Pasmo, Suica or IC

I am somewhat confused. I will be in Tokyo for 5 days, then traveling to several other cities on Honshu (Kyoto, Kanazawa, Nara, Naoshima and Hakone). Which should I use: Pasmo, Suica or IC? And should I get a physical card or download an app to my iPhone?

Pasmo cards are difficult to get these days, but Suica cards are available again at selected JR Travel Service Centers. Not sure what you mean with "IC", but Suica and Pasmo cards are IC cards. If you have the ability to use an IC card on you phone, by all means use it. An Iphone and a working credit card (likely non-Visa) are required.

Everything is also explained here:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html

Thanks. It seems IC is a generic term. As i now understand I can put a Suica and/or a Pasmo app on my iPhone, link it to a Mastercard and I�fm good to go on all public transportation in Tokyo, etc. Thanks for the link. I�fll check it out.

A perfect answer has already been posted, but just to add, Suica and Pasmo are no different today. When they were first introduced, one was for JR trains while the other was for non-JR trains in the Kanto Region, but the system was quickly unified. By the way, there are similar IC cards for every region in Japan (such as the ICOCA for Kansai Region or the SUGOCA for Kyushu Region), but all that is unified now as well. They're all "IC cards" that you can use for public transportation and shopping. The name is just about the only confusing part of it.

Since the last year, due to a shortage of IC chips,
the sales of plastic Suica and PASMO have been restricted.

Uco:
When they were first introduced, one was for JR trains while the other was for non-JR trains in the Kanto Region, but the system was quickly unified.

PASMO (provided since 2007), from the beginning,
has been compatible with Suica (2001).
https://www.pasmo.co.jp/corporate/history/

As i now understand I can put a Suica and/or a Pasmo app on my iPhone

That's the way for Android phones.

For your iPhone,
you first get a plastic Suica card,
the add that card to Apple Pay.

(You may not happen to encounter this,
but during the two hours before dawn (from 2 to 4 a.m.),
Suica on your smartphone cannot be charged with money, in any way.)

I�fm good to go on all public transportation in Tokyo, etc.

In Kanazawa, for buses, Suica | PASMO can used on specific routes, not all.
Check the explanation by Japan Guide.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4208.html#section_orientation

Enjoy your trips!

the add that card to Apple Pay.
-->>
then add that card to Apple Pay.

You can add a Suica card to Apple Pay without having a physical card. Click the "+" icon in Apple Wallet, select "Transit Card" and then scroll to find Suica. You can transfer a physical card to your Apple Wallet using this method, but also generate a new card.

Thanks to all. That is correct I just downloaded a Suica card to my Apple wallet