In Tokyo, you can rent umbrella at major stations, conbini, malls and some restaurants. The service is called i-kasa and umbrella is available in major stations in central Tokyo.
About i-kasa
i-kasa is umbrella sharing service that you can rent umbrellas from stands in major stations, conbini, malls and some restaurants.
Currently also available in Hokkaido*, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki*, Chiba, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Fukuoka*, Saga*, and Okayama. But stands are fewer in some prefectures. There are 800 i-kasa stands throughout Japan.
Major business that uses i-kasa are: JR East, Odakyu, Seibu, Keikyu, Nishitetsu, SR (Saitama Railway) and Marui Group
*Those areas have dial system, not the QR code system. You cannot rent from one system and return in different system. (ex. You cannot rent by dial system in Fukuoka and return in Osaka.)
Here is how for QR code system:
Download the App
Look for “i-kasa” App in App Store or Googld Play. Register your name and method of payment. Currently, payments by major credit cards （Visa / MasterCard / JCB / Diners Club Card / American Express）or Japanese cashless payments.
Find the stand
Using the app, you will find where the stands are located. In case of large stations, it may be a little difficult to spot the i-kasa station. Usually close to the ticket gate or major exit.
Read QR code
In Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Okayama
- Choose Rent an i-kasa.
- Once you found the stand, you can read QR code of the stand to rent. After reading QR code, bring an umbrella in front of the lock. When it is unlocked, take the umbrella.
In Hokkaido*, Ibaraki*, Fukuoka*, Saga* (dial system)
- Choose Rent an i-kasa.
- Scan QR code on the umbrella you want to rent.
- You will then receive 3 digit number. If you dial those number, it will be unlocked.
Return
You can return umbrella at different stand from the one you borrowed. Using the app, you can find nearest stand.
In Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Okayama
- Choose Return an i-kasa.
- Once you found the stand, you can read QR code of the stand to return. After reading QR code, bring an umbrella in front of the lock. When it is unlocked, return the umbrella back to the stand.
In Hokkaido*, Ibaraki*, Fukuoka*, Saga* (dial system)
- Choose Return an i-kasa.
- Read QR code of the stand to return.
- Return the umbrella back to the stand.
Rental fee
Rental fee is 140 yen for 24 hours and it is capped at 560 yen for the same month (ex. within October or within November). Monthly subscription is 280 yen. So if you know you will be using more than 2 days (48 hours), it is cheaper to do monthly subscription.
Monthly subscription starts from 1st day of the month to the end of the month. Please be careful if you are starting from the end of the month. For example, if you started using on 28th of October, you will be charged monthly subscription (280 yen) again on November 1st. It is a good service if you don’t want to buy and carry umbrella around. For your information, buying umbrella at conbini generally cost around 500 yen -700 yen.
If you lost an umbrella please contact the i-kasa through App. 864 yen is charged to your credit card as lost fee.
Note
You can rent and return as many times as you like within 24 hours. If you first rent an umbrella at 8 AM, you can use it until 8 AM the next day for the same price. This way, you don’t have to carry umbrella with you in train.
Stands are increasing but there may not be stand in your destination. So please check in advance. Even if there is a stand, in case of sudden downpour, all of the umbrella may be rented out.
You will see many stands in central city, such as Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo and Ueno. You will not find them outside of the city as much. Major business that uses i-kasa are: JR East (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki, Chiba), Odakyu line (Tokyo and Kanagawa), Seibu line (Tokyo and Saitama), Keikyu line (Tokyo and Kanagawa), SR (Saitama Railway) Nishitetsu（Fukuoka and Saga）, and Marui Group (Marui Department stores). So major stations in those lines likely to have stands.
When you did monthly subscription, do not forget to cancel subscription when you are leaving Japan. From My Page in the App, go to “change plan” and switch to regular plan.
Comments