Japanese Railway

About Japanese Railway

If you take a train in Japan, all the passenger have to pay the"basic fare" for the destination. And if you take Limited Express Train including Shinkansen, you need to pay the extra "express fare" in the section you take. So please note that if you take the Limited Express Train, you can get 2 tickets - "basic fare ticket" and "express fare ticket." If you want to use IC card like suica and PASMO, you can use it for only the"basic fare" in many cases. So if you want to take Limited Express Train with IC card, you need to buy only the paper"express fare ticket"(some paper express fare tickets can be bought by your IC card at the express ticket vending machine), and pass through the ticket gates by IC card (=paid "basic fare".) And also please note that if you take the train across the region, you cannot use IC card in many case.

What is "Limited Express Train"?

The train which you need to pay the extra "express fare" and also which I introduce in this HP are only "Skyliner (Keisei[SkyAccess]Line)", "Morning/Evening Liner (Keisei[Main]Line)", "Narita-Express (JR Line)", "Ryomo (Tobu Line)","Spacia (Tobu Line)", and "Shinkansen(JR/bullet train)." Please note that there are some local train (=no need to pay "express fare") named "Limited Express" in Japan. So it is better to check whether the train is needed "express fare" or not before you take.

The payment method of Watarase Keikoku Railway

Some local railways have a payment system inside the train (No need to buy a ticket at the station). So I introduce how to take that kind of train.

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This picture below is at Aioi Station. You can transfer to Watarase Keikoku Railway form Tobu Railway. If you come here by using IC card, you have to settle the fare until this station because the IC card cannot be used in Watarase Keikoku Railway.

the simple IC card reader at Aioi station — After getting off the Tobu Line, use left one (written "EXIT"). Conversely, if you take the Tobu Line, you need to touch the right side (written "ENTRY")

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---> take "Watarase Keikoku Line" to Mizunuma sta., and get the boarding voucher from the ticket machine inside the train

inside the watarase railway train — Take the boarding voucher right after getting inside the train

---> After stopped at Mizunuma sta., show the boarding voucher and pay 440yen(adult) to the train driver inside the train (Nobody can use the IC card: cash only in Watarase Keikoku Line)(you can break if you don't have exact money.)

---> Complete!

the local train in the mizunuma sta. — At the Mizunuma sta.

*Some stations have a ticket vending machine or station worker. In that case and if you have a time, you had better buy a ticket at the station. There are also the ticket vending machine and station worker in Aioi Station, so you can buy it there.