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Train passes for osaka and tokyo? 2023/12/30 05:40
Hi guys i will be going to osaka and then tokyo at the end of January am a bit confused with the train passes.

When i land in Kansai airport what train pass do i need to get to my hotel located in Dontonburi. I have done some research and it seems that japan has a lot of train passes. In osaka is the icoca or pitapa and in tokyo it is suica or pasmo.

Which one do i need to purchase and where can i purchase it from? Also, i heard that now you can get digital cards due to shortages of IC chips, though I would ideally like a physical card as a souvenir. If i cant get a physical, for the digital cards can i choose any of the 4 cards listed above without taking in consideration of my location (ie being in osaka but getting a digital suica card) since i read that the cards can be used in both osaka and tokyo. What would be the best digital card to purchase and what is the process of getting it?

I would also love to get a physical pasmo card because of its cute designs but it doesn't seem there are any physical locations in Osaka that i can get one, seems as though i might need to pass on it or buy one when i reach tokyo?

I also saw online the Kansai one pass for foreign travellers, would that be the way to go?



by J (guest)  

Re: Train passes for osaka and tokyo? 2023/12/30 08:12
You are mixing up a few things. You can get a Haruka discount ticket like from KIX into Osaka, but you need to get it before departure.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_jrwest.html

But there are also IC cards - these are not passes - they are prepaid cards that can be used in most larger cities that tourists go to, and Kansai is no problem at all. But they offer next to no savings - they are used for local travel and their best point is their convenience. You never need to calculate fares. There are about 10 cards in Japan, each with its own area of origin. Pasmo and Suica cards are in the Tokyo area, and there have been chip shortages so you currently can't get them. The Icoca card is in the Kansai region and no problem getting one at all. They are essentially interchangeable and you can use the Icoca card in Tokyo too (but not refund any balance there, if leaving Japan from Tokyo).
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html
In Tokyo there are tourist version IC cards in Tokyo but while there is no deposit on them there are no refunds for any balances either. Regular IC cards can hold a balance for ten years, but not the tourist IC cards.
by Ken (guest) rate this post as useful

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