The short answer

• One IC card (like Suica) gets you onto almost every JR, subway and private line: just tap. It also works at convenience stores and vending machines.
• On iPhone, the visitor app Welcome Suica Mobile or Apple Wallet turns your phone into an IC card.
• If you'll ride the subway a lot, the Tokyo Subway Ticket, an unlimited pass for foreign visitors, is handy.
• For directions, a route app such as Google Maps is the easiest way.

How to pay: your options

Welcome SuicaThe visitor version of Suica, with a pretty cherry blossom design.

JR Yamanote LineThe loop line around central Tokyo, linking Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo Station, Ueno and more.

Where can you get an IC card now?

• Regular Suica and PASMO cards: sales were paused because of a chip shortage, but station ticket machines have sold them again since March 2025. You pay a refundable deposit.
• Welcome Suica: sold at dedicated machines in the Narita and Haneda airport stations and at JR East Travel Service Centers in major stations such as Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Ueno.
• TOURIST PASMO: a visitor PASMO launched in May 2026, sold at stations such as those at Narita and Haneda airports. No deposit, but no refunds, and it's valid for a limited period.

Riding, step by step

1. Search your destination in a route app and note the line name and your boarding and exit stations.
2. Tap your IC card or phone on the reader at the ticket gate.
3. Follow the signs by line color and letter. Subway stations have codes such as "G09", which makes them easy to find.
4. Line up at the markings on the platform floor, and let people off before you board.
5. When you get off, check the exit number on the yellow signs. Big stations have many exits, so pick the one closest to where you're going.

Watch out for rush hour

Morning and evening rushOn weekday mornings and evenings, platforms and trains get packed.

Women-only carsSome lines have women-only cars at set times, such as weekday mornings.

• The worst times are weekday mornings from about 7:30 to 9:00 and the evening rush home. Avoid riding with a big suitcase at these times if you can.
• Women-only cars are also open to children of elementary school age and younger, and to people with disabilities and their caregivers. The hours and cars vary by line, so check the signs on the platform.
• Use the overhead racks for backpacks and smaller bags, and don't forget them when you get off. Keep suitcases at your feet, clear of the doors and aisle.
• On Tokyo escalators most people stand on the left, but more and more stations ask everyone to stand still rather than walk.

Etiquette on board

• When it's crowded, wear your backpack on your front or put it on the overhead rack.
• Priority seats are for older people, people with disabilities, pregnant people and those with small children.
• Hardly anyone eats on commuter trains. On the Shinkansen and limited express trains, eating is fine.
• Trains stop running late at night and don't run all night. On a late evening, check the time of the last train.

Official websites

• Welcome Suica (JR East)
• PASMO for visitors
• Tokyo Subway Ticket (Tokyo Metro)