Nimoca

Nimoca, stylized as nimoca (ニモカ, Nimoka), is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu) introduced the system on May 18, 2008. Its name is an acronym of "nice money card", while nimo (にも) in Japanese means "also", as the card is usable also on buses, also on trains, also for shopping, and so on. Like other electronic fare collection systems in Japan, the card uses FeliCa, an RFID technology developed by Sony.^[1]

The card features a ferret named Nimoca-chan as the official mascot.

Nimoca can be used across Japan as part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.^[2] Along with all trains in Fukuoka, Nimoca is usable on most local, highway, and express bus lines in Fukuoka and neighboring prefectures, including those operated by Nishitetsu Group, Showa Bus, Oita Bus, Oita Kōtsū, Kamenoi Bus, and Showa Bus. As electronic money, Nimoca can be used in Solaria Plaza, Solaria Stage, Tenjin Core, Nishitetsu Store (along Tenjin-Ōmuta Line), and more.

In 2017, the card was expanded to public transport in Hakodate, Hokkaido.^[3]^[4]

Types of cards

nimoca
Star nimoca (requires registration; can be reissued if lost)
Credit nimoca (requires registration; includes credit card functionality)

All registered cards can also function as commuter passes. Other variants and designs, such as the tsu-tsu-nimoca (issued in Saga), nagasaki nimoca (issued in Nagasaki), ICAS nimoca (issued in Hakodate), and Mejiron nimoca (formerly issued in Ōita), also exist.

Interoperation

On March 13, 2010, nimoca began interoperation with Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau's Hayakaken, JR Kyushu's SUGOCA, and JR East's Suica smart cards.^[5] In 2013, interoperation was extended country-wide, and nimoca became usable in all major cities across Japan as part of the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service.^[2]

Five bus and train operators in Kumamoto will cease to accept the cards by 2026.^[6]

References

^ "About FeliCa Technology". Sony. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Ito, Etsuro (October 2013). "Launch of Nationwide Interoperable Transport System IC Cards" (PDF). East Japan Railway Culture Foundation. Japan Railway & Transport Review. pp. 6–15. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
^ "函館市電・函館バスのICカードも「イカす」 2017年春スタート". レスポンス（Response.jp） (in Japanese). 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
^ "九州の交通系ＩＣニモカ、なぜポツンと函館にキタカのエリア拡大で激戦に？". 北海道新聞 (in Japanese). 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
^ Official news release Archived 2008-02-11 at the Wayback Machine by JR Kyūshū, February 7, 2008. (in Japanese)
^ https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/kumamoto-bus-train-firms-to-drop-national-ic-cards-embrace-new-cashless-payment-methods/ar-BB1nfD9U ^{[bare URL]}

External links

(in Japanese) Official website

[1] "About FeliCa Technology". Sony. Retrieved March 7, 2024.

[mutual-2] Ito, Etsuro (October 2013). "Launch of Nationwide Interoperable Transport System IC Cards" (PDF). East Japan Railway Culture Foundation. Japan Railway & Transport Review. pp. 6–15. Retrieved March 7, 2024.

[3] "函館市電・函館バスのICカードも「イカす」 2017年春スタート". レスポンス（Response.jp） (in Japanese). 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2024-08-19.

[4] "九州の交通系ＩＣニモカ、なぜポツンと函館にキタカのエリア拡大で激戦に？". 北海道新聞 (in Japanese). 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-08-19.

[5] Official news release Archived 2008-02-11 at the Wayback Machine by JR Kyūshū, February 7, 2008. (in Japanese)

[6] ttps://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/kumamoto-bus-train-firms-to-drop-national-ic-cards-embrace-new-cashless-payment-methods/ar-BB1nfD9U ^{[bare URL]}

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v t e Mass transit in Fukuoka–Kitakyushu area
Fukuoka City Subway lines	Kūkō (Airport) Hakozaki Nanakuma
JR Kyushu lines	Chikuhi Chikuhō Main Fukuhoku Yutaka Haruda Wakamatsu Gotōji Hitahikosan Kagoshima Main Karatsu Kashii Nippō Sasaguri
Nishitetsu rail lines	Amagi Dazaifu Kaizuka Tenjin Ōmuta
Other railways and cablecars	Kitakyushu Monorail Amatetsu Amagi Line Chikutetsu Heichiku Ita Line Itoda Line Tagawa Line Mojikō Retro Scenic Line Sarakurayama Cable Car
Terminals	Rail Hakata Kashii Kokura Kurosaki Nakasu-Kawabata Nishitetsu Fukuoka Orio Tenjin Tenjin-Minami Airports Kitakyushu Airport Fukuoka Airport Saga Airport Kokura Airport Ports Kokura Hakata Shimonoseki
Ferry	Domestic Kanmon Straits Ferry Suonada Ferry International Camelia Line Pukwan Ferry Beetle Fast Ferry Kobee Ferry List of ferry operators in Japan
Miscellaneous	Cards Hayakaken nimoca SUGOCA Rail transport in Japan Transport in Fukuoka-Kitakyushu
Japan transit: Tokyo Keihanshin Nagoya Fukuoka Hakone Fuji Izu Hokkaido Aomori Sendai Akita Niigata Toyama Nagano Okayama Hiroshima Shikoku Metro systems Shinkansen trams (list) aerial lifts (list)