO, on 20 May 2026. It has no deposit, is valid for 28 days from purchase, and the balance is not refunded. It is sold at the Keikyu stations at Haneda Airport (Terminal 1 & 2 Station and Terminal 3 Station) and the Keisei stations at Narita Airport (Terminal 1 Station and Terminal 2 Station). At Narita it is sold at 2,000 yen including 2,000 yen of stored value; at Haneda you can choose 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 or 10,000 yen.
https://www.pasmo.co.jp/tourist-pasmo/
All of these cards work on trains, subways and buses across most of the country, wherever the transport IC card logos are displayed.
New since March 2026: Tapping Your Own Credit Card at the Gate
This is the biggest change for visitors in years. On a growing number of railways you no longer need to buy anything at all – you tap the contactless credit, debit or prepaid card you already carry (or the same card loaded into your phone) on a dedicated reader at the ticket gate, and the fare is billed to your card.
In the Tokyo area, eleven operators began mutual use of this “pay-later” service on 25 March 2026, covering 54 lines and 729 stations as of that date. The eleven are Odakyu Electric Railway, Odakyu Hakone, Keio Corporation, Keikyu Corporation, Sagami Railway (Sotetsu), Seibu Railway, Tokyu Railways, Tokyo Metro, the Toei network run by the Bureau of Transportation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tobu Railway and Yokohama Minatomirai Railway. Tokyo Metro lists Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay as accepted card brands.
Elsewhere, Osaka Metro, Kintetsu Railway, Hankyu Railway and Hanshin Electric Railway introduced contactless card payment on 29 October 2024, and Nagoya City announced that all Nagoya Municipal Subway stations will start on 3 September 2026, ahead of the Asian Games held in the city.
Before you rely on it, please check these limits. Getting stuck at a gate is a miserable way to start a trip, and the rules genuinely differ from company to company.
JR lines are not part of this. JR East’s president has publicly stated that the company does not plan to introduce contactless credit card ticketing, and JR East is not one of the eleven operators. For JR trains – including the Yamanote Line, the Narita Express and the Shinkansen – you still need a ticket or an IC card.
Not every station is covered. The operators state that the lines and stations included differ by company; on Odakyu Hakone, Seibu and Tobu in particular only some stations are equipped.
You cannot ride through onto a line that has not introduced it. Tokyo Metro states that you cannot travel beyond its network onto the JR East, Saitama Rapid Railway or Toyo Rapid Railway lines using a tapped card.
The fare is the paper-ticket fare, not the IC fare. Tokyo Metro states that when you enter and exit with one card you pay “the ordinary fare, the same as a paper ticket (in units of 10 yen)”. IC card fares are calculated in units of 1 yen and are often a few yen cheaper.
There is no child fare. Tokyo Metro states that no child fare is set for this service; a child may use a card issued in their own name, but the adult fare is charged.
Enter and exit with the same card or device. Tokyo Metro states that you cannot enter with the plastic card and exit with the same card loaded in a smartphone, or vice versa.
It cannot be combined with commuter passes, excursion tickets or shareholder passes.
Because the details vary, please confirm on the operator’s own page for the line you plan to ride. Tokyo Metro’s guide is here:
https://www.tokyometro.jp/ticket/types/tap-to-ride/index.html
Coming in 2027: Paper Tickets Are Going QR
One more change worth knowing about if you are planning a future trip. In May 2024, eight railway operators in the Tokyo area announced that they will replace the magnetic short-distance tickets sold from their vending machines with QR-code tickets. The eight were JR East, Keisei Electric Railway, Keikyu Corporation, Shin-Keisei Electric Railway (which merged into Keisei on 1 April 2025), Seibu Railway, Tokyo Monorail, Tobu Railway and Hokuso Railway. JR East has since said its own changeover starts in spring 2027 and will be phased in.
The ticket itself gets bigger, from 30 x 57.5 mm to 57.5 x 85 mm, and rather than feeding it into the gate you hold the QR code over a reader. Nothing changes for IC cards, and there is nothing you need to do in advance – just don’t be surprised if the little paper ticket looks different from the photos in older guidebooks.