25 years after the Suica Penguin helped revolutionize how Japan buys train ticket and shops, JR’s plans for the future don’t include the character.
Suica
Suica and Pasmo cards that you can buy anywhere without registering personal data will be back in time for the spring travel season.
The two easiest ways to pay for train tickets, and a whole bunch of other stuff, make their long-awaited return.
Suica and Pasmo have become an ubiquitous part of life and travel in Japan, but you can’t get a new card for either.
You may have heard the name Takeshi Natsuno before. A Keio University professor, former Senior Vice President at NTT Docomo, Sega Sammy big-wig, and creator of i-mode, he is by all accounts an intelligent, not to mention extremely tech-savvy, dude. So you can imagine the surprise the good residents of the city of Sendai felt when he took to his Twitter account earlier this week to publicly disparage their home town as being “too lame for words”.
Just what prompted this sudden outpouring of ire? Well, it seems Mr Natsuno felt rather short-changed when he attempted to use his prepaid Suica IC Card to ride the Sendai subway. Suica is a Tokyo-based IC card system. Sendai is not in Tokyo. You can probably see where this is going.
You may recall we reported a while ago on JR East’s Suica penguin mascot character being turned into a totally yummy-licious looking cream-filled bread. Now, Suica Penguin, as the mascot is known, has become a beautiful cake that’s attracted a fair bit of attention on the Japanese Internet recently. Of course, we couldn’t ignore such buzz involving a confection that’s bound to look adorable as well as taste delectably sweet, so we sent one of our reporters off on a mission to try the penguin cake everyone seemed to be talking about and provide our readers with a first-hand account. So, was the cake as cute and tasty as we expected?
If you’ve ever used public transport in Japan, you may have seen the Suica card, the smart card you can use to pay the fare on Japanese transport systems, named after the onomatopoeic phrase “sui-sui“, meaning to swim or glide smoothly. You may even have noticed that they come adorned with an adorable mascot penguin character, known simply as the “Suica Penguin“. But did you know that the Suica Penguin has now been transformed into a form of delicious confection?
Apparently, the Suica Penguin is irresistibly cute in edible form as well, and the penguin bread is selling like crazy! Naturally, we had to get our hands on a couple and see for ourselves what made it so special.
MOST POPULAR
Today
Live-action Spirited Away stage play announces world tour with first-ever U.S. and Canadian dates
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Tokyo has only two barley tea makers, and we visited one to see how mugicha is made
Studio Ghibli combines anime and craftsmanship in new Totoro and Jiji Gobelin tapestry bags
Speed trap camera stolen from Saitama Police while in use
Sleep at Hoshinoya Nara Prison, one of the most unique hotels in Japan
We try out the joys of Japan’s kakuuchi wine vending machine
Pikachu brings electric style to brand-new Pokémon G-Shock watch featuring every stater trio
Blind Tokyo commuter explains the easiest place for him to stand while riding the train
Taco Spaghetti appears in Japan, and our taco fan rushes to try it[Taste test]
Weekly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Family Mart Japan installs red-eyed “Monster Wolf” to keep bears away from convenience store
Starbucks Japan creates special drink bottle bags, adorable stickers for all 47 prefectures[Pics]
Starbucks Japan reopens Shinkansen platform store after redesigning it for speed- Pikachu brings electric style to brand-new Pokémon G-Shock watch featuring every stater trio
Japanese sweets brand creates new drinkable Cigare and we’re totally here for it
Japanese man’s gross conveyor belt sushi social media prank video gets him a 500,000-yen fine- Live-action Spirited Away stage play announces world tour with first-ever U.S. and Canadian dates
- Blind Tokyo commuter explains the easiest place for him to stand while riding the train
Monthly
- Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Studio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in America
New Japanese overnight train coming to connect Tokyo with Tohoku in sleep-travel style- Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Japanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Forget Tokyo go-karts – there’s a new way to sightsee on four wheels in Japan
Yearly
- Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Sleep at Hoshinoya Nara Prison, one of the most unique hotels in Japan
We try out the joys of Japan’s kakuuchi wine vending machine
Pikachu brings electric style to brand-new Pokémon G-Shock watch featuring every stater trio
Blind Tokyo commuter explains the easiest place for him to stand while riding the train
Taco Spaghetti appears in Japan, and our taco fan rushes to try it[Taste test]
Why you shouldn’t feel guilty about using manga for studying and the top series for learning
Mt Fuji installs new emergency shelters ahead of the 2026 climbing season
Live-action Persona adaptation to be produced by Netflix, probably not set in Japan
Krispy Kreme Japan releases new fruit doughnuts…that taste better cold
Japanese man’s gross conveyor belt sushi social media prank video gets him a 500,000-yen fine
The adorable, delicious joy of the Totoro cream puff gift box[Taste test]
New live-action Pokémon adaptation announced for Pokémon Unite
Here’s what Shibuya’s famous scramble intersection looked like after the Japan vs. Sweden match
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
-
