JR East’s Welcome Suica app is an easy way for tourists with iPhones to get around Eastern Japan and beyond. Now, the company has announced that you can even use the app to book and use various Shinkansen and express train lines – all without a physical ticket.
All-in-one travel app
JR East began selling the Welcome Suica card as a time-limited IC transportation card back in 2019. The pretty card serves not only as a way to ride most trains and buses in Eastern Japan, but as a pretty souvenir to boot.
Like the regular Suica, Welcome Suica also functions as a form of cashless payment at millions of locations across Japan. And, thanks to Japan’s national IC card network, the card is also compatible with most local bus and train transportation systems nationwide.
Earlier this year, JR East released the Welcome Suica Mobile app. iPhone users can instantly purchase a Suica card and use it for travel and purchases the same way they use any other card attached to their Apple Pay wallet.
Narita Express, Tohoku Shinkansen, and more
With the new app release on October 1st, customers will have an even easier time using Welcome Suica to travel across Japan.
The Welcome Suica Mobile app will now be linked to the JR-East Train Reservation service. This means that users can use the app to book tickets on the Narita Express (N’EX), the rapid train service from Narita Airport to numerous points in downtown Tokyo and beyond, as well as the Fuji Excursion (Fuji Kaiyu) train to Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture and other JR East limited express train services.
Users can also leverage the service to book Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets. The service will support designated seat reservations on the Tōhoku, Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Jōetsu, and Hokuriku lines. Once at the station, users will be able to use their phones for gate entry, bypassing the need for a physical ticket.
Unfortunately, Welcome Suica is currently only supported on iPhone. Android devices outside of Japan typically don’t support the FeliCa IC chip that powers the Suica card. You can also only use the Welcome Suica app when you’re already in Japan.
"Noah [at Unseen Japan] put together an itinerary that didn’t lock us in and we could travel at our own pace. In Tokyo, he guided us personally on a walking tour. Overall, he made our Japan trip an experience not to forget." - Kate and Simon S., Australia
Also note that not every bullet train line is covered by the new service. Critically, you can’t reserve seats on the Tōkaidō line between Tokyo and Osaka.
For users who can’t use Welcome Suica or want to book travel prior to arriving in the country, we recommend booking Shinkansen tickets using the Japan Bullet Train reservation service from our friends at Inbound Platform (affiliate link; we make a small commission if you use the service).
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Sources
Welcome Suica Mobileのチケットレスサービスを拡張します！～新幹線・在来線特急列車指定席のご利用をシームレスに！～ PRTimes
