Written by Jane Pipkin
On March 1, 2025, sales of physical Suica and PASMO cards returned — to the joy of incoming tourists.
Due to a worldwide semiconductor shortage, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) suspended most physical versions of the top-up travel cards in June 2023. Welcome Suica cards were made available to foreign tourists but only in limited quantities and locations.
From September 2024, though, things have returned to normal, starting with the availability of personalized Suica and PASMO cards. Finally in March 2025, non-personalized Suica, Rinkai Suica, and PASMO cards have all resumed sales.
Although incoming tourists (and Japanese residents themselves) have been increasingly encouraged to use the digital Suica, many still prefer the old-school physical cards due to their ease of use and convenience.
JR East is still eager to promote digital cards, though. The company released the Welcome Suica Mobile App for Overseas Visitors to Japan on March 6, 2025. This app lets users issue and top up their digital Suica card without visiting a ticket office — even before entering the country. Later in the year, JR East will link the app to its train reservation system. This will make it easier for visitors to purchase Shinkansen e-tickets, Limited Express tickets, and Green Car seats.
Where can you buy Suica cards?
If you’re wondering where to get Suica cards, you can purchase them at JR East Travel Service Centers, JR Ticket Offices (Midori no Madoguchi), and ticket machines in JR East stations.
Since January 22, 2025, Welcome Suica Cards for tourists are available at JR East Travel Service Centers and Welcome Suica Card vending machines at Haneda and Narita airports. They’re also available at Japan Rail Café Tokyo and larger Tokyo-area JR stations (Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Yokohama, and Sendai).
While JR EAST states that physical Suica cards will remain available for the foreseeable future, the situation could change unexpectedly. Given the company’s initiatives and current digital landscape, it’s likely that there will still be a strong push towards digital Suica. For more information on this and the Suica card itself, check out our Ultimate Suica Card Guide.
Sources
Here’s where we got our info:
- Resumption of sales for non-personalized Suica and PASMO Cards, East Japan Railway Company
- Resumption of sales for personalized Suica and PASMO cards, East Japan Railway Company
- My Suica（記名式）・Suicaカードの購入
- Welcome Suica, East Japan Railway Company
- Welcome Suica app press release
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.
