ICOCA Card: A Convenient and Versatile IC Card for Exploring Japan
Attention: Click here to view a mobile-friendly version. ICOCA (イコカ / Ikoka) is a smart card—issued by JR West and mainly sold/used in Kansai region (関西)—has the following characteristics: A prepaid card (or stored-value card) rather than a rail pass Provides convenience over payment by cash Can be used in many places (click here to see where it can be used) For not only JR trains but also Osaka subway, Kyoto subway, most of private train companies (Hankyu, Keihan, Kintetsu and many more) and even city bus in major cities, like Kyoto. For shopping in kiosk in the station, nation wide convenience store ( Lawson , Family Mart , Seven Eleven ) and even some of major electronics retail store. Accepted at other major cities, like Tokyo, Sapporo, etc Only used as fare ticket (乗車券 / jōshaken)—for passing the ticket gate and for ordinary fare (i.e., non-reserved travel) You can hav...