Child fares on public transport

We'll be travelling with a four year old child, and will travelling on:

- Narita Express
- various JR trains from city to city
- Kyoto local buses/trains
- Trams (and possibly buses) in Kanazawa
- Local trains/subways in Tokyo

I've found guidance on the NEX, and on JR trains (children under 6 travel for free, as long as they sit in spare unreserved seat, or on our lap if we're travelling in a reserved seat. If they need a reserved seat for themselves, then they have to pay child fare).

I would be very grateful if you could help me with guidance on whether the rules are the same for the other cities/transport that I mention above, please.

I can see that it looks like the best idea for the adults will be to get a Suica (which, I think, we can use for everything except Kyoto buses now that different regions accept each other's IC cards).

I've read that you can't use a Suica for more than one person, so my query is about whether - if we need to pay for child tickets on, say, the Tokyo subways, for example - there's a child IC card that we need to buy in order to not have to buy child tickets all the time.

I'd be very grateful for any replies. Thanks again.

Your 4 year child does not need Child Suica card. Children under 6 years old can ride a train without ticket.

Officially, he/she needs to pay when he/she take a reserved seat on reserved car(LTD Exp train and Shinkansen have it, but most commuter trains, subways don't).

None cares even if he/she is sitting on the reserved seat AS FAR AS he/she moves to your lap when the train arrives at the station and someone is coming to take the seat.

Thanks very much for your reply.

Is it the same on subways and buses, please: children under 6 don't need a ticket?

(If it's the same on subways, do I just pick her up and carry her through the barriers with me when I swipe my IC card?)

Thanks again.

Is it the same on subways and buses, please: children under 6 don't need a ticket?

(If it's the same on subways, do I just pick her up and carry her through the barriers with me when I swipe my IC card?)

Right, for urban transportation(bus, train, subway within a city).

Thanks very much.

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I think it's OK to do so as it's a direct follow on from my original question.

We're now coming back to Japan next March/April, and our child is now 6 years old.

We'll be in Okinawa and Kyushu, then Kinosaki and then ending up with 5 days in Tokyo. On those last 5 days we'll be using subways, and I was looking into getting IC cards for convenience.

I've tried to do some research, and have found that there is a child's PASMO, and that it requires registration ( http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/buy/ ), but I'd be grateful for anyone who could tell me what you need to register and how you go about registering.

Also, in general, do you think it's worth getting an IC card for only 5 days? I know we can use it in combinis and so on, but to be honest it's never much of a problem to pay in cash, and it's not an impossible hassle to buy tickets at the machines for subway rides - although of course just flashing your card at the barrier will be a little quicker. If it's a hassle to register for a child's card, then presumably we'll end up having to buy individual tickets for her in any case, so we could just buy tickets for the adults as well. And of course we'll lose yen200 on returning each card at the end of the trip....

The deposit is 500yen. I still think it's worth getting an IC card, though I don't know the intricacies of obtaining a child IC card. Maybe you can ask at the station and all that'll be required is a passport? Like I said, I don't know.

Thanks John
I know the deposit is yen 500, but I thought I'd read that you get any balance back, including the deposit, but minus a yen200 processing fee.

Though I've kept all my 6 IC cards, I know you get the 500 yen deposit no matter what. If you have a balance and that balance is over 220 yen, they'll deduct the 220 yen and give you the difference. For example, if you have 540 yen in the balance, they'll take 220 and give you 320yen PLUS the 500 yen of the deposit. If you have 180yen in the balance, then the 220 return fee eats all that up and you get the 500yen deposit. The deposit of 500yen is untouchable and guaranteed to be returned to you.

I haven't returned any of my IC cards, since I have balances of some sort in each and I use them interchangeably when I'm there, which is every year. I don't have a need to return them for the $4-5 I may get in return.

But now that I re-read your post, I see what you're saying. (Sorry, it's been a rough day at work). Yes, you'd lose the 200 yen for each card.

According to JR East website

https://www.jreast.co.jp/suica/procedure/repayment.html

残額が0円のとき 払いもどし額はありません。預り金500円のみ返金します。

If the balance is 0 yen, you do not receive refund. You will receive only 500 yen deposit.

It is somewhat difficult to understand, but if you use the Suica card, you may better to make your balance to 0 yen (I don't know how, maybe use it to buy something with cash) so that you will receive without being deducted the balance.

I've tried to do some research, and have found that there is a child's PASMO, and that it requires registration ( http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/buy/ ), but I'd be grateful for anyone who could tell me what you need to register and how you go about registering.

I haven't done it yet myself (my daughter just turned 6), but in my research it seems that you just need to show your child's ID which presumably means a passport will work.

Thanks yllwsmff,

Do you know where one would go to actually get a child IC card and do the registration process please?

I've only ever bought subway tickets from machines before (and I know you can buy adult IC cards through machines - but am assuming there's no way to get a child card through a machine since we'd need to show paperwork to prove age).

Thanks for any advice you can give.

You can do it at the Midori Madoguchi at JR stations.

Fantastic. Thanks a lot.