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Welcome Suica Mobile Now Links with JR East Reservations
If you’ve ever been vanquished by the paper ticket — purchased, pocketed, then somehow lost it between yellowed receipts and loyalty cards — this one’s for you.
On October 1, 2025, JR East released significant updates to the Welcome Suica Mobile app (iOS only) — the digital IC card aimed at international visitors to Japan.
The Welcome Suica Mobile app, originally a simple way for tourists to get a digital transit card, now links directly with JR East Train Reservation. Travelers can now book and board Shinkansen and limited-express trains using just their phones.
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Until now, only regular (i.e. non-tourist) Suica and Mobile Suica users could link their cards to JR East Train Reservation or Touch de Go! Shinkansen for ticketless boarding. The new update brings that same feature to Welcome Suica Mobile.
No paper tickets. No printing. No confusion at the Midori no Madoguchi ticket office. Once you purchase and reserve your seat, the e-ticket syncs automatically with your Suica ID. The digital ticket can be saved to Apple Wallet, much like an airplane boarding pass, allowing travelers to tap their phone at the gate and glide through.
What’s covered?
The rollout includes the Tōhoku, Hokuriku, Jōetsu, Akita, Yamagata, and Hokkaidō Shinkansen, as well as express lines like the Narita Express, Fuji Kaiyū, Azusa, and Kaiji.
What’s next?
More trains, including the fancy Saphir Odoriko, are set to join later in 2025, with Green Car (business-class) seat bookings coming to regular JR East lines by spring 2026.
What is Welcome Suica?
Welcome Suica is JR East’s prepaid IC card for short-term visitors: a deposit-free, cherry-blossom-themed cousin of the regular Suica, that expires after 28 days.
Welcome Suica Mobile is the digital version, currently only available for iPhone users. It lets you issue and top up your card directly in the app or via Apple Wallet. It lasts 180 days, five times longer than the physical version.
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.
