This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I get a small commission and you pay exactly the same. It goes straight into my Shiba’s treat fund.
Dollar amounts are rough estimates based on about ¥156 to $1 (September 2026). Exchange rates move, so treat them as ballpark figures.
LOCAL VERDICT
- Stopping in front of a ticket gate: Please don’t. There are 40 people behind you.
- Paper tickets: Skip them. Honestly, even I don’t know how they work anymore.
- What to use instead: Suica on your phone (iPhone) or a Welcome Suica card (Android and everyone else)
- Where to tap: The glowing reader on the right side of the gate. Hold it flat for a beat.
- Best transit apps: Google Maps, or Japan Travel by NAVITIME
- Secret local tip: Sometimes, just walk. The subway has zero view.
Here’s a fun fact about Tokyo ticket gates.
In the time it takes you to buy one paper ticket, more than 100 Japanese people walk through the gates with Suica. Tap. Beep. Gone. Tap. Beep. Gone. Nobody even slows down. 🚶♂️🚶♀️🚶
And it gets worse. More and more gates in Tokyo don’t even accept paper tickets anymore. They’re IC-card only. So you buy your ticket, walk up to a gate, realize there’s no slot, wander down the row looking for one that takes paper, and stand there confused while the crowd flows around you.
Meanwhile, somewhere behind you, there’s a salaryman racing to a sales meeting. He planned his route down to the minute. He knows exactly which car stops closest to the exit. And because you were standing at the gate, he misses his train by three seconds. The deal of his career? Gone. Vanished. Blown away. 💼💨
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But only a little. Tokyo commuters are fighting for every minute and every second, every single day.
So today, I’m going to make sure you never become that person at the gate. And the good news is, it’s really easy. You just need one thing: Suica. And I happen to be a Suica expert. More on that in a minute.
Rule 1: Never Stop at the Gate
The ticket gate is not a place to think. It’s a place to pass through. Do all your thinking before you get there.
- Check your route before you reach the gates. Which line, which direction, which exit. Figure it out while you’re still walking.
- Need to look at your phone? Step to the side, next to a wall or a pillar. Not in the middle of the walkway. Definitely not at the gate.
- Have your phone or card in your hand before you get to the gate. Not in your backpack. (And while we’re at it, take that backpack off on the train. I wrote a whole post about it.)
👉 Please Take Off Your Backpack on Tokyo Trains
Rule 2: Forget Paper Tickets
Let me be honest. In Tokyo, the only people still using paper tickets are elderly people, people who forgot their phone at home, and samurai from the Sengoku period who time-traveled here by accident. ⚔️
I’m serious. I was born and raised in Tokyo, and I genuinely don’t know how to buy a paper ticket anymore. You have to look up at a giant fare map, find your station in tiny Japanese text, figure out the price, buy the ticket, and then not lose it until you exit. That’s a whole quest. I don’t have the stats for that.
But Suica? Suica, I know everything about. Let me show you.
Suica: The Only Thing You Need
Suica is a prepaid IC card. You tap it at the gate when you enter, tap again when you exit, and the fare is taken out automatically. No fare maps. No math. It also works on buses, at convenience stores, at vending machines, and at lots of shops. It’s basically Tokyo’s universal key. 🔑
There are two ways to get one. Which one you need depends on your phone.
Option A: Suica on Your iPhone (Best)
If you have an iPhone, you can add a Suica to Apple Wallet before you even leave home. Here’s how:
- Open the Wallet app.
- Tap the + button.
- Choose Transit Card, then Suica.
- Choose how much to load and pay with Apple Pay.
That’s it. Your iPhone is now a Suica. You can also use it on an Apple Watch.
There’s also an official app made just for visitors called Welcome Suica Mobile. It issues a Suica on your iPhone, lets you top up with your Apple Pay card, and adds English transit info. It’s valid for 180 days and needs iOS 17.2 or later.
Gonza’s Suica pro tips:
- Top up before you go. Load at least ¥3,000 (about $19) so you’re not topping up at the airport.
- Have a backup card. Some foreign cards get declined for Suica top-ups even if they work fine for Apple Pay. If yours fails, try another card. You can also top up with cash at the ticket machines in any station.
- Check your Express Mode. Suica on iPhone uses Express Mode by default, which means you just tap. No Face ID, no unlocking. If your phone asks you to authenticate at the gate, check your Wallet settings.
- Watch your battery. A dead phone means a dead Suica. Bring a power bank.
Option B: The Welcome Suica Card (Android and Everyone Else)
Here’s the bad news for Android users: most phones sold outside Japan can’t use mobile Suica. Check Google Wallet before your trip. If Suica isn’t there, get a physical card instead.
