IC card
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What is it?
IC cards are RFID cards which can have money added and then be used to make payments with a tap on a pad.
Why get an IC card?
When taking a bus or train in Kyoto an IC card saves you a lot of time and effort. You don't need to check train or bus rates for each stop. Also you don't need to buy an individual ticket every time you ride.
They can be used for payment at some konbini and vending machines as well How to get and use an IC card
At most train stations you can use the ticket machines to buy a new card for about 500 yen plus any amount you want to add.
When you go through the ticket gate, look for the blue pad which says IC (like the image above)
If it runs low when you are in the middle of a trip there is a recharge station inside of the gate where you can top it up.
If you haven't entered the train platform area yet, you can charge your card from the ticket machines. Look for the related symbols above or near the machine terminal.
Notes
Generally you can use ICOCA in Tokyo, and you can use SUICA in Kyoto or vice versa. Their compatibility may be limited in some rare cases.
If you get a SUICA card you can connect it with a credit card on your iPhone or Apple Watch and then you can add money to the card anywhere. It feels like I'm living in the future every time I pay and add funds with only my Apple Watchben.icon