yurayurateikokuさんの おぼえた日記 - 2019年8月17日(土)

Toward a cashless society (5)

They were surprised to find that even on trams and buses, you can’t use cash, let alone shops and restaurants. Sweden has been able to do that because of mobile platforms that make it simple and easy to make digital payments.
Shota, I’m surprised to hear that Japan is lagging behind in making the transition to a cashless society. I thought that Japan was always ahead of the curve when it came to technological innovation.
Well, yes and no, Chuck. In some respects, Japan is very high-tech, but it can also be very conservative and set in its ways. Cash is still king. Credit cards are gradually becoming more widely used, but people still carry cash around with them as a matter of course. But Japan’s increasingly serious labor shortage is giving a big push to the trend toward cashless transactions.
Did you know there are now prepaid debit cards that parents can give to their children instead of an allowance? That lets parents keep track of their kid’s spending-and hopefully, saving-habits.
I’ll say one thing for going cashless-there’s a new spring in my step, because I’m not weighed down by the coins in my pocket anymore!

Whatever you are, be a good one.