Essential Info For Spring Trips
Suica is Back, Welcome Suica Mobile Arrives, SmartEX and Amex, Avoid Crowds, Cherry Blossom Secrets, Kobe Beef (Wagyu) in Kyoto
Going to Japan soon? Or maybe you’re already there for the cherry blossoms. Either way, there’s some stuff you really need to know. I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll keep it brief.
Practicality Info For Spring Trips
Suica is Back and Welcome Suica Mobile Arrives
You can once again buy regular physical Suica cards at big stations in Tokyo (look for the black machines). Welcome Suica are available at the airports and big stations as well. And, JR East has just launched Welcome Suica Mobile . The main advantage of the Welcome Suica Mobile over regular digital Suica is that you can use Welcome Suica Mobile for unreserved seats on shinkansen in the JR East area (but not on the Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Kyoto etc).
SmartEX Works with Amex (Proven and Tested)
Chris Rowthorn using SmartEX linked to digital IC card at shinkansen entrance of Kyoto Station.
I have written that the SmartEX shinkansen ticket buying app is the killer Japan travel app, especially when it’s linked with a digital IC card like Suica. The problem was, SmartEX didn’t work with most foreign-issued credit cards. But, I’m happy to report that SmartEX now works with American Express cards. I’ve tested this myself with an Amex linked to a Canadian bank and a friend tested it with an Amex linked to an American bank. So, if you want to avoid lines and reserve shinkansen seats in advance (crucial during the spring busy season), get SmartEX and link it to a digital Suica.
Digital Suica Now Work with Most Visa Cards
Ad for digital Suica in Tokyo. Photo by Chris Rowthorn.
Until very recently, you could only install a digital Suica card on your phone if your Apple Wallet was linked to an Amex or MasterCard. However, digital Suica now works with most Visa cards. I recently tested this with my own Canadian Visa card to confirm this. (Note: You can also import a physical Suica or Icoca card if you can’t get your credit card to work with an IC card.)
How to Avoid Crowds
Line for Welcome Suica machine at Haneda. Photo by Chris Rowthorn
Japan is crowded in late March and April. But, it’s easy to avoid the crowds if you just use some simple strategies. I cover these strategies on these two pages:
How to Avoid Crowds and Lines in Japan
Bamboo Grove Without Crowds
Jizo-in Temple entrance near Matsuo-san Hike. Photo by Chris Rowthorn.
I love the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto, but it’s nuts in spring. If you want to experience a bamboo grove in Kyoto without the crowds, check out this article on InsideKyoto:
Matsuo-san: A Great Bamboo Hike in Western Kyoto
Cherry Blossoms With and Without Crowds
Weeping cherry trees in the Kyoto Gosho. Photo by Chris Rowthorn.
Even in Kyoto you can enjoy cherry blossoms without huge crowds. I give all the tips here:
Kobe Beef (Wagyu) in Kyoto
I was craving some really good wagyu (Japanese beef) recently so I invited a friend to Yakiniku Dining Kinoe in Kyoto. We splashed out for a set that included the three most famous types of wagyu: Kobe beef, Omi beef and Matsuzaka beef. We cooked it yakiniku-style (Korean barbecue-style) on a grill at our table and it was fantastic.
The wagyu all-stars. Photo by Chris Rowthorn.
We also ordered steak tartare (yukke in Japanese) topped with uni (sea urchin). The creaminess of the uni pushed the umami of the wagyu up to 11.
Wagyu tartare with uni - a little too delicious. Photo by Chris Rowthorn.
There’s an English menu and the service was friendly. The restaurant is only a short walk from Kyoto City Hall and the Kyoto Hotel Okura (my favorite hotel in Kyoto).