Japan Transit Tips: Skip the JR Pass — iPhone, SmartEX and Suica Instead

Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We spent 8 days recently in Kyoto — plus Tokyo — without the JR Pass. At ¥50,000 for a 7-day standard pass, the math just doesn’t work for most short-term tourists anymore. Here’s the exact system we used instead: Suica on the iPhone for all local transit, the SmartEX app for bullet trains, and a physical ICOCA card for our child.

Why we skipped the JR Pass

The JR Pass used to be the default answer for Japan trip planning, but the price hike changed everything. For most short-term tourists doing the classic Kyoto–Tokyo route, buying individual tickets as you go now comes out cheaper than the pass. We ran the numbers for our 8 days and didn’t come close to justifying ¥50,000 per adult — so we skipped it entirely and booked everything ourselves.

Suica on iPhone: easiest if you have an iPhone

The single biggest simplification: put your transit card in Apple Wallet before you even land. On iPhone, go to Wallet → Add → Transit Card → Japan, and you’ll see the three main IC cards: Suica, ICOCA, and PASMO. Any of the three should work fine for trains, subways, buses, and even convenience store purchases across Japan — they’re interchangeable for a tourist.

We picked Suica. Setup takes a couple of minutes, and topping up is painless — no problem topping up with a Visa credit card, which hasn’t always been the case with foreign cards in Japan.

Kids need a physical card: children’s ICOCA

One exception to the all-digital setup: children can’t use a phone-based IC card for child fares. We picked up a physical ICOCA for the child in our family — children’s ICOCA cards ride at half price, but you must buy them in person and present the child’s passport. Look for JR-WEST ICOCA service areas, Midori-no-madoguchi ticket offices, or Green ticket vending machines with operator support.

Shinkansen: get the SmartEX app

For bullet trains, get the SmartEX app — it’s how you buy Shinkansen tickets on your iPhone, pick exact trains, and reserve seats. This is the piece that replaces the “just hop on with the pass” convenience, and honestly the reserved-seat experience is better.

Two things to know. First, if you’re traveling with oversized baggage, you must pick reserved seats — and specifically seats with the oversized baggage area. Baggage goes behind your seat in the last row (look for the rows marked with the oversized baggage compartment, e.g. 16A–16E or 18A–18C depending on the train).

Second, link it all together: in SmartEX you can designate an IC card number to your ticket, so your Suica becomes the ticket for boarding — tap in with the phone, no paper ticket needed.

Tokyo local transit: don’t default to JR

Within Tokyo, the JR Pass mindset (“take JR for everything”) will send you on slower routes. Example: getting from Tokyo Station to Shinjuku, the Marunouchi subway line is quickest — not JR. Check the actual fastest route rather than filtering for JR lines, now that you’re paying per ride anyway.

Wrapping up

That’s the whole system: skip the ¥50,000 JR Pass, put Suica in your iPhone’s wallet for all local transit, use SmartEX for the Shinkansen (reserving seats with oversized baggage space when you need it), and grab a physical children’s ICOCA with the kid’s passport for half-price child fares. It covered 8 days across Kyoto and Tokyo with zero friction.

Suiran Kyoto Arashiyama Review — Marriott Luxury Collection Onsen Ryokan Stay

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Visited April 2025 • Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

You can watch our full hotel tour and experience here:

Overview

On our spring trip to Kyoto, we stayed at Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel — Marriott’s traditional Japanese-style property in the Arashiyama district, on the western side of the city.

We arrived on the Haruka Express from Kansai Airport (KIX) — about a 40-minute journey to this green corner of Kyoto. Suiran is a very intimate hotel built in traditional Japanese architecture, and it felt like a world apart from the city’s busier districts.

📍 Arrival & Check-In — ★★★★★

The hotel’s traditional wooden gate sets the tone from the moment you arrive.

You pass by the cafe and wind through the gardens to reach reception — the walk itself is part of the experience, with manicured greenery and quiet paths everywhere. Check-in and check-out felt personalized rather than transactional.

🏨 Room 101 — Kyotsukikoto Japanese-Style Guest Room — ★★★★★

We stayed in Room 101, the Kyotsukikoto Japanese-style guest room — notably the only room in the hotel that can accommodate up to 6 guests, which makes it a strong pick for families or groups.

The room centers on a large tatami space with a large, low dining table that serves as the daytime living area.

In true ryokan fashion, the futons come out in the evening — you pick a daily time for them to make the beds, and the staff convert the room while you’re out.

The coffee/tea mini-bar was well stocked, with proper Japanese tea sets.

♨️ In-Room Hot Spring Bath — ★★★★★

The standout feature of this room: it is one of the few rooms in the hotel with an in-room partially-open hot spring bath.

Having a private onsen right in the room — with a window that opens to the outside air — is the kind of luxury that’s genuinely hard to find. This alone justifies the room choice.

🚿 Bathroom — ★★★★☆

The bathroom was well stocked with luxurious extras.

Everything from the marble vanity to the Suiran-branded amenities felt thoughtfully done.

🥂 Cafe — Complimentary Champagne Hour — ★★★★☆

From 5–7 PM, the cafe serves complimentary champagne — a lovely pre-dinner ritual.

It comes with fancy canapes, so the hour feels properly indulgent rather than like an afterthought.

🍳 Breakfast — ★★★★☆

Breakfast arrives with an appetizer and juice spread — fresh juices, fruit, and small Japanese dishes.

We picked the Western-style breakfast, which was complimentary for Platinums — a nice Marriott status perk.

The pancakes and waffles were excellent — and somewhat surprisingly, we weren’t charged for the 3rd person onwards.

There’s also an à la carte menu if the set options don’t appeal — the avocado toast looked great.

🌙 Location & Atmosphere — ★★★★★

The setting is extremely quiet and peaceful — at night, the garden and moonlit trees make the hotel feel completely secluded.

For getting around Arashiyama, the location is hard to beat:

Togetsu Bridge and the river are right nearby
A short hike through the park leads to the famous bamboo grove — get there early, by 8 AM, to avoid the crowds

Tenryu-ji Temple is a 5-minute walk away

⚖️ Final Verdict

Suiran is a rare combination: a genuine traditional Japanese ryokan experience with the polish and perks of the Marriott Luxury Collection.

Ratings:

Location: 5★
Room: 5★
In-Room Onsen: 5★
Breakfast: 4★
Cafe / Champagne Hour: 4★
Atmosphere: 5★

Bottom Line

We would absolutely stay here again.

If you’re visiting Kyoto and want Arashiyama’s temples, bamboo groves, and river scenery wrapped in a serene, traditional stay — with a private hot spring bath in your room — Suiran is very hard to beat.

🎥 Video Review

If you’d like to see the room, the onsen, and the Arashiyama surroundings visually, check out our full walkthrough on YouTube (linked above).

For more luxury travel reviews, follow along on our journey.

Kyoto on Visit Karma