EX-IC (Express IC) is a contactless

smart card A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an Embedded system, embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart ...

system that enables ticketless travel on the

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

and Sanyō Shinkansen lines in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The system was introduced by JR Central in March 2008 for use on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and it was expanded to the Sanyō Shinkansen in August 2009. Usage of the EX-IC system requires a seat reservation for either of the aforementioned Shinkansen lines to be purchased in advance; this may be done with a mobile phone or a computer that has an Internet connection. For Shinkansen passengers who intend to transfer to/from a conventional rail line, it is possible to stack the EX-IC card and another contactless card (such as Suica, PASMO, TOICA, or ICOCA) together and have them processed simultaneously by the card readers at the Shinkansen ticket gates.

References

External links

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Official website
{{Japan Railways Group Contactless smart cards Central Japan Railway Company ja:エクスプレス予約#EX-ICサービス