Visiting Japan from overseas? You’ve probably heard all about the convenience of JR Passes and the Welcome Suica: transportation passes that make it easy to get around Japan. But you might be left wondering, where is the best place to buy JR Passes and Welcome Suica cards?

We’ve put together a quick and simple guide to purchasing JR Passes, Suica cards, and other tickets for Japan Railway lines all over the country. We’ve found the easiest place to look for all of these is a JR EAST Travel Service Center, which are located in major JR East stations – including the ones in Narita and Haneda airports! Have you visited a JR EAST Travel Service Center yet?

What Is a JR EAST Travel Service Center?

A JR EAST Travel Service Center is a facility found inside major JR East stations established to provide travel information and advice for sightseers exploring Japan. You can also exchange or purchase unlimited-use passes like the JR EAST PASS at these centers, or buy other tickets and passes for various JR train lines, including the Welcome Suica.

If your Japanese is a little rusty and you need help in English, you’ll also find English-speaking staff at these service centers! They can even help print you a ticket in English, so you can read all the details.

JR Passes Available at JR EAST Travel Service Centers

(Availability may vary by location.)

The term “JR Pass” is broadly used to refer to a selection of different rail passes issued by the JR Group for foreign travelers visiting Japan. Some JR Passes allow travel on all JR lines nationwide (see: the JAPAN RAIL PASS), while others are specific to certain regions around Japan. Choosing the right JR Pass for your specific itinerary can help reduce travel costs significantly while you’re traveling in Japan! And since these passes also grant access to shinkansen bullet train lines and limited express trains, getting around is easy and efficient, saving you time during your trip. A JR Pass is a tool every international traveler should have in their back pocket!

JR EAST Travel Service Centers offer a number of different JR Passes, including all of the JR EAST PASS series. (You can find a list below!) These are especially convenient for travelers flying into Narita, because round trip travel on the Narita Express (N’EX) is included! If you’re planning to use a pass, we highly recommend you purchase (or exchange) it at the airport when you arrive for a convenient trip into town!

・JAPAN RAIL PASS
・JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area)
・JR EAST PASS (Nagano, Niigata area)
・JR TOKYO Wide Pass
・JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass
・JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass
・Hokuriku Arch Pass
・N’EX TOKYO Round Trip Ticket

IC Cards Available at JR EAST Travel Service Centers

・Welcome Suica (available at select locations)

The Welcome Suica is a prepaid and rechargable smart card, made for convenient fuss-free transportation and shopping. With a Suica (standard card) or Welcome Suica (made for visiting travelers), you don’t need to line up and buy paper tickets at vending machines to ride! Simply tap the card on the ticket gate to pay your fare seamlessly, and hop on the next train! Best of all, the Welcome Suica can be used not only on JR East lines, but also on the vast majority of subway lines and buses around Japan. (Check the official website for the list of compatible transportation systems.)

What many Welcome Suica users don’t realize that the card can also be used for shopping in a pretty wide variety of circumstance. They’re very convenient when purchasing drinks from vending machines, buying coffee from the cart aboard the train, and shopping at convenience stores. Until recent years, it was often said that “cash is king” in Japan, and travelers would have to work hard to not to end up trudging home with heavy pockets full of Japanese change. Carry a Welcome Suica with you, and you can often go without using cash altogether.

For more details on the Welcome Suica, check the official website.

Everything You Need to Plan Your JR East Trip

JR EAST Travel Service Centers also provide sightseeing information and advice for the JR East area, making it a great resource for trip planning. Once you get ahold of your tickets, you can hop on a train and head straight to a new destination!

The JR East area covers a huge swath of Japan, and the region offers some of Japan’s best seasonal attractions: cherry blossoms in spring, festivals and fireworks in summer, vibrant autumn foliage, and snowy landscapes in winter. Visit a JR EAST Travel Service Center for tips before embarking on your journey, and you’ll have a lot to look forward to.

Where Are JR EAST Travel Service Centers Located?

Kanto and the Surrounding Area

JR EAST Travel Service Centers can be found at major JR East stations in Kanto (which includes Tokyo and the surrounding areas), including the stations at both Narita and Haneda airports. Whether you want to purchase a pass immediately after arriving in Japan, or you decide to get one during any part of your trip, a service center is never far away. They’re conveniently located at major train stations and airports:

・TAKANAWA GATEWAY Travel Service Center (JR Takanawa Gateway Station) *Opening on March 27, 2025; cashless payment only!
・Haneda Airport (Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station)
・Narita Airport (JR Narita Airport Station)
・Airport Terminal 2 (JR Airport Terminal 2 Station)
・Tokyo (JR Tokyo Station)
・Shinjuku South Exit & Shinjuku East Exit (JR Shinjuku Station)
・Shibuya (JR Shibuya Station)
・Ueno (JR Ueno Station)
・Ikebukuro (JR Ikebukuro Station)
・Tachikawa (JR Tachikawa Station)
・Omiya (JR Omiya Station)
・Yokohama (JR Yokohama Station)
・Kawasaki (JR Kawasaki Station)
・Kashiwa (JR Kashiwa Station)
・Funabashi (JR Funabashi Station)
・Niigata (JR Niigata Station)

Eastern Japan Area

JR EAST Travel Service Centers might be densely packed in the Tokyo area, but they can also be found at major stations in various prefectures throughout the eastern regions of Japan. So even if you’re planning to travel outside Tokyo, there’s generally a center in each area’s main station, where you can purchase passes, tickets, and get all the information you need about local sightseeing options. Some centers also have staff members who can communicate fluently in English, Chinese, and other non-Japanese languages.

・Sendai (JR Sendai Station)
・Yamagata (JR Yamagata Station)
・Fukushima (JR Fukushima Station)
・Morioka (JR Morioka Station)
・Aomori (JR Aomori Station)
・Akita (JR Akita Station)
・Nagano (JR Nagano Station)
・Niigata (JR Niigata Station)

For more information on JR EAST Travel Service Centers, you can visit the official JR EAST website in English here: JR-EAST – East Japan Railway Company

^{Also available in a number of other languages:
Traditional Chinese: JR東日本 – 東日本旅客鐵路株式會社
Simplified Chinese: JR东日本 – 东日本旅客铁路公司
Korean: JR-EAST – East Japan Railway Company
Thai: JR-EAST – East Japan Railway Company}