Quote Originally Posted by secret0 View Post
Yeah, as much as people view Japan as being super technologically advanced, there are many parts that are still stuck in the 90/00s.
They still use fax machines and hard copies for important documents.
Even from their subsidiaries in other countries. There are Japanese companies that have offices here in Australia, and the Australian offices still have to send shit like photos and forms for physical company/security IDs via mail to the Japanese offices to create them.
For most technologies, they've had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age.

Even with cash - with the huge uptick in tourists in the last decade, as well as younger generations doing everything online, Japan couldn't afford not to start implementing alternative pay methods. But it's still majorly cash based.
Have you ever tried to get the tourist tax refund there? I couldn't believe how archaic their system was. They literally had to print the invoice out in triplicate and fill out forms that looked like an exam paper. They had to do that for any purchase regardless now small or large the transaction was. I felt like they made it that way deliberately to discourage people from claiming it.