メインコンテンツへスキップ
見出し画像

Money and IC Cards in Japan: A Cruise Traveller's Guide

    Beyond Kyoto Walks

    シリーズ第2回は、お金とICカードの話です。
    那覇・石垣島・宮古島、そして基隆（台湾）——この航路は寄港地ごとに「使えるカード」が違うのが落とし穴です。船を降りる前に知っておきたい支払いの基本を、地元民の目線でまとめました。
    この記事は英語が本文です。日本の方にも読んでいただけたらうれしいです。
    この記事で分かること
    日本の現金とカードの基本、ICカードの全国ネットワークと沖縄の例外、7-Elevenで現金を引き出す方法、台湾での通貨とイージーカード、出発前の5分チェックリストが分かります。
    急ぐ人は、目次の『Getting yen: the 7-Eleven rule』から先に読めます。

    Local walks in Kyoto & Lake Biwa — beyond the guidebook

    Welcome back. In the first article I introduced Beyond Kyoto Walks; in the previous article in this series we packed for December. This time: money. A short cruise from Naha to Ishigaki, Keelung and Miyakojima passes through three different payment worlds — and Japan's IC cards work beautifully, until suddenly they don't.

    First, the basics: cash and cards in Japan

    Japan is more cashless than it used to be, but it is not a card-only country. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) notes that overseas-issued Visa, JCB and Mastercard are accepted at major hotels, department stores and city restaurants — yet many places still only accept cash, especially away from the big cities, sometimes even hotels.

    My rule for port days: card for the big things, cash for the small and local things — lunch counters, shrine offerings, market stalls and local buses run on coins and small notes. And do not rely on an overseas smartphone wallet: JNTO warns they sometimes cannot be used in Japan.

    The IC card map: one network, with edges

    On mainland Japan, transport IC cards are interoperable. Ten regional cards — Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and the rest — form a nationwide mutual-use network: as JR East's visitor information explains, a card from Tokyo works on trains, buses and at shops displaying the nationwide IC logo across most of the country. But cards work where the logo is displayed — the network has edges, and this cruise sails past two of them.

    Okinawa plays by its own rules

    Naha. The Yui Rail monorail (Naha Airport to the city) accepts Suica and the other nationwide cards, and has since March 2020. The buses are different: they run on OKICA, Okinawa's own IC card, which is not part of the nationwide network — mainland cards are not accepted on Okinawa's buses, and an OKICA cannot be used on the mainland.

    OKICA is easy to get: one card covers the monorail and the island's main bus companies, it asks a ¥500 deposit (refunded on return, minus a handling fee), and the unregistered version is sold at monorail stations and some FamilyMart stores. For one port day, though, my advice is to skip it — Suica on the monorail, cash on the bus.

    Ishigaki and Miyakojima. These islands sit outside the nationwide IC network altogether; their buses are cash territory, so carry coins and ¥1,000 notes.

    Getting yen: the 7-Eleven rule

    When you need cash, look for a 7-Eleven. Seven Bank runs more than 28,000 ATMs in 7-Eleven stores across Japan; its machines accept cards issued overseas, day or night, in 12 languages, with a limit of ¥100,000 per withdrawal for overseas cards (¥30,000 for magnetic-stripe-only cards) and any fee shown before you confirm. Japan Post Bank ATMs are the backup.

    • If the ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choose yen — that option (dynamic currency conversion) rarely works in your favour.

    • Tell your bank you are travelling, so a Naha withdrawal does not look like fraud.

    • My own rule of thumb (not an official figure): carry ¥10,000–20,000 per person for a port day of buses, lunch and small admissions. Break a ¥10,000 note early — IC card top-ups at station machines are cash, too.

    The Taiwan day: a second currency, a second card

    Keelung changes the currency as well as the country. Taiwan uses the New Taiwan dollar (NT$) — yen stay in your pocket here — and its transport card is the EasyCard, sold at convenience stores and metro stations. The card costs NT$100 with no balance included, so top up at the counter; it then works on Keelung's city buses, Taiwan Railway trains, and Taipei's metro and buses, plus small purchases at convenience stores.

    The classic Keelung day, then: tap onto an ordinary train to Taipei (a few named expresses, such as the Taroko and Puyuma, do not take the card), tap through the metro all day, and tap back. Bigger shops take cards, but night markets and small eateries run on NT$ cash, so withdraw or exchange a modest amount on arrival — my rule of thumb is NT$1,000–2,000 in cash, plus the EasyCard.

    Before you sail: the five-minute checklist

    1. Sort your IC card early. Buy a Suica or ICOCA on the mainland — they are not sold in Okinawa.

    2. Carry two ways to pay. One card, one source of cash.

    3. Prepare small money for the islands. Coins and ¥1,000 notes for the buses.

    4. Plan the Taiwan switch. NT$ cash and an EasyCard for the Keelung day.

    5. Warn your bank. A travel notice now prevents a declined withdrawal later.

    Next in this series: staying connected — eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi for port days.

    Follow the walks

    Sources

    Thank you for walking with me. Money sorted, the walking gets easier — so let us keep going, from Kyoto, and beyond.

    — Beyond Kyoto Walks
    Local walks in Kyoto & Lake Biwa — beyond the guidebook
    次に読む
    Japan Cruise Packing List: What to Pack for December｜12月の日本クルーズ持ち物リスト——南の航路で本当に要るもの

    eSIM or Pocket Wi-Fi? Staying Connected on a Japan Cruise

    Cover photo: Biwako Otsukan, Lake Biwa shore, Otsu — Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

     
     

    Beyond Kyoto Walks

     
     
    Local walks in Kyoto & Lake Biwa — beyond the guidebook Kyoto & Lake Biwa(Shiga), walked by a local. 京都・琵琶湖(滋賀)を、地元民が歩いて案内します。

    あなたへのおすすめ