JR East has spent a wad of money to promote Suica Apple Pay in select Tokyo area JR stations. If you live in Tokyo go to Akihabara JR station through the central entrance (across the street from Yodobashi Camera, I think).
You will be greeted by a huge Suica Apple Pay poster leading towards the Yamanote line escalator. Ride the escalator and you will be treated to some marvelous Suica Apple Pay launch campaign signage. The handrails, the walls are all Suica Apple Pay green. Here is a video clip.
The catchphrase is “sui-sui”, the Japanese equivalent of easy-peasy, a play on the similar sounding Suica: loading Suica into Apple Pay is ‘sui-sui’, purchases with Suica Apple Pay is ‘sui-sui’, and so on.
Photos and videos do not accurately capture the Suica green. It seems to be slightly different from the Yamanote green, eye catching but not gaudy. A strangly envigorating, yet relaxing green, almost like fresh spring foliage.
I wonder, did JR East have those Suica Apple Pay escalator hand belts made special? Are they decals, who makes them and how are they applied? What will they do with it all when the marketing campaign is over? So many questions…
Update: I finally remembered why the Suica green seemed so familiar: it is the color of fresh green tea leaves in the spring before the first harvest. I used to live in Shizuoka and helped pick tea at a tea farm of a good friend. At the time I worked at a local printing company and the color correction we had to do for local tea shop posters advertising “first harvest tea” was a nightmare. It had to be exactly the color of Suica green.
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