The IC transport card allowed easy access to trains,buses,ferries and more across Japan.Credit:iStock
These cards mean no more buying tickets at subway and train stations for each journey. Just swipe your IC card – usually branded Pasmo or Suica,though it could also be Kitaca,ICOCA or one of various others – and jump on board. Simple. Brilliant.
The trouble now,however,is that there is a critical global shortage of the materials required to produce these cards,and signs are now appearing at Japanese train stations stating that sales of all IC cards have been suspended indefinitely.
So,what can you do? There are options.
The first is to use your phone. For Apple users,go to Wallet,and for Android users,go with Google Pay,and simply add Pasmo or Suica to your payment options. This will allow you to load credit onto your phone,and then you scan that phone as you would a card when entering and leaving public transport.
If you prefer a physical card,there are still a few websites,such as klook.com,selling Pasmo and Suica cards. Though,the cost is marked up a fair way. For example,a card with JPY1500 loaded onto it,plus a JPY500 deposit (which is worth about $AU21 if you were to buy it from a Japanese train station),will cost you $32 online.
That might be worth it,however,particularly if you travel to Japan regularly and will get use out of the card on multiple occasions.
For travellers who might only be planning to visit once,there’s another option:you can still buy both “Pasmo Passport” and “Welcome Suica”,which are special IC cards only available for purchase by foreign tourists.
The hard-to-get IC card.Credit:iStock