Welcome back to the Top 10 IC Cards! This time we’re covering the remaining top 5 IC Cards! If you haven’t read through the first half, you can do so here.
As a reminder, here is how the scoring system works:
Each IC Card will be evaluated based on the following categories. Each of category can be scored up to 5 points, for a total of 15 points.
- Appearance
- Obtainability
- Bonus
Now then, let’s get back into finding out which of the remaining 5 IC Cards is the one to stand above the rest!
5th place- Kitaca
Appearance – 5/5
One glance at this card and immediately there are 2 thoughts that begin bubbling in my head. First, wow, that is a SUPER cute flying squirrel mascot. Second, the bottom of the gray background is very unique! The edges of the background form treetops that the flying squirrel glides on top of. It is very detailed and gives the card a lot of substance.
Obtainability – 1/5
Kitaca is distributed by JR Hokkaido, and the Hokkaido region is a bit of a wee ways away from Tokyo since it’s up in the northern end of Japan. Although a trip to Hokkaido is only about 4.5 hours, you still have to take the local trains for about 3 hours to head near Sapporo which is where Kitaca is actually used. That’s a total of 7.5 hours! Oof.
Bonus – 5/5
Out of all the IC Cards, Kitaca is one of the only two cards that has additional visual elements on the card that synergizes with their mascot. A flying squirrel above the treetops. Now that is brilliant and it adds in so much detail to the card art!
Total – 11/15
All the other regions have at least 2 IC Cards unique to them (Kansai technically has 2 IC Cards if we include PiTaPa), but Kitaca is the only card from Hokkaido! In a way, it’s sort of rare!
4th place – Sugoca
Appearance – 5/5
Sugoca has not one little friend on the card, but rather TWO little friends! If you look closely enough, you can see that the two lil fellas are looking at each other! What a wonderous display of companionship between the frog and the little clock! I am in such awe that I cannot even take time to review the rest of the card’s appearance because it is already a 5/5.
Obtainability – 2/5
Unfortunately for us tourists, this card requires going on a bit of a trip to obtain. Sugoca is distributed by JR Kyushu, which means you’ll have to travel to the far west ends of Japan to find it. That’s about a 5-6 hour trip! At least it’s from JR, so that means you can get it from anywhere in the JR Kyushu coverage area!
Bonus – 4.5
Sugoca gains 3 bonus points for being one of the two IC Card to have two mascots on it. Where does the remaining 1.5 come from?
The card’s mascots were designed by the same person who designed PaRappa in the rhythm game series, PaRappa the Rapper! Does that have anything of importance to most people? No! But I’m the one calling the shots here.
Total – 11.5/15
As a card with two funky little companions on it, this card is definitely worth collecting when you venture out to the Kyushu region!
3rd place – Icoca
Appearance – 5/5
Look at that platypus. I am in awe. The yellow beak of the platypus contrasts very well with the blue background. The blue forms a nice rotated hexagon shape that leaves two grey corners. The font has soft rounded corners that match nicely with the roundness of the platypus’s head. This is an absolute masterpiece.
Obtainability – 3/5
Icoca is issued by JR West, which means it’s available in the Kansai Region. This means you can get an Icoca card from Osaka, Kyoto, and any other city that is part of the JR West network. Osaka is about 2.5-3 hours away from Tokyo by Shinkansen, so it’s not too far of a trek.
Bonus – 5/5
Did you notice how the platypus has no eyes? Did you notice how the letter ‘A’ in Icoca has eyes? If you move the eyes from the ‘A’ to the platypus, then you will see that…
The platypus actually had eyes all along! What a shocking revelation! I am truly in awe of this majestic beast. Also, I just really like Osaka and Icoca in general, but I didn’t let that affect the scoring at all!
Total – 13/15
Icoca is definitely not my favourite IC card and I am definitely not biased in anyway. Anyways, don’t mind me! Make sure you grab yourself an Icoca when you go around Osaka! Or Kyoto! Or anywhere in the Kansai region for that matter! Just get it!
2nd place – Manaca
Appearance – 5/5
The card does have a mascot, but it’s not an animal mascot. Is it just as great as an animal mascot? Absolutely. The mascot is just one big yellow smiley face. One thing that’s interesting is that the smiley face isn’t perfectly round. The edges are slightly jagged, which gives it a more hand-drawn feel to it. It contrasts from the smooth edges of the font, and the font itself is nice as gives a more modern, creative touch to it.
Obtainability – 3.5/5
Manaca is issued by Nagoya Subway, so this makes it a bit more difficult to obtain since it’s only available in Nagoya. But that’s not too far away from Tokyo as its only a 1.5-2 hour trip by Shinkansen. This would be the most accessible IC Card outside of the Tokyo IC Cards if it weren’t overshadowed by Toica.
Bonus – 5/5
The points that Manaca has earned in the bonus section can be attributed to the uniqueness of the mascot. All of the other IC Cards either have no mascot or have an animal mascot, but Manaca decided to walk the path less travelled. Also, just look at how big and round their mascot is! I would want a hug from it!
Total – 13.5/15
1st place – Toica
Appearance – 5/5
A card that rivals the twin mascots of Sugoca, Toica. While Sugoca brings the heat with both a frog and a clock, Toica rides the waves with 2 chicks! Not to mention, the accent colour takes the shape of ocean waves instead of a basic shape! Toica also emphasizes the card art as the Toica name is tucked away in the bottom right corner.
Obtainability – 4/5
Distributed by JR Central, this is the most easily obtainable IC Card other than Pasmo and Suica! JR Central serves the vast area surrounding Nagoya, which as I mentioned before is only 1.5-2 hours away from Tokyo!
Bonus – 5/5
As much as I love Icoca, I have to admit that this card is really the cutest card out of all the IC Cards that I’ve reviewed. The shape of the waves and the vibrant little chicks! It’s so so so so cute, potentially even cuter than the Icoca Platypus…
Total – 14/15
With a whopping near perfect score, Toica is the best IC Card. It looks amazing and it is not too difficult to obtain! As you journey through Japan, you’ll be accompanied by two little buddies, and it’s not that difficult to find them either! Also Nagoya has really good food (like their misokatsu), so it’s not like you’d be venturing out just for a card either!
If you’re an aspiring IC Card collector and you found this 2-post series to be informational, then great! And if this didn’t provide any knowledge or value, or maybe you’re not interested in IC Cards, then fine. Stick with your Suica or Pasmo. See if I care.
I, for one, found this post to be quite insightful, and you can bet that next time I’m in Japan, I’ll be going collecting as many of these IC Cards as I can.
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