I know of tourists, visiting for the first time, who walked in and straight back out of a train station in Osaka because in the end a taxi seemed like the easier option.
And when travelling with a Japanese English speaker in Tokyo recently, I watched an Australian pounce on him at the ticket machine like he was her only hope of making it out of there.
Japan’s infrastructure is incredible, but navigating public transport in a foreign country can be daunting, and that is why I have heard this travel tip described as “game changing” more than once.
That is, to get a Japanese digital transit card, called an IC card, on your phone.
You don’t have to worry about buying the correct train ticket when you can just tap your phone (or a physical IC card) at the entry and exit gates, which is a familiar process to many Australians.
There are different IC cards in different areas of Japan, such as Suica in Tokyo or ICOCA in Osaka (think of it like a Myki in Melbourne or Opal card in Sydney). But the good news is, in Japan, they are compatible with each other. This means you’ll likely be fine with just one type of IC card for urban travel, including in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. (The shinkansen, also known as the bullet train, requires a separate paper ticket. So do dedicated airport trains).
For iPhone users, you can easily add the Suica or ICOCA as a transit card to your Apple Wallet and top it up on your phone as needed.
Exploring is much easier when you can focus on following the signs to the correct platform or exit, rather than constantly buying a suitable ticket.