The Welcome Suica is a card made for visitors. You can buy it at Narita and Haneda airports and at major stations. A few things to know:
- It’s valid for 28 days.
- No deposit needed.
- Any balance left over can’t be refunded, so don’t overload it at the end of your trip.
- Max balance is ¥20,000 (about $128).
- Top up with cash at station ticket machines or Seven Bank ATMs.
Landing at Haneda? You can book a Suica card in advance and pick it up at the airport.
👉 Book a Suica IC card for Haneda Airport pickup on Klook
Where Exactly Do I Tap?
This is where most first-timers freeze. Here’s the deal:
- The reader is on the right side of the gate. Look for the round or square panel that glows, usually blue.
- Tap flat and hold for a beat. Don’t wave your phone over it like a magic wand. Place it flat on the reader for about half a second until it beeps.
- Keep walking. The gate stays open. You don’t need to wait for anything.
- Look at the little screen. When you exit, it shows the fare and your remaining balance.
What if the gate slams shut and beeps at you? Don’t panic, and definitely don’t stand there pushing the flap. Step back, let the people behind you go through another gate, and head to the yellow fare adjustment machine near the gates (it usually says 精算機 or “Fare Adjustment”). Top up there, then tap again. If you’re still stuck, go to the staffed window at the end of the gates. The staff deal with this a hundred times a day.
Use a Transit App (Before the Gate)
Tokyo’s train map looks like a bowl of ramen. Don’t try to read it in your head. Use an app:
- Google Maps: Works great in Tokyo. Shows you which line, which platform, how long, and often which exit to use.
- Japan Travel by NAVITIME: Made for visitors, in English. Very detailed about transfers. japantravel.navitime.com
And here’s the one tip that makes you look like a local: always check which exit you need. Big stations like Shinjuku have over 200 exits. The wrong exit can put you a 15-minute walk from where you wanted to be. Ask me how I know. 🫠
Secret Local Tip: Sometimes, Just Walk
Here’s something tourists almost never do: walk between stations.
The Tokyo subway is amazing, but it has exactly zero view. You go underground in one place, come up in another, and you have no idea what’s in between. And what’s in between is Tokyo. The back streets, the tiny shrines squeezed between buildings, the old men watering plants outside their houses, the vending machines glowing on every corner.
A lot of popular areas are closer than you think:
- Shibuya to Harajuku: About a 20-minute walk. Take the back streets through Cat Street instead of the train.
- Tokyo Station to Ginza: An easy walk through the Marunouchi and Yurakucho area.
And if you do ride, choose trains with a view:
- JR Yamanote Line: Mostly above ground. Grab a spot by the window.
- Yurikamome: An automated train that crosses the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba. Sit in the front car. You’ll feel like you’re piloting it. 🚝
- Toden Arakawa Line: Tokyo’s last old-school streetcar. Slow, charming, and runs right through local neighborhoods.
Look up from your phone. Tokyo is out there.
TL;DR
- Never stop at the ticket gate. Plan your route and have your phone ready before you get there.
- Skip paper tickets. Use Suica.
- iPhone: add Suica in Apple Wallet or use Welcome Suica Mobile. Top up before you go and bring a backup card.
- Android: most foreign phones can’t do mobile Suica, so get a Welcome Suica card.
- Tap flat on the reader on the right, hold for a beat, keep walking.
- Gate closed on you? Step back and go to the fare adjustment machine.
- Use Google Maps or NAVITIME, and always check your exit.
- Sometimes, just walk. The subway has no view. 🦅
Gonza’s Japanese Gift 🎁
Today’s gift: チャージしたいです (chāji shitai desu)
It means “I’d like to top up.” In Japan, adding money to your Suica is called “charge” (チャージ). Same word as charging your phone. Your card has a battery too, basically. 🪫
When to use it: Any time your Suica is running low. Two places that work:
- Convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson): Put your Suica on the counter, say “Chāji shitai desu,” and hand over cash. ¥1,000 (about $6) or ¥2,000 (about $13) is plenty for a day of trains.
- The station: Find a station staff member and say it. They’ll sort you out or walk you to the right machine. No panic, no gate drama.
Heads-up on credit cards: A plastic Suica card can’t be topped up with a credit card at regular station machines or convenience stores. It’s cash only. So keep a few ¥1,000 bills in your pocket. 💴 The exception is Suica on your iPhone (Apple Wallet). You can add money with your credit card right on your phone, no words needed. Convenient, sure. But then you never get to use today’s gift. 🗿
Pro move: say it before you see 残高不足 (zandaka busoku, “insufficient balance”) flash on the gate screen. Trust me.
Have a great trip. See you in the next post.