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.

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Geneva Airport is unusual: it sits right on the French-Swiss border, and the rental car companies have counters on both sides. Renting from the French side is often significantly cheaper than the Swiss side - but there are caveats that can bite you if you don’t plan for them. Here’s the full walkthrough, from baggage claim to the motorway.

Why the French side is cheaper

It’s cheaper to rent in France than in Switzerland - the same companies, the same airport, but French-side rates are often substantially lower. That price gap is the whole reason to bother with the French sector. Everything else in this post is about making sure the savings don’t evaporate into fines or wrong turns.

A very confusing airport design

Fair warning: Geneva Airport has a very confusing design. We arrived on a connecting flight from Paris, and even with the signage it’s easy to end up on the wrong side. Keep your boarding pass handy - you’ll need it to navigate between sectors.

Finding the French rental counters

Head for the Sortie Secteur France / French Sector Exit signs. There’s a special baggage carousel closer to the French exit, and that belt is very close to the French rental counters - convenient if your bags cooperate.

Two things to know: customs is on the Swiss side, and oversized bags (e.g. skis) arrive on the Swiss belts, so if you’re traveling with ski gear you’ll be collecting on the Swiss side regardless.

The rental car lot

From the French counters it’s a long, dingy, covered walk to the rental car lot - follow the “Location de voitures / Car rental” signs. The lot itself is a bit chaotic, with all the car companies operating in the same space, so give yourself extra time at pickup.

The caveats

Here’s where the savings can unravel. French rentals won’t have Swiss motorway toll stickers - the vignette required to drive on Swiss motorways. And in winter, French-side cars won’t come with winter tires or chains, which are required in the mountains.

So: after exiting the airport, don’t get on the motorway. Either take local roads to the French border, or stop at a gas station to buy a vignette before touching a Swiss motorway. Driving a Swiss motorway without one risks a fine that wipes out everything you saved.

Practical notes

GVA straddles the border: rental counters exist on both the French and Swiss sides; French prices are often cheaper.
Navigating the airport: follow “Secteur France / French Sector Exit” signs, keep your boarding pass handy, and note that customs and oversized baggage (e.g. skis) are on the Swiss side.
The French-side car: no Swiss motorway vignette, and in winter no snow tires or chains.
After pickup: don’t get on the motorway - take local roads to the French border, or buy a vignette at a gas station first.
Bottom line: real savings on the French side, as long as you handle the vignette before driving Swiss motorways.

Travel Tips on Visit Karma

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

Why we skipped the JR Pass

Suica on iPhone: easiest if you have an iPhone

Kids need a physical card: children’s ICOCA

Shinkansen: get the SmartEX app

Tokyo local transit: don’t default to JR

Wrapping up

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Why the French side is cheaper

A very confusing airport design

Finding the French rental counters

The rental car lot

The caveats

Practical notes