The subway system in Japan is an essential part of life for most Japanese people. Since most locals don’t have drivers licenses a subway provides them with a cheap and efficient alternative. Entry into the subway system can be achieved many different ways. Casual users can use the ticket master to buy a pre-paid entry ticket which gets recycled into toilet paper after the transactions are complete. Heavy users can purchase a subway card. In Tokyo there are two major cards Pasmo and Suica. Pasmo is more of a direct subway card handled by the Tokyo subway companies where Suica is the card put out by Japanese rail company JREast. Once you’re in possession of a subway card, you can charge it at any ticket station and use it as much as you want. Pasmo and Suica are not only earth friendly, they’re also multifunctional. Patrons can use their cards to purchase goods from vending machines and from stores inside and sometimes even outside the subway tunnels. With all the uses for a subway card the Japanese have something better than a license that is also more eco-friendly.
Pasmo
Jared in Japan 
Having the Pasmo in Japan kind of reminded me of the semester I spent at Lansing Community College. At LCC, you can load money at little stations seen around campus onto your student ID to be used at the parking ramps and the food places around campus. You also had to scan it in order to get into the computer labs. In all the years I’ve been at MSU, I’ve never used the Sparty Cash, but I assume it’s a similar concept. Having a multi-purpose card is really nice and definitely a time-saver.