Guide · Updated 2026-10-15

IC cards and ski lift cards in Japan: Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Welcome Suica and resort IC lift cards

Japan runs on tap-to-pay IC cards. One card (or one phone) pays for trains, subways, buses, convenience stores, vending machines and coin lockers almost anywhere in the country. Ski resorts use a separate kind of IC lift card: a reloadable chip card you keep in a pocket and that opens the lift gates without being taken out.

This guide covers both: which transport IC card to get in 2026, how Welcome Suica Mobile works for visitors, and how resort lift cards, deposits and online recharges work. Facts and prices come from official operator pages, checked October 15, 2026.

The short answer

Visitor with an iPhone: install Welcome Suica Mobile (JR East), or add a regular Suica, PASMO or ICOCA to Apple Wallet if your iPhone supports it.
Visitor without an iPhone: buy a physical Suica or PASMO in Tokyo, or an ICOCA in Kansai. They're interchangeable for most travel.
Resident: any personalized card or mobile Suica, PASMO or ICOCA. Pick the one tied to the commuter pass you use.
Skiing: you'll also get a separate resort IC lift card. Keep it, because several resorts let you recharge it online next time for less.

Transport IC cards: Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and friends

Each region's rail operators issue their own card, but the main ones are interoperable. According to JR East's official Welcome Suica Mobile page, a Suica can be used on PASMO, Kitaca (JR Hokkaido), manaca and TOICA (Nagoya area), ICOCA and PiTaPa (Kansai), and nimoca, Hayakaken and SUGOCA (Kyushu) transport, and for e-money at shops displaying most of those logos (JR East).

Card	Issued by	Home area
Suica	JR East	Tokyo, Tohoku, Niigata, parts of Nagano
PASMO	Tokyo private railways and subways	Tokyo area
ICOCA	JR West	Kansai, Hiroshima, Hokuriku
Kitaca	JR Hokkaido	Sapporo area
manaca / TOICA	Nagoya operators / JR Central	Nagoya and Shizuoka
SUGOCA / nimoca / Hayakaken	JR Kyushu / Nishitetsu / Fukuoka subway	Kyushu

Can you still buy a physical Suica or PASMO?

Yes. Sales of regular Suica and PASMO cards were suspended during the 2023–24 chip shortage. JR East and the PASMO Committee resumed sales on March 1, 2025 (JR East press release). The same release confirmed that the visitor-only PASMO PASSPORT card has been discontinued.

You buy a card at station ticket machines. A refundable deposit applies to regular cards, and the card stays usable for years. Unused balance and the deposit can be refunded at the issuer's station office, minus a handling fee, according to each issuer's rules.

Welcome Suica Mobile (iPhone app for visitors)

JR East launched the Welcome Suica Mobile iOS app for overseas visitors in March 2025. Per JR East's official pages (app page, terms of use, effective Mar 1, 2026):

It issues a Suica inside the app. The Suica is valid for 180 days from issue.
You can top up in the app or with cash at station machines and shops in Japan. The balance is capped at ¥20,000.
In some countries the law doesn't allow you to set it up and add value until you've arrived in Japan. Location services must be on.
The app also sells some Suica discount passes and Green Car tickets, for example a one-day pass for Greater Tokyo trains and buses.
Service hours: issuing and top-ups 4:00–2:00 (next day), JST.
No personal information is collected for registration. You set a secret keyword instead, so don't lose it.

There's also a physical Welcome Suica card for visitors, sold at certain airport and station locations. JR East's website lists where to buy it.

ICOCA in Kansai

ICOCA is JR West's card, sold at JR West stations including Kansai Airport. It works the same way as Suica across the interoperable areas. If you're flying into Kansai, it's the natural choice. If you already have a Suica, you don't need an ICOCA.

Where IC cards don't work (or need care)

Crossing IC areas in one trip. A journey that starts in one IC area and ends in another (for example, a JR East station to a JR Central station) generally can't be paid by IC. Buy a paper ticket or a shinkansen ticket.
Shinkansen. You can't just tap an IC card for most shinkansen. Some lines support linking a ticket to your IC card through the operators' online booking services, but that requires an account.
Rural lines, local buses and small shops, especially in parts of Hokkaido, Tohoku, Shikoku and Okinawa, may be cash-only. Carry some yen.
Ski resort lifts are a separate system (below).

IC cards and passes together

IC cards complement rail passes. Use the pass for JR long-distance trips and the IC card for subways and private lines that the pass doesn't cover. Some discount tickets we list, like the Tokyo Mizube Line 10% cashless discount, apply specifically when you pay by IC card. Day passes like the Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass, Nagoya Donichi Eco Kippu and Osaka Amazing Pass can beat paying per ride by IC card if you make several trips in a day.

Ski resort IC lift cards

Most large Japanese ski resorts now use contactless IC lift tickets. The card goes in a pocket (keep it away from your phone and other IC cards) and the gate reads it as you pass.

How they work

Buy a lift ticket at the counter, a ticket machine or online. The ticket is loaded onto an IC card.
Pay a deposit for the card at many resorts, refunded when you return it.
Keep the card if the resort offers online recharge. Next visit, you buy online and load the ticket onto the same card, skipping the counter queue and sometimes paying less.

Resort examples (official pages, 2026-27 season)

Resort	Card system	Deposit	Notes
Niseko United, Hokkaido	IC key card	¥1,000	All-Mountain pass. Online purchase about 5% cheaper (Niseko United)
Rusutsu, Hokkaido	IC card	not stated	Peak 1-day ¥13,200 online vs ¥16,700 at the counter (Rusutsu)
Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, Hokkaido	IC card with online recharge	not stated	The Toma-Tomo pass for Hokkaido residents needs the IC card: ¥5,000, or ¥4,500 by online recharge (Tomamu)
Tokachi Sahoro, Hokkaido	IC card, rechargeable on the official web shop	not stated	Sahoro
Sapporo Kokusai, Hokkaido	IC card	required (amount not stated)	1-day ¥7,000, or ¥6,700 on the web (Sapporo Kokusai)
Kamui Ski Links, Hokkaido	IC card	¥500, refunded on return	Kamui
Nozawa Onsen, Nagano	IC card	¥500	Season pass ¥102,500 adult plus the IC deposit (Nozawa)
Hakuba Tsugaike, Nagano	IC card; web recharge from your second visit	not stated	Tsugaike
Hakuba Valley, Nagano	IC tickets	not stated	The 10-resort season pass early bird is ¥158,900 until Oct 29, 2026 (Hakuba Valley)

"Not stated" means we couldn't find the deposit on the official page. We don't guess. Several resorts on our ski areas page are marked "partial" or "unverified" for the same reason.

Why keeping the card saves money

The cheapest lift prices in Japan are increasingly online-only, and online purchase usually loads onto an IC card you already hold. On the official pages:

Rusutsu: peak 1-day ¥13,200 online vs ¥16,700 at the counter (deal).
Niseko United: about 5% off when bought online (deal).
Tomamu: the Toma-Tomo resident pass is cheaper by online recharge (deal).
Kusatsu: an early online lift ticket at ¥4,500 in October and ¥5,000 in November vs ¥6,000 regular.
GALA Yuzawa: a super-early lift ticket at ¥4,300 vs ¥8,000.

Practical tips

Pocket placement. Keep the lift card in a left sleeve or chest pocket on its own. Two chip cards together (say, a lift card and a Suica) can confuse the gate.
Return or keep? If the resort offers online recharge and you'll return next season, keep the card and skip the deposit refund. Otherwise, return it at a ticket office or a card-return machine for the deposit.
Multi-resort passes. Some season and multi-resort products (Ikon Pass Japan resorts, the MAC Earth Japan pass, Hakuba Valley) use their own cards or redemption steps. Follow the pass issuer's instructions.
Lost cards. Season passes are usually registered with your name and photo and can be reissued for a fee. Day tickets usually can't be.

Quick decision table

You are...	Get this
A visitor with an iPhone	Welcome Suica Mobile (or Suica, PASMO or ICOCA in Wallet)
A visitor with Android or no smartphone	A physical Suica or PASMO (Tokyo), or ICOCA (Kansai)
Landing at Narita	IC card plus a Skyliner discount ticket or the N'EX round trip
Landing at Kansai	ICOCA plus a HARUKA one-way ticket
Going to Okinawa	Your IC card, plus the Yui Rail 1-day pass if you'll ride a lot
Skiing	The resort's IC lift card; buy online and keep the card

Where to verify

JR East Suica and Welcome Suica: jreast.co.jp/multi/wsmlp
PASMO: the official PASMO site (pasmo.co.jp)
ICOCA: the JR West official site
Ski resorts: each resort's lift price page, linked from our ski areas page

Checked Oct 15, 2026 on official operator and resort pages. Waribiki Alert is an independent guide, not affiliated with any railway, card issuer or ski resort.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a Suica or PASMO card in 2026?

Yes. JR East and the PASMO Committee resumed sales of regular (non-personalized) Suica and PASMO cards on March 1, 2025, after a chip shortage. The PASMO PASSPORT visitor card was discontinued.

What is Welcome Suica Mobile?

A JR East iPhone app for overseas visitors that issues a Suica in the app. It's valid for 180 days from issue, works across Japan's major IC networks, and holds up to ¥20,000. In some countries you can only set it up and top it up after arriving in Japan.

Does a Suica work in Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo or Fukuoka?

Yes, for trains, buses and shops in the major IC areas. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, manaca, TOICA, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken are interoperable. A trip that crosses from one IC area into another (for example JR East to JR Central) generally can't be paid by IC; buy a ticket.

Can I use my Suica as a ski lift pass?

No. Resort lift systems are separate. Resorts issue their own IC lift cards (often with a ¥500–¥1,000 deposit). A few let you reload the same card online for later visits.

Do I get my ski IC card deposit back?

At most resorts, yes, when you return the card. For example, Kamui Ski Links charges a ¥500 deposit refunded on return. Niseko United's IC key card deposit is ¥1,000. Check each resort's page.

Related ski areas

Niseko United · Rusutsu · Tomamu · Sahoro · Sapporo Kokusai · Kamui · Hakuba Valley · Nozawa Onsen · Tsugaike

Sources

Waribiki Alert is an information service, not a travel agency, and is not affiliated with any prefecture, agency or operator. Verify prices and rules on the official source before booking.