RFID in Japan

It worked! But, things were a bit different than I thought.

First, I made a seat reservation on the website. Then, I got an SMS message on my phone. When, I clicked the payment link on my phone the system took the money from my mobile phone's RFID chip (I had to enter my SUICA password in the process). Then I got another SMS message with a 10 digit reservation number.

When I got to the theater complex, I wasn't quite sure what to do. So, I asked a person at the Information Desk, and she said that I had to get a paper ticket using a kiosk terminal. The kiosk terminal didn't seem to have an RFID reader, so I had to type in the 10 digit code as well as the website password. Worked! I finally got a familiar ?paper ticket.

Overall, I didn't think RFID ticketing drastically made the process of going to see a movie easy, in this case. Things could be better. For example, if they had RFID-enabled gates at the theater complex, I could have walked right through into my theater just by presenting my phone to a gate, instead of spending the minute in front of a kiosk terminal. Also, I'd like to use it without making a reservation. I'd like to just walk into whichever theater I want - the system could count the number of the people in the theater and tell which one's full or not.

Universal Studio Japan (USJ) will soon introduce RFID (phone) tickets -- as early as later this year. Visitors buy entrance tickets on the internet and, when they visit USJ, they can just wave their RFID-chipped cell phones to get in. This way, they will likely be able to get in a lot faster than people with regular tickets. The system is compatible with Sony's mobile felica technology. NEC and USJ will co-develop the system.

via Nikkei Shimbun, September 7, 2006.

Lawsong, one of the largest Japanese convenience store chains, will introduce cashier terminals that can process all kinds of RFID payment cards including SUICA and Edy. This will start this November and the company plans to finish installing the terminals at 8,300 stores across the nation by March 2007.

via asahi.com, august 31

All New Sony VAIO desktops/notebooks that will be sold in Japan this summer will be equipped with RFID readers that can read FeliCa RFID cards. These RFID-enabled PCs will allow consumers to use RFID payment for online purchases as well.

This may be because of the increasing popularity of RFID-based payment usin Edy, Suica, etc. (I regularly use it myself).

via Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun, June 22, 2006

Payment News discusses RFID payment in Korea and Japan.

Bloomberg.com reports:

Yahoo Japan Corp., which operates the country's most-visited Web portal, and East Japan Railway Co., have allied to let customers use the railroad's Suica card to pay for online purchases...

Wireless Watch Japan has a nice 5-minute video clip on DCMX (see the entry: DoCoMo to offer credit card service called DCMX), NTT DoCoMo's "phone as credit card" service.

DCMX: Is it a phone that can buy stuff or a credit card that can make calls? NTT DoCoMo is hoping that millions of spend-free consumers won't know or care about the distinction and will simply use the new 'DCMX' credit-card phone for, well, pretty much everything.

Mr. Natsuo talks on DCMX at a press conference -- read on and view the video from here.

Thanks, Lars!

Izakaya bar chain Tsubohachi is accepting RFID payment via SUICA. One of the first instances of big Izakaya bar chains accepting RFID payment.

The ones accepting RFID are the Tsubohachi bars at Ueno Ekimae Dori, Shibuya Chuou, Shinjuku Sanchome.

by the way the photo is a new menu from Tsubohachi. just to make you feel hugry/thursty.

via Nikkei Shimbun