Suica > credit cards > cash

TRAVEL LIKE A PRO

Add the travel card called SUICA to your Apple Wallet. This will make traveling across Japan easier than buying a ticket each train ride. You can also use Suica at 98% of restaurants, convenience stores, shopping malls and more! Keep in mind that Suica was so convenient, I hardly used cash or credit cards. Available for iPhone only and you can reload your Suica with Visa, AMEX or Apple credit card. PASSMO and ICOCA are also fine but they do not accept Visa if you’re trying to reload the travel cards.

Exchange your currency before you arrive! while a lot of vendors will accept cards especially Suica, a lot of smaller businesses, food stalls and some restaurants are cash only. It’s a good idea to have some cash on hand. I wouldn’t carry more than ¥20,000 (about $160 USD) since you can just use Suica/Credit card.

Transportation

avoid taxis…unless you’re rich

You will be using the trains/subways as your main transport. It will cost about $1-2 USD ONE WAY within city limits and may cost $6-7 USD ONE WAY if you’re venturing further like Yokohama. I would avoid taxis as it will be very costly. VERY.

Make sure to utilize apps like GOOGLE MAPS as it will tell you what platform to stand on and what line to take. Google Maps is quite help as it will also tell you what cabin car to stand in for you to get to your transfer train faster. Trains come every 2-3 minutes and you can also see upcoming trains on the time chart. If you are still lost, every station has someone working to help you! Screenshot below to give you a better idea of how Google Maps works!

Shinkansen

If it’s in your budget, I would opt for the “GREEN CAR.” This means you’re in first class basically but don’t expect anything ritzy or super fancy. It costs about an extra $30-$40 USD but I think it is worth it. The pros of Green Car is it’s quieter, obviously more comfortable and luggage space isn’t an issue. Sometimes if economy class is full and luggage space is taken, you’ll need to sit with your luggage the entire 2-3 hours which obviously sucks. If you aren’t able to splurge, economy is still comfortable enough but do keep these points in mind. You can purchase tickets at the station including upgrading to Green Car or make reservations with the link below.