Narita Express + SUICA card

[japanophile]

I have heard that there is now a JR deal offering the transportation from Narita Airport to Tokyo and a SUICA card for a really good price.

Does anyone have details on that??

Thanks

[myhomeuphere]

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

Let google be your friend

[bland]

I have heard that there is now a JR deal offering the transportation from Narita Airport to Tokyo and a SUICA card for a really good price.

Does anyone have details on that??

Thanks

Also some info here:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_002.html


If the Suica card is not used, it looks like you'd get 2000 - 210 = 1790yen back, so this makes the NEX price effectively 1710 (or 1500 if all the credit was used on train fares).

This is a very good price for the NEX (which can be as much as 4380 for Narita Airport -> Yokohama). However this is still not the most economical way to travel to/from Narita airport by train.

[japanophile]

Thanks for the information! Indeed, it is really an interesting price, as it is cheaper than the skyliner. But you are right, the limited express Keisei Line is still slightly cheaper at 1000 yen.

[rtfm]

After 10-12 hours in Economy do you really want to ride a regular commuter train for another 90 minutes? And then another from Ueno? All to save a whopping 700 yen?
Buy the card.

BTW, if you live here and are simply meeting people at Narita they will still sell you the package. The condition is foreign passport, not tourist visa like the JR pass. Take the passport, don't show the gaijin card, don't ask questions :-)

[williefk14nt]

Hi all,
Just wondering can you use your "SUICA" or "PASMO" cards
on the monorail going out to Odaiba ?

[themoonrules]

Yes you can.

If you plan on riding the Yurikamome line more then 3 times in a day, you should get a 800 yen day pass instead.

Btw the Yurikamome is not a monorail, but rather an "Automatic Guideway Transit" system, which operates on a totally different concept then a monorail.

[williefk14nt]

I thought it was more an RTS than a AGT.
As long as it get me from A to B,
who really cares what it is.
Its really just a box on wheels at the end of the day,
used to get passengers between two points as quickly and
as comfortably possible,
and if its aesthetically pleasing to look at,
then thats a wee bonus for us.

[themoonrules]

There are a few stations where the yurikamome is near actual tokyo monorail stations, so aksing for directions 'to the monorail' from someone off the street they might give directions to the actual tokyo monorail station instead of the yurikamome.

[Prizm4]

I was looking at getting the N'EX + Suica package, but I found out I can take the Keisei line directly from Narita Airport to Ueno where I will be staying, while the N'EX doesn't stop there. I'm figuring the convenience is probably worth a bit extra.

Is it possible to pick up a Suica card on its own at Narita Airport?

[rtfm]

You can get a Suica everywhere, subject to availability (they've run short a couple of times and only sell them as a monthly pass) The Narita ticket machines _might_ have regular Suica/Pasmo cards, otherwise buy a regular ticket at Keisei and explore Ueno station after a good night's sleep.

[themoonrules]

Yes you can , keisei sells pasmo cards, JR sells suica, individually at machines, however for suica you have to pay an initial 2000 yen and you get a card with 1500 yen (500 yen covers the cost of the card.)

If you cant find it at NRT just pay for a regular ticket and work it out at the larger ueno stations the next day.

If you plan on using suica/pasmo for the skyliner you need to enter the gates with the pasmo/suica card, then purchase a separate seat reservation (there's a machine on the platform), or just ride the ordinary train.

[Prizm4]

Great, thanks your advice guys. Also, how do they pronounce Suica? Does it just become sui-ka?

[themoonrules]

JR sells Suica, all the rest of the railway companies (including Keisei) sell Pasmo. Just in case you're going walking around a station and see no machines labeled "Suica".
Both work essentially the same, and you can recharge suica on pasmo machines and vice versa.

As for buying a Suica card at the machine (since you're not buying a Suica and NEX, which has to be purchased at a manned counter)

At JR (Japan Railway Station)
Look for the blue coloured vending machine sometimes marked "Card"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unforth...56263/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/superlocal/397113253/

Those are the machines that let you buy Suica cards, the other machines like the more prevalent green colored machines let you recharge suica cards, or buy regular ("paper" tickets) as well. But they don't sell the actual Suica card.

For other railway companies (such as Keisei) the color of the machines vary, but just look for machines labeled "Pasmo" or "IC CARD" when in non JR stations.

[williefk14nt]

Do they still have helpers / assistants that hang about at some of the machines in the stations, for people that look a wee bit lost and bewildered by it all. ?
Will they know the difference between the cards, ?
and be able to help the hapless traveller in anyway ?

[themoonrules]

Some stations still have them, the major ones.

But its really not that hard.

In you don't even really need to press the [ENGLISH] button on the machine, just press the button, insert your money, out comes the card and any change.

Yes they know the difference, the cards are essentially the same, just the name is different. If its a "JR" station then its Suica, if its not a "JR" station, then its almost always going to be PASMO. (Talking about the Tokyo Metropolitan region/Kanto), other parts of Japan use different cards.

Btw this is assuming you want to buy the card itself, if you need a Suica and NEX package, that has to be purchased at the JR counter at Narita Airport.

[tiffatron]

Yes they know the difference, the cards are essentially the same, just the name is different. If its a "JR" station then its Suica, if its not a "JR" station, then its almost always going to be PASMO. (Talking about the Tokyo Metropolitan region/Kanto), other parts of Japan use different cards.
----

isn't there some difference between PASMO and SUICA as to what regions & trains you can use them on? I read somewhere that you can now use SUICA (JR) on private railways as well... does that mean you can also use PASMO on JR lines? Also, i heard you can use SUICA in osaka/kyoto area as well but PASMO is tokyo only.....is this correct ? Sorry not trying to hijack the thread but thought it was an important extra to add on to this topic...!

[Vitolic Frolic]

They don't check your tickets on NEX. If they do come around to your seat just pretend you are asleep. It's a free, comfy, ride.

[Vitolic Frolic]

Yes they know the difference, the cards are essentially the same, just the name is different. If its a "JR" station then its Suica, if its not a "JR" station, then its almost always going to be PASMO. (Talking about the Tokyo Metropolitan region/Kanto), other parts of Japan use different cards.
----

isn't there some difference between PASMO and SUICA as to what regions & trains you can use them on? I read somewhere that you can now use SUICA (JR) on private railways as well... does that mean you can also use PASMO on JR lines? Also, i heard you can use SUICA in osaka/kyoto area as well but PASMO is tokyo only.....is this correct ? Sorry not trying to hijack the thread but thought it was an important extra to add on to this topic...!

I have a JR Pasmo

[rtfm]

They don't check your tickets on NEX.

Yes, they do. All seats are reserved and the conductor knows which seats are sold and which aren't. They only ask if you are in an unsold seat - last-minute buy that didn't make it into the system, or a buy-on-board passenger.

[tiffatron]

"I have a JR Pasmo"

----------

good to know, frolic, but ...maybe you could elaborate on the differences if you know them...to help people out