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 […]
Help Desk
Apple Pay Suica Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting checklistBefore you begin, check the following: (1) make sure iPhone has a robust network connection, public wifi spots often cause connectivity problems (2) Location Services are turned on for […]
Mobile Transit
Mobile TOICA and Mobile SUGOCA coming in 2026 and 2027
JR West, JR Central and JR Kyushu made the a joint announcement today (2025-03-07) that JR West Mobile ICOCA system would host Mobile TOICA in 2026, and Mobile SUGOCA in […]
Mobile Transit
Welcome Suica Mobile: mobile ticketing for the inbound Reddit crowd
JR East released a mobile version of their somewhat perplexing Welcome Suica card for foreign visitors: Welcome Suica Mobile app for iPhone. But here’s the thing, Welcome Suica app is […]
Mobile Payments
Apple Pay drops the FeliCa requirement for Japanese issue payment cards
Spring is always the time for new product announcements in Japan which starts in March. Today, 2025-03-03 marks the day that Apple dropped the FeliCa requirement for payment cards resulting […]
Mobile Payments
Chinese money laundering with Mobile Suica
After the deluge of phishing attacks coming out of China targeting Mobile Suica users and other JR East online services starting in late 2021, Japanese police made an arrest that […]