S u i c a

Suica (スイカ, Suica?) is a rechargeable contactless smart card
used as a fare card on train lines in Japan. The card is usable
currently in the Kantō region(JR and other railway and metro),
at JR East stations near Sendai and Niigata, and in the Kinki region
on JR West. Launched in November 2001.
The card is also increasingly being accepted as a form of electronic
money for purchases at stores and kiosks within train stations.
As of April 2007, over 20 million Suica cards were in circulation.

How it is like?


Mobile Suica
Mobile phone works as Suica!
Just enter the information about your credit card using
the site in your mobilephone network.


View Suica
Convination with your credit card.


JAL x Suica
Japan airline with Suica




Interface Design: the Angle of the scanner

To let scanner read Suica, it takes 0.2sec. It's not that much long time.
However, when the reader is placed as flat, people can not wait 0.2sec.
because they wants to swipe it.
However the reader has some angle, people can wait.
Because they touch the scanner with Suica rather than swipe.


Suica/JR East [link]
Suica Design Project (Japanese) [link]