Tickets Tickets are available at ticket machines outside the ticket gates of any station. Ø To buy a ticket for the Hokushin Kyūkō, select the 北進急行 button and more fares will become available. In addition to purchasing tickets from the ticket machines, you can also buy an ICOCA card, which can be used on all the train lines and buses in Kobe. It can also be used in some shops in lieu of cash. You can purchase the card at JR Sannomiya Station for ¥2,000. This cost covers ¥1,500 in credit and a ¥500 fee for the card. When you eventually leave Japan, you can hand in the card to a JR stationmaster, who will refund you the ¥500. However, you do not get back any balance on the card. You can re-charge your ICOCA at ticket machines and fare adjustment machines that display the ICOCA symbol. You can only add money in multiples of ¥1,000. Commuter Passes You are required to purchase a commuter pass (定期券 teiki-ken) for the route from your neighborhood to your base school. The KEC will periodically reimburse you for the cost of the pass. Passes can be purchased for 1, 3, and 6 months. You can travel for free between any of the stations on the route that your commuter pass covers, so this can be a valuable resource for traveling around Kobe. Commuter passes can be purchased at a Stationmaster's office. You generally need one pass per train line, but the Hanayama to Sannomiya route (which is technically three lines) is covered under one pass. Fare Adjusting If you travel beyond the route your ticket is valid for, you can simply use the ticket adjustment machine (精算乗り越し) found inside every ticket gate. Insert your ticket, pay the remaining balance, and the machine will give you a new ticket to use when exiting the station. You CANNOT use your ICOCA to pay the remaining balance when you fare adjust, but you can use your commuter pass. Simply insert the pass instead of cash. Fare Adjusting with a Commuter Pass If you used your commuter pass at the start of your journey, but you travel beyond the route covered by the pass, use the fare adjustment machine. Insert your pass and it will prompt you to pay the remaining balance. The machine will give your pass and a new ticket. Use the new ticket to exit the station. If you will be taking a trip that starts outside your commuter pass area, simply buy a regular ticket for the part of the trip not covered by your pass. When you arrive at your destination, insert the ticket in the fare adjustment machine, then insert your pass when it asks you to pay the balance. Discounted Tickets Buying in Bulk from the Ticket Machine You can buy train tickets in bulk to save some money. They are valid for 3 months, and you can take one of the small envelopes next to the ticket machine for storing your tickets. To purchase the tickets, insert your money, select the appropriate button (see table below), then select the amount of the one-way fare. Ticket type Validity Amount Savings Button 普通 futsuu any time 11 for the price of 10 9% 回数券 weekday restricted 時差 jisa 6 for the price of 5 16% 時差回 (10 am-4 pm) 土日 donichi weekends & holidays 7 for the price of 5 28% 土休日回数 Buying from Discount Shops You can also buy individual discounted tickets from a discount shop. They are generally valid for 3 months and can only be used during the specified validity period. There are many different ticket shops, and they will offer different prices. One popular choice is KONAN TICKET (甲南チケット). In order to buy tickets for the subway, you’ll have to use Japanese. All you have to do is say something along the lines of: 三宮から谷上までの[TYPE OF TICKET]チケットを[NUMBER]枚おねがいします。 Sannomiya kara Tanigami made no [TYPE OF TICKET] chiketto o [NUMBER] mai onegai shimasu. Buying tickets for OUTSIDE Kobe (e.g., Osaka, Kyoto, etc.) Many discount shops will have VENDING MACHINE tickets. These vending machines usually have tickets for Sannomiya ~ routes. Mostly, you will find Sannomiya ~ Osaka and Sannomiya ~ Kyoto tickets. You can buy tickets for either JR or Hankyu lines for cheap. (Hanshin probably exists, but is really not worth your time.) These tickets will also follow the same guidelines and ticket types (normal, weekday, weekend) as above. If you are planning on making day or weekend trips, these tickets are HIGHLY recommended. You can easily end up spending ¥800-¥1200 round trip on regular priced tickets for trips to Osaka and Kyoto, but if you buy discount tickets it’ll usually end up only being ¥500-¥600 yen for a round trip. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THESE KANJI ON THE BUTTONS: 往復 oufuku round-trip 片道 katamichi one-way .