Get your stuff!!!
As soon as I get past immigration, I head down to where the trains are.
- Give my voucher and get the JR Pass
- Buy Keisei ticket to Tokyo area (to save JR Pass activation)
- Fill up Suica (it is a pre paid card)
- Exchange money
- Pull out cash
JR Pass
JR Pass
If you plan on jumping around Japan, city to city, the JR Pass is a must. It will save you so much time and money.
You purchase the JR Pass from a travel agent office. They give you a voucher and check your documents.
Once you arrive in Japan, you head to the JR travel office at the airport/big stations and you exchange voucher for a JR Pass.
- Offered in 7,14, or 21 days.
- Can be used on certain Shinkansen (bullet trains)
- Can be used on any JR train and other JR vehicles (I used JR Ferry in Hiroshima)
- It is not activated until you use it.
- Calculate activation with last day of use. You don’t want to be inactive when you are in a distant area of Japan and need to go back to Tokyo.
JR Pass is such a huge key to traveling around Japan.
- Suica – JR East
- ICOCA – JR West
- Kitaka – JR Hokkaido
- TOICA – JR Central
- SUGOCA – JR Kyushu
- PASMO – Tokyo by Non JR companies
- Manaca – Nagoya by Non JR companies
- PiTaPa – Kansai by non JR companies
- Nimoca – Fukuoka by Nishitetsu
- Hayakaken – Fukuoka by Fukuoka City Subway
Pre paid cards and their benefits
Suica (and other regional IC cards)
Suica and other regional pre paid IC cards are so beneficial and make things easy!!!
IC = intelligent card or smart card.
My experience, most pre paid cards work in other regions. You can have Suica (Kanto region) and it work in Kyushu.
- Use to pay for train fare (every train!)
- Can use as vending machines
- Can use at convenient stores (Lawson, Family Mart, 7/11).
- Depending on region, can be used at department stores.
- * Can be used for train station lockers!!
- All the cards are compatible with trains and buses
These are super helpful when running around. I usually load up a couple hundred.
And the other regional pre paid cards are a must!!! The cards also have an individual mascot! (as all things in Japan does).
Cash is King
Prior to arriving in Japan, I would have a certain amount of money me. I would exchange it before I arrive Japan (as it seems to be better to do so there).
While Japan is modern, much of Japan’s culture is still rooted in old ways. Often times having cash for street food and other things is best.
Currency Exchange
Have paper currency to carry.