Tokyo subway begins "tap to ride" service - find out exactly where you can use it

After a year which has seen limited access to IC cards cause issues across Tokyo’s transport system, a new “tap to ride” service is being introduced that will see travellers allowed to make payment directly with a credit/debit card when using select lines across the Tokyo area.

From Saturday 21st December 2024, a trial of the “tap to ride” service will begin at 26 stations on Toei Subway lines and 10 stations on Keikyu lines.

Passengers entering and exiting at any of the trial stations will be able to simply tap their credit/debit card, or their payment enabled device such as a smartphone or smartwatch, to complete payment for their journey.

Toei Subway and Keikyu Corporation, who operate the respective train lines, have teamed up to run the trial service as travellers transferring to Tokyo from Haneda Airport can commonly use the Keikyu Line before transferring to a Toei Subway Line to reach their final destination.

Travellers will now see one of two types of tap payment terminals at the gate when entering any of the trial stations.

The first type is a tap payment terminal located on the automatic ticket gates, which will normally be located under the entry slot for physical tickets:

Toei Subway/Keikyu Line Automatic Ticket Gate “Tap to Ride” Terminal

The second type of “tap to ride” terminal will be located near the station attendant counter on both the entry and exit sides of the window:

Toei Subway/Keikyu Line Station Counter Ticket Gate “Tap to Ride” Terminal

The “tap to ride” service will only be available at the following stations on the Toei Subway Asakusa, Mita and Oedo Lines, as well as the Keikyu Line.

For a full list of stations, as well as the type of gate to expect at each, please use the list at the end of the article.

When using the Keikyu Line, the “tap to ride” service is actually available at all stations, including those not shown on the map, however you must request the facility at the station attendant counter which means that during certain times of day, or at unmanned counters, the service may not be immediately available.

It’s therefore best to stick to the listed stations during the trial to ensure you can exit the station without any additional hassle.

The “tap to ride” service also cannot be used to transfer to lines operated by other companies such as JR Lines when using the transfer ticket gates at Shinagawa Station, Yokohama Station and Tenkubashi Station.

If your journey requires a transfer, you will need to exit the ticket gates using the “tap to ride” system and re-enter using an alternative method of payment e.g. IC card/ticket.

Currently, the “tap to ride” system on Tokyo’s Toei Subway Line(s) and Keikyu Line will accept payment via Visa, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover or UnionPay.

Mastercard is not currently accepted, but support is scheduled to be enabled in the near future.

Only adult fares can presently be paid for using the system – children between ages 6 and 11 who use the “tap to ride” system will be charged an adult fare.

So, which stations can you use the new “tap to ride” system at whilst travelling in Tokyo?

For the Toei Asakusa Line, the following stations will all feature the automatic type ticket gate:

Gotanda Station
Sengakuji Station
Mita Station
Daimon Station
Shimbashi Station
Higashi-ginza Station
Takaracho Station
Nihombashi Station
Ningyocho Station
Asakusabashi Station
Asakusa Station
Honjo-azumabashi Station

The Toei Oedo Line will also use the “tap to ride” automatic type ticket gate at the following stations:

Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station
Higashi-shinjuku Station
Ueno-okachimachi Station
Tsukijishijo Station
Daimon Station
Akabanebashi Station
Roppongi Station
Aoyama-itchome Station
Kokuritsu-Kyogijo Station
Shinjuku Station
Tochomae Station
Nishi-shinjuku-gochome Station
Toshimaen Station

Finally, the Toei Mita Line will allow payment via the “tap to ride” system through the automatic type ticket gate at Mita Station only.

The Keikyu Line will offer a mixture of both the automatic type ticket gate and the station counter style gate as follows:

Haneda Airport Terminal 1・2 Station (Terminal 1 Exit) (automatic style ticket gate), (Terminal 2 Exit) (automatic style ticket gate/station counter style ticket gate)
Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station (2F ticket gate exit) (automatic style ticket gate), (B2F ticket gate exit) (automatic style ticket gate/station counter style ticket gate)
Shinagawa Station (Takanawa Exit) (automatic style ticket gate/station counter style ticket gate)
Keikyu Kamata Station (automatic style ticket gate)
Kojiya Station (automatic style ticket gate)
Anamori-inari Station (automatic style ticket gate)
Yokohama Station (Central Exit) (automatic style ticket gate), (North Exit) (station counter style ticket gate)
Sengakuji Station (automatic style ticket gate)
Otorii Station (West Exit) (station counter style ticket gate)
Tenkubashi Station (Central Exit) (station counter style ticket gate)

Provided the trial is successful, you can expect that the “tap to ride” system will likely be rolled out across other train lines across Tokyo and the rest of Japan in the coming years as efforts are made to further increase ease of use of what can often be a difficult system to navigate for those less familiar with Japan’s railways.

Source: Keikyu Corporation