Have you experienced a shortage of transport ticketing cards (like Oyster in London, EasyCard in Taipei etc.) anywhere except Japan in recent years?
It has not been easy to get hands on new local transport cards (Suica, Pasmo) in Japan recently. The sale of some types has been suspended for months and the explanation provided was a global chip shortage. But if it is really the true reason, there must be the same problem of the transport cards availability everywhere, no?
Or is there something more behind it, like some Japanese proprietary solution (e.g. FeliCa) which makes the situation in Japan worse than in the rest of the world?
by xtomare
