Train Tickets

The train is one of the most convenient transportation in Japan, being very easy to use and also very punctual. A timetable is published at the station and on the Internet, allowing me to run and enter the train at the last minute a few times already (not a good habit though...). Anyway, today, I will write about the different type of train tickets available.
Normal Ticket
A normal ticket is a ticket you can buy at a ticket machine at the station you're departing from. For casual travel, this will be the most common type of ticket used. The ticket is valid for one trip departing from that station (i.e. you cannot buy 2 and use the other one for the return trip, despite the price being the same.)

The ticket will contain the name of the originating station and the price of the distance you are allowed to travel. If you travel further than the allowed distance on the ticket, you can use the fare adjustment machine at the destination to pay the difference. Upon use, a hole will be punched in the ticket.

A normal ticket for the Rinkai line departing from Tokyo Teleport station valid for 200 yens.

A fare adjustment machine

IC Cards
An IC card is technically not a train ticket, but a stored value card. However, you can use it to pay for the train by tapping it at the gate of the originating station and at the exit gate of the destination. The correct fare will automatically be deducted from your card.

There are many companies providing IC cards and different area of Japan uses different cards. In the Tokyo area, there are 2 provider of cards — Suica and PASMO. You can use both at both the JR trains and the subways. The main difference is that you need Suica card to get a JR commuter pass and a PASMO card to get a subway commuter pass.

An advertisement for Suica

Unlimited Rides Ticket
An unlimited rides ticket is a type of discount ticket only available in some area and allows unlimited travel in an area within an amount of time. For example, the Tokunai pass by JR allows unlimited travel within the 23 wards of Tokyo on JR trains for 1 day. Similar tickets are also available from subway companies. Example of other unlimited ride tickets include the Japan Rail Pass and the Seishun 18 pass.

A "Tokunai" ticket

Multiple-trip tickets / ticket book (kaisuken)
This is a type of ticket for people who often take the same route. Available from the ticketing machine at the station, you can buy 11 tickets for the price of 10 valid for 3 months. "Off-peak" and "Holiday" tickets are also available which gives you 12 and 14 tickets respectively. If you live in Tsukuba, a vending machine at Dayz Town also resell these tickets individually at a slight mark-up.

A holiday ticket between Tsukuba and Akihabara

The menu for buying a multiple-trip ticket

Commuter Pass (teikiken)
This is the type of ticket people use for going to work or going to school. For a fixed price per month (you can get additional discount for buying 3 or 6 months), you can get unlimited rides between 2 specific stations on a specific route. To get a commuter pass, you must contact the ticketing office. For convenience, a commuter pass can also be written onto an IC card. A commuter pass also allows you to get on or off at any stations between those 2 stations. If you travel beyond the route allowed by your commuter pass, you can use the fare adjustment machine at the destination to pay only for the part that is not covered by your computer pass, or if you use an IC card, the appropriate fare will automatically be deducted.