IC card areas: where Suica and ICOCA work
IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, TOICA, SUGOCA, Kitaca…) work on most city trains, but each JR company accepts them only inside its IC areas. Two rules catch visitors out:
- One journey, one area. You cannot tap in at a station in one area and tap out in another. For a trip across the boundary, buy a paper ticket.
- Many rural stations take no IC card. Outside the areas, buy a ticket at the station or follow the line's how-to guide.
These two rules are general; each area page quotes its issuer's own wording. The trip finder on the map checks the stations you add.
Across areas by Shinkansen
- Touch de Go! Shinkansen タッチでGo!新幹線
JR East · Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (non-reserved seats) · 7 Shinkansen stretches
JR Central 1 area
- TOICA area (Shizuoka, Nagoya, Gifu, Kofu) TOICA利用エリア
TOICA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, manaca, PASMO, SUGOCA…) · 221 stations
JR East 6 areas
- Suica area: Akita Suica 秋田エリア
Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken) · 17 stations - Suica area: Aomori Suica 青森エリア
Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken) · 10 stations - Suica area: Greater Tokyo Suica 首都圏エリア
Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken) · 685 stations - Suica area: Morioka Suica 盛岡エリア
Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken) · 18 stations - Suica area: Niigata Suica 新潟エリア
Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken) · 65 stations - Suica area: Sendai (Miyagi, Fukushima, Yamagata) Suica 仙台エリア
Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken); Sendai's icsca too · 139 stations
JR Hokkaido 2 areas
- Kitaca area: Hakodate Kitacaエリア（函館エリア）
Kitaca, Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken); not SAPICA · 6 stations - Kitaca area: Sapporo–Asahikawa Kitacaエリア（札幌・旭川エリア）
Kitaca, Suica and the other nationwide IC cards (PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken); not SAPICA · 69 stations
JR Kyushu 3 areas
- SUGOCA area: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto SUGOCA 福岡・佐賀・長崎・大分・熊本エリア
SUGOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, TOICA, PASMO, nimoca, Hayakaken…) · 280 stations - SUGOCA area: Kagoshima SUGOCA 鹿児島エリア
SUGOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, TOICA, PASMO, nimoca, Hayakaken…) · 32 stations - SUGOCA area: Miyazaki SUGOCA 宮崎エリア
SUGOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, TOICA, PASMO, nimoca, Hayakaken…) · 19 stations
JR Shikoku 1 area
- ICOCA area: Kagawa (JR Shikoku) ICOCAエリア（JR四国 香川地区）
ICOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken, Kitaca) · 21 stations
JR West 2 areas
- ICOCA area: Hokuriku (Nanao, Johana and Himi Lines) ICOCAエリア（七尾線・城端線・氷見線）
ICOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken, Kitaca) · 41 stations - ICOCA area: Kansai, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, San'in ICOCAエリア（近畿・岡山・広島・山口・山陰・和歌山）
ICOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken, Kitaca) · 700 stations