Put an IC card on your phone before you land. On iPhone, open Wallet, tap the plus, choose Transit Card, then Suica or ICOCA, and load it from Apple Pay. Android phones sold outside Japan cannot host a Suica; buy a physical Welcome Suica at Haneda or Narita instead. Either way, one card works on every train, subway, bus and tram in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and at vending machines and convenience stores.
Tokyo now takes a bank card at the gate. Since March 25, 2026 Tokyo Metro, the Toei subway and nine other Tokyo-area operators accept a contactless credit or debit card, or the same card in a phone wallet, at the ticket gate: tap in, tap out, the fare lands on the card. It is the easy option for a short stay in Tokyo. JR trains, the Kyoto and Osaka subways and buses, and the vending machines still want an IC card, so on a trip that leaves Tokyo you need both.
Tap in, tap out. Gates charge the exact fare between the two stations. Buses in Kyoto are a flat ¥230; tap once when you get off. If a gate refuses you, your balance is short: top up at any machine or in Wallet.
Where cash still wins. Temple tickets, shrine offerings, the smallest ramen counters and some taxis. Keep ¥5,000 in bills and coins. 7-Eleven ATM accept foreign cards and are on every corner.
The JR Pass question. A 7-day pass costs about ¥50,000 and only makes sense with three or more shinkansen legs. Tokyo to Kyoto round trip is roughly ¥28,000, so a Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka trip does not pay. Buy individual shinkansen tickets on the SmartEX app and reserve a seat; the pass is for people crossing the country.
Trains stop. The last trains run around midnight in Tokyo and 11:30 p.m. in Kyoto. After that it is a taxi, and Tokyo taxis add a night surcharge. Waystop shows a leave-by time for the next stop, but check the last train before dinner, not after.