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Inuyama, Nagoya — where to start?

Today's weather in Inuyama
Tue Oct 27, 16:09 Japan now
24° Average temperature
Average October high
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From the airport to Inuyama
1Train Chubu Centrair → Nagoya Sta. About 28 min
Meitetsu μSKY limited express
2Train Nagoya Sta. → Inuyama Sta. About 30 min
Meitetsu Inuyama Line
Change at Nagoya Sta. · about 68 min total
Transit cards
manaca · TOICANagoya (subway & Meitetsu / JR Central)
Ticket machines at Centrair and Nagoya stations (manaca for subway and Meitetsu, TOICA for JR)
More on transit cards ↓
Getting around Inuyama

On footInuyama Sta., the castle town and the castle are all walkable

BusBus to Meiji-mura from Inuyama Sta. east exit

Nearby station map ↗
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Transport

How to get from the airport to town, and around the city

Nagoya名古屋
Chubu Centrair → Nagoya Sta.About 30 minMeitetsu μSKY limited express
Nagoya Sta. → Takayama Sta.About 2 h 20 minJR Hida limited express
Takayama → Shirakawa-goAbout 50 minNohi Bus
Inuyama · Nagoya Sta. → Inuyama Sta.About 30 minMeitetsu Inuyama Line
Takayama · Nagoya Sta. → Takayama Sta.About 2 h 20 minJR Hida limited express
Shirakawa-go · Takayama → Shirakawa-goAbout 50 minNohi Bus (booking recommended)
Transit cards manaca · TOICACentral Nagoya runs on the Higashiyama and Meijo subway lines. If you ride several times a day, compare the subway and bus one-day passes.

Transit card guide

Names differ by region, but apart from Okinawa's OKICA and Shikoku's local cards they're all interchangeable. One card works on subways, buses and in convenience stores nationwide.

manaca · TOICA
Nagoya (subway & Meitetsu / JR Central)

manaca · TOICA

  • Ticket machines at Centrair and Nagoya stations (manaca for subway and Meitetsu, TOICA for JR)

Other regions' cards such as Suica and ICOCA work here too.

Suica
Tokyo · Greater Tokyo (JR East)

Suica

  • JR East station ticket machines (unregistered cards back on sale since March 2025; includes a ¥500 deposit)
  • 'Welcome Suica' for visitors: sold at Narita and Haneda airports and elsewhere. No deposit; valid for 28 days after purchase
  • You can create one instantly in the iPhone Wallet app, and there's also a 'Welcome Suica Mobile' app (iOS) for visitors

Works on Tokyo's JR, subways, private railways and buses, and even at convenience stores.

Photo: Welcome Suica card photo · Ravi Dwivedi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original ↗
PASMO
Tokyo · Greater Tokyo (subways and private railways)

PASMO

  • Ticket machines at Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway and private railway stations (unregistered cards back on sale since March 2025)
  • The 'PASMO PASSPORT' for visitors is no longer sold

Works just like Suica. You only need one of the two.

Photo: PASMO card image · Public domain · Original ↗
ICOCA
Osaka · Kyoto · Kobe · Nara (JR West)

ICOCA

  • JR ticket machines and counters at Kansai Airport Sta., and JR West station machines (includes a ¥500 deposit)
  • You can also create one in the iPhone Wallet app

Also works on the Osaka subway, Hankyu, Hanshin, Kintetsu, Nankai and Kyoto city buses.

Photo: ICOCA logo · Public domain · Original ↗
Hayakaken · SUGOCA · nimoca
Fukuoka · Kyushu

Hayakaken · SUGOCA · nimoca

  • Hayakaken: Fukuoka subway station ticket machines (including Airport Sta.)
  • SUGOCA: JR Kyushu station ticket machines (Hakata Sta., etc.)
  • nimoca: Nishitetsu train stations and bus offices (the line to Dazaifu)

All three are interchangeable. Hayakaken is easiest to buy right at the airport.

Photo: Hayakaken logo · Public domain · Original ↗
Kitaca
Hokkaido (JR Hokkaido)

Kitaca

  • JR Hokkaido station ticket machines such as New Chitose Airport and Sapporo (includes a ¥500 deposit)

Nationwide transit IC cards also work on Sapporo's subway and streetcar. For Hakodate and Asahikawa city buses, check whether cards are accepted.

Photo: Kitaca logo · Public domain · Original ↗
OKICA
Okinawa

OKICA

  • Yui Rail station ticket machines and offices of Okinawa's main bus companies

Suica and other nationwide IC cards work on the Yui Rail. Route buses mainly use OKICA, so check in advance whether nationwide cards are accepted.

IruCa · ICい～カード
Shikoku (Kotoden in Takamatsu / Iyotetsu in Matsuyama)

IruCa · ICい～カード

  • Kotoden and Iyotetsu station counters

These are local-only cards, and Suica-type cards mostly don't work on these lines. Visitors are better off with cash or a day pass.

Top-up & balance

You can top up with cash at station machines and convenience-store registers. Most allow up to ¥20,000 per top-up.

Getting your balance back

The deposit and balance can be refunded at the issuing company's counter, possibly with a fee. With an iPhone Wallet card, you can just keep the balance for your next trip.

Some places don't accept them

They can't be used on some rural buses and lines, or to buy shinkansen reserved seats. Buy separate tickets for long-distance trains.

One transit card works nationwide

Major transit IC cards like Suica, PASMO and ICOCA are interchangeable. You can also create a Suica in the iPhone Wallet app.

Do the math on a JR Pass

If you're staying in only one or two cities, a regional pass or IC card is often cheaper than the nationwide JR Pass.

Check last-train times

Most subways stop around midnight. If you'll be out late, check the last train near your lodging in advance.