"Train Station Certificate"

A train station certificate, which is called 乗車駅証明書 (josha eki shoumei sho) in Japanese, has been increasingly common on JR network not just in rural areas but also in the Greater Tokyo Area. What and why is it?

Generally speaking, all passengers have to purchase a fare ticket in advance, but the train station certificate is one of a few alternative options. As the name suggests, the certificate proves which station a passenger started his or her journey, and it is issued free of charge. The passenger has to pay the fare at a station by the end of the journey, mostly by cash. It is also possible to pay the fare onboard when ticket inspection is carried out by a conductor, but it is rare in these days.

This orange box, which is often next to a ticket machine, issues the certificate. This system is similar to a "permit to travel" in Britain that allows passengers to travel when they have not purchased a ticket, but at least five pence are required to have one. On the other hand, the orange machine above does not charge passengers even a single yen.

The train station certificate system was initially introduced to unstaffed stations with few passengers. JR East has also been using the machine at stations in Tokyo and other major cities since the late-2010s to manage their work with fewer staff, including Sakuragicho, a station next to Yokohama and has more than 130,000 tap-in and out every day. Such stations are served by ordinary ticket machines, ticket barriers and staff for most of the day, but unstaffed in the early morning and late at night. In that case, the orange machine is activated.

Perhaps the most radical case is Tsurumi line. All stations (except Tsurumi) have been all unstaffed since 1971 and all ticket machines thereof were removed in 2022. Hence, those who do not have a Suica or PASMO card or those who do but with credit of less than 150 yen (the minimum fare) have to use the certificate.

Japanese railway companies use another system similar to the train station certificate: a numbered ticket, which is called 整理券 (seiri ken) in Japanese. There is always a machine on a train next to a door, and passengers have to take the numbered ticket when boarding. It is effectively not different to the certificate.

JR East has been encouraging passengers to use Suica/PASMO, but the IC cards have been restricted since last June due to the global chip shortage. Hence, some people have no choice but to rely on the train station certificate though many of those in Tokyo are not familiar with the system. Most foreign travellers would not use it as they have either Japan Rail Pass or Welcome Suica, but it might still be worth checking the machine just in case.