RFID-enabled shopping and traveling in Japan

The ubiquitous emerging application of mobile Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology aims to enhance convenience, effective and efficient life in busy Japanese environment

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is an emerging technology that has started to change the life of the Japanese information society, particularly through mobile payment.

Through the use of Suica, ICOCA and FeliCa, people are now able to pay easier than using cash.

Suica is the abbreviation for Super Urban Intelligent Card. Informally, it is also known as “Suisui ikeru IC card”, which means “IC card that lets you move swiftly”. First issued in November 2001, the cards are currently used in Tokyo and Sendai areas.

While, ICOCA, the IC Operating CArds, is another traveling card issued by West Japan Railway Company. It has been in use since November 2003 in the Kinki Region. In the Kansai dialect, “ikoka” means “Shall we go?”.

Similar to Helsinki Travel Card, Suica and ICOCA can be found about the size of a credit card. Inside the card, a thin integrated circuit that has capabilities to store different kinds of information is embedded. The cards can be used either as a solely prepaid fare card or as double card - commuter pass and prepaid fare card. Since August 2004, the interoperability of the Suica and ICOCA cards have been higher. Their usages were no longer limited to only certain areas defined in the beginning. In the near future, it is expected that anyone in Japan can travel only with one card. It has been claimed during the same year that there were more than 9 million people in Japan using Suica.

In addition to train card, the Suica card also offers possibilities for the users to do shopping as well. Touching your Suica card against Suica reader in kiosks, convenience store, cafes and restaurants enables users to pay for their shoppings, drinks and meal. There are more and more places in Japan, not limited to the ones inside the train stations, where you can go around and pay easily the bills without having to take out your wallet.

One travel and shopping card at the same time is the only beginning toward the efforts of creating convenience, effective and efficient life in busy Japanese environment. Mobile FeliCa, which are known as Osaifu Keitai, the mobile phone digital wallet system, has the answers. Developed by NTT DoCoMo in summer 2004 in Japan, each FeliCa mobile phone users nowadays can do online payment, e-ticketing, identification and normal shopping with a single FeliCa mobile phone. Since January 2006, FeliCa was introduced as the commuter tickets, Mobile Suica, for Japan Rail East customer.

Currently, there are more than 8 million users in Japan using the FeliCa Digital Wallet. Moving around with a single FeliCa phone in Japan makes your life easier.