It is very troublesome to buy a ticket every time you board a train or bus in a foreign trip. If you are not accustomed to the Japanese language, it will be more so.
At Japanese stations, tickets must be purchased at vending machines.You need to check the fee to the destination by yourself in the price list of the station and buy it with the ticket vending machine.In Tokyo and Osaka the stations are so many and complicated. It is very hard for you to purchase a ticket to your destination each time.
There is a solution to such a problem.
Prepaid transportation card
When you travel in Japan, I encourage you to make a “prepaid transportation card” at the airport or railway station.This card which the majority of Japanese use on a daily basis can be made easily by travelers.And because it is a prepaid card, you can quickly get on the train or bus without checking the fee.
And this card system is a technology boasted by Japan. The processing speed per person in the ticket gate of the station is 0.85 seconds!
All travelers coming to Japan are amazed at this technology.
There are ten kinds of cards in each region of Japan, and these cards are mutually available.
Tokyo “Suica” or “PASMO”,Osaka ICOCA””,Nagoya “toica”
You can easily obtain at the station’s automatic ticket vending machine.
When you first make a card, you need 500 yen deposit. For example, if you make a card at 2,000 yen for the first time, 1,500 yen is recorded on the card, which is 500 yen less.
And it is 20,000 yen in full charge.
The wonderful point of these cards is that they can be used as electronic money besides transport tickets.
Electronic money can be used at convenience stores, KIOSK, vending machines.
It would be enough to enter between 5,000 and 10,000 yen for short distance tickets and electronic money.Once it runs out, you can charge it at the station ticket vending machines or convenience stores.
How to use the card
You can use it as it is by touching the card reader installed at the entrance and exit of the railroad ticket gate and trams and buses.
When you can not pass, let’s correspond calmly.At that time, contact failure or Insufficient funds.
In the case of Insufficient funds, there is no problem if you charge the card with the checkout machine inside the station.
When you use a vending machine for drinks as electronic money, just touch the drink button and touch the card with the reader.
About child fee
If you want to make cards for children, you will create a proof of the age of the child at the station office with your child’s passport. That procedure is serious.
Please do not do such hard work!
1.Please go to the ticket vending machine.And you purchase the cheapest ticket for your child’s fee with your card with a ticket vending machine.
2.With a ticket to a child, you ride a train using a card.
3.When you get off the station, put your child’s ticket in the checkout machine and settle it with your card. Children are checkout tickets, you leave the station with cards.
When returning home
Please receive a deposit and the balance refund.The place you can refund is the station office within the area of the card you made.
There is no deadline for the card. Next time you can use it when you come to Japan and you can present to friends who go to Japan.
