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Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

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Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#61

Post by vkou »

ShinTakuya wrote: post #59
AznHisoka wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve seen little children take the subway alone in Japan. Its a completely different environment

For what it's worth, this is commonplace in Australia too. I feel like you're describing a general safe country thing. I've lived in Japan so I know it's probably one of the safest places in the world, but I feel like what this thread describes is more US/Canada/some Euro countries being particularly dangerous, and not Japan being uniquely safe.

Canada is not particularly dangerous, but it has a horrible case of being drowned out by American culture (which strongly influences Canadians' subjective perceptions of their environs), and having the same kind of problematic urban planning as the United States.

Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#64

Post by QGeometry »

I lived in a city with the highest density of 7-11s per capita. There was a 7-11 at almost every street corner. 7-11s in the US are day and night from those in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Can you imagine you could pay your utility bills, print documents, fax and even have a full wifi cafe experience all under one roof? In Japan, Lawson is probably more popular though.

Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#66

Post by kelnos »

ShinTakuya wrote: post #59
AznHisoka wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve seen little children take the subway alone in Japan. Its a completely different environment

For what it's worth, this is commonplace in Australia too. I feel like you're describing a general safe country thing. I've lived in Japan so I know it's probably one of the safest places in the world, but I feel like what this thread describes is