Ghost stories are a summertime tradition in Japan, especially ‘ghost pictures’. Everybody knows they’re fake but they still hold a lurid fascinating appeal to the human imagination. When done right, […]
Mobile Payments
The offline contactless catch
Aeon and NHK had an interesting tussle recently over an NHK report of credit card fraud. Japanese news media reported yet another cigarette fraud purchase scandal similar to the recent […]
Mobile Transit
Will OMNY be the first plastic + digital EMV closed loop transit card?
People have short memories. It’s easy to forget that MTA ‘Tap and Go’ transit for EMV contactless plastic and digital cards has been up and running since May 2019. Open […]
Help Desk
JRE POINT Beginners Guide
A guide to setup and use JRE POINT for Apple Pay Suica and JR East View Card
Japan Journal - Japanese Buddhism
Frying Pan Kuyō
Kuyō is not a word, it’s a culture and can only be understood that way. Westerners don’t understand what it really is. Never one specific thing or action, it’s so […]
Digital ID
The middle name My Number ID curse
I got a My Number Card in 2019 in preparation for the October launch of the Cashless Rebate program. In retrospect it’s unfortunate that the Japanese government program did run […]