4 ms·

Very interesting, also would be curious to know how everyday things evolved today: booking travel, ebanking etc? since here in the west we sometimes see the hom

by esel2k 5y ago

Very interesting, also would be curious to know how everyday things evolved today: booking travel, ebanking etc? since here in the west we sometimes see the home computer beeing pushed away by mobile/tablets or the home printer starting to disappear.

fomine3 5y ago
It is sometimes said that usage of PC by young people is decreasing faster here in Japan compared to other countries. Because of most people don't use Qwerty input on smartphone, and there are very few PC usage at school other than IT class. Using PC on class is now in progress (partially thanks to covid), they start buying Chromebooks, but it's long way, because teachers aren't good for PC and too restrictive for students' activity. Online banking/booking on PC/smartphone is widely available but some people still prefer telephone, real travel agency, ATM, or real banking (or just lazy to sign up).
quartesixte 5y ago
Having lived there for a while, some observations: Travel: major airlines have robust enough mobile sites or apps to make a 100% smartphone experience seamless. Printed tickets can be obtained from ticket kiosks inside any convenience store. Big travel agencies such as JTB or HIS also still play a large role. E-banking: might be different now, but 2018s Japan still eschewed credit for cash, and rely on passbooks [0] for teller/ATM transactions. Most Japanese people I socialized with regularly carried around $300 USD equivalent in cash. Transferring money to other individuals or companies is easily done through ATMs. Bill payments: either auto-withdraw, or paper bills mailed to you and paid for at...convenience stores(called conbini in Japanese)! Just have the cashier scan the QR code and pay in cash! Miss a payment? No worries, the grace period goes for something like 60 days and the balance due will just roll into the next paper bill. Online shopping: the spot that shows the greatest amount of credit card adoption...but you can also pay for things using gift cards (sold at the nearest conbini) or ...you guessed it, more QR codes and kiosks (at conbinis). Subscription services: All major streaming sites sell gift cards for various time amounts. Or you can tie your apple or google pay account to your phone provider and have the charges added to your phone bill (payable via conbini kiosk). By the time I was leaving there was a greater push for app-centric user experiences but for the most part, life goes on via cash and conbinis. It is very possible to live life with just a smartphone in Japan. Something also of note is that unlimited SMS is not a thing in Japan and the Line app rules the day for daily communication. Line has been pushing their digital wallet really hard lately, and I had to mute the app due to incessant pleas to make me throw my hard earned cash into Line... [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passbook https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passbook

by esel2k 5y ago

fomine3 5y ago

It is sometimes said that usage of PC by young people is decreasing faster here in Japan compared to other countries. Because of most people don't use Qwerty input on smartphone, and there are very few PC usage at school other than IT class. Using PC on class is now in progress (partially thanks to covid), they start buying Chromebooks, but it's long way, because teachers aren't good for PC and too restrictive for students' activity. Online banking/booking on PC/smartphone is widely available but some people still prefer telephone, real travel agency, ATM, or real banking (or just lazy to sign up).

quartesixte 5y ago

Having lived there for a while, some observations: Travel: major airlines have robust enough mobile sites or apps to make a 100% smartphone experience seamless. Printed tickets can be obtained from ticket kiosks inside any convenience store. Big travel agencies such as JTB or HIS also still play a large role. E-banking: might be different now, but 2018s Japan still eschewed credit for cash, and rely on passbooks [0] for teller/ATM transactions. Most Japanese people I socialized with regularly carried around $300 USD equivalent in cash. Transferring money to other individuals or companies is easily done through ATMs. Bill payments: either auto-withdraw, or paper bills mailed to you and paid for at...convenience stores(called conbini in Japanese)! Just have the cashier scan the QR code and pay in cash! Miss a payment? No worries, the grace period goes for something like 60 days and the balance due will just roll into the next paper bill. Online shopping: the spot that shows the greatest amount of credit card adoption...but you can also pay for things using gift cards (sold at the nearest conbini) or ...you guessed it, more QR codes and kiosks (at conbinis). Subscription services: All major streaming sites sell gift cards for various time amounts. Or you can tie your apple or google pay account to your phone provider and have the charges added to your phone bill (payable via conbini kiosk). By the time I was leaving there was a greater push for app-centric user experiences but for the most part, life goes on via cash and conbinis. It is very possible to live life with just a smartphone in Japan. Something also of note is that unlimited SMS is not a thing in Japan and the Line app rules the day for daily communication. Line has been pushing their digital wallet really hard lately, and I had to mute the app due to incessant pleas to make me throw my hard earned cash into Line... [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passbook https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passbook