If you have been to Japan, you might have seen signs for SUICA at train stations, or you might have seen other travellers (probably Japanese/locals), using a card for transit travel.
The video above shows how to get such a card, charge it, and use it for train travel, buying from vending machines, and convenience stores.
This saves you queuing for tickets at train stations, and fumbling for enough cash for to pay for your purchases.
The first 5 minutes or so covers the features, and where you can use SUICA (and similar cards).
Instructions on how to purchase a SUICA starts at 5:25.
How to use it starts at 8:25.
The SUICA requires a 500 yen deposit which is non-refundable and non-usable for payment. Consider this the price of the card and the price of convenience of using the card instead of fumbling with cash.
And when you are done, you have the card as a souvenir.
Assuming that you managed to use the card to a balance of nearly zero.
Most likely you will have some balance. Which you can use again when you are in Japan.
Anyway, if you are like me, likely you will come back from your holidays with some extra cash in foreign currency that is too small to bother changing back to your local currency. Any balance in your SUICA is just like that.
But of course, you may not like the idea of first spending 500 yen to get the card, and then leaving some balance in the card which you may or may not ever use again.
That is a legitimate consideration.
This is just a travel tip for Japan for your consideration.
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