One thing I really appreciate about Suica is the low latency. You can tap while walking quickly and not have to slow down to get through the ticket gate. Compared with e.g. London, where you have to almost stop because the gates take so long to open, it really makes it easy for a trainload of people to get out of a station.<p>The name is also a bad pun; Sui-sui is onomatopoeia for smooth movement (like fish swimming), so it’s the card for moving smoothly. Also, suica means watermelon so the card is green.
Why is Japanese software so bad? Chip shortage or not using the card purchase UI at train stations is confusing, even in English.<p>As a US software engineer, I can not figure out how a country that can make great hardware (e.g. high-speed trains), has a beautifully minimalist design aesthetic (e.g. wabi-sabi), and lots of talented artists and engineers can produce such crappy user interfaces. Or for that matter, beyond a few games is irrelevant in the world software markets. Does anyone have an idea?
Most sales of Suica were suspended this year, supposedly due to the chip shortage. That was still the case 2 months ago.<p>It doesn't expire, I think everyone in Japan already had one.<p><a href="https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/sale-of-pasmo-and-suica-cards-suspended-except-those-for-tourists-080223" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/sale-of-pasmo-and-suica-c...</a><p>And there was a HN post about a relevant tweet before that.
Current status of IC cards as of today:<p>Suica sales are back as of a week ago. They are available in JR East Travel Service Centers all around Tokyo, even if there is a sign saying they are not. You will have to ask the folks at the counter. Technically there is a restriction of one card per person, however if you are nice and ask them for more and say it's for friends they'll sell you more. Get one now, because they might be limited again soon.<p>Pasmo card sales are also back as well, however it is very rare . These can be obtained from kiosks. You can find some of them in stations in non-central Tokyo or Yokohama. It's a hit or miss, and often they'll sell out of them from the kiosk in a day or two. Have found them in random stations in the burbs. I haven't seen them at large stations in central Tokyo. Less cool than Suicas.<p>Toica card sales are still there, and you can get them from Tokyo Station Yaesu North. They're not as cool though, and you might encounter a weird situation where it might not work. Also they look ugly. Might as well hit up a JR East Travel Service Center.<p>Icocas are still available freely in the Kansai area. Great if you're flying there first. Just as cool as Suicas in my opinion, and cooler than Pasmos for sure.<p>Welcome Suicas are sometimes available at the airports. Sometimes they aren't. It really depends on the day (have checked multiple days). As of a week or so ago, they've become less available at the airports. I think that the whole supply chain is a bit weird at the moment, and they cannot keep up with demand. They also suck if you plan to come back.<p>Pasmo Passports seem to be relatively available at major stations. It kinda sucks though because you have to have your actual passport to buy one and they look really cheesy and uncool. Do not recommend. Hit up a JR East Travel Service Center instead.<p>Mobile IC cards as of today:<p>Apple: (latest update 17.2) Non-JP foreign visas are working as of now. There was a previous bug/intentional feature that blocked some non-JP foreign visas that is now gone with the newest IOS update. All the large card processors are working for foreign cards, but have only personally verified visa & amex. You can use any iPhone sold from any country. If it's not working, it's because of your credit card issuer claiming fraud detection and you will have to call them. Unfortunately, some CC's will trigger the fraud detection on every transaction trying to charge your card, especially if you're charging from the US. The fraud detection teams explained it as it seems suspicious since it's through apple pay for a foreign service, and some cc companies were unable to even whitelist the transaction due to it being through Apple Pay. You just have to call them/have them call you. Be careful trying to load if you don't have cell service though because they might disable your CC until you call.<p>Android: If you are going and do not have an Android with NFC-F ENABLED (not just present physically as the hardware may be built in, but ENABLED) you will be unable to use it. This causes a lot of confusion given that there are Google Pixel Pasmo ads all over the stations. Unfortunately, most android phones not sold in JP or other countries that use NFC-F will not be able to be used as a tap device for transit. Basically: did you buy your Android phone in JP? If not, don't count on it working.<p>Things are changing daily so might be out of date in a week or two.
Don’t worry! Visa and MasterCard have lobbied the hapless fools who inherited this wonderfully efficient and effective system, and the trains of Japan will soon switch over to join the global payment oligarchy.<p>Japan is about half a generation away from mass-scale mediocrity.