Welcome Suicaが示唆する2020年日本のキャッシュレス

9月1日、JR東日本が「Welcome Suica」を発売開始した。日本を訪れる外国人観光客向けのSuicaで、通常のSuicaで必要な500円の預り金(デポジット)が不要。代わりに、28日の使用期限が定められている。訪日外国人向けサービスのため、今回は日本語でWelcome Suicaの狙いや現状を解説、英語ではWelcome Suicaの使い方や日本旅行の注意点を紹介する(編集部)

Are you planning a trip to Japan? Or you already have plans, and just waiting for it? It sounds great. 'Welcome Suica,' which was just launched on September 1st, will help you travel around the country, and offer the easiest way to buy groceries without any cash. The first thing you should do is to obtain it when arriving in Japan.

Suica is a contactless IC card used for public transportation in Japan, similar to Oyster card used in London. You just touch a reader of a ticket gate at your start station with the card, and then touch again at the destination station. The fare collection system will automatically withdraw an appropriate fare between two stations from its balance in the card. You don't have to think about buying paper tickets. You can also buy bottles of drink, snacks, or other groceries with Suica at convenience stores. Vending machines at stations also accept Suica payment. Suica works with most of public transportation served in all parts of the country (except Okinawa). By purchasing Suica, you can enjoy a smooth and frictionless travel in Japan. Welcome Suica is especially designed for short-stay foreign passengers. It doesn't require any deposit (500 JPY), and expires in 28 days. But the other functions are the exactly same as regular Suica. The following paragraph explains how to buy Welcome Suica in Japanese. If you need English information, just skip it.

You can buy Welcome Suica at six terminal stations of Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Hamamatsucho. Haneda and Narita airport train stations also sell Welcome Suica. Looking for the sign of 'JR EAST Travel Service Center' at each station, you can purchase Welcome Suica with cash or credit cards. There are two kinds of cards for adults and children (under 12). The places where you can buy Welcome Suica are very limited right now. Suica is issued by JR East railway company which is just covering eastern part of Japan, so isn't sold in other regions.

Otherwise you can buy Welcome Suica at its vending machine, which is installed at Haneda and Narita airport train stations. It only accepts cash, but you don't have to wait in line at a travel center. When you buy the card, you have to choose how much money you add to the balance. How much money do you need with Suica for traveling in Japan? Of course, it depends on your plan. But I recommend you between 3000JPY and 5000JPY for 3 or 4-day stay.

After traveling the country, you might need to add additional money to its balance in Welcome Suica. You can find add-value machines at most train stations. Putting or inserting Welcome Suica to the machine, then you choose how much money is added to the balance at the touch panel. They only accept cash, not credit cards. That means you still need some cash when travel around Japan. Small stores and restaurants may decline payments without cash. To avoid inconvenience experience, you should hold enough cash during your travel.

I believe many countries are Seeking a cashless society to achieve their own goals. On the other hand, Japan still relies on cash economy. People trust cash, and prefer to use it. In these days, I travel cities such as London, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Singapore, and others without any cash. Exchanging my money to local currencies is frustrating. I don't want foreign travelers visiting Japan to experience this. Taking time, but you'll enjoy even better experience next time.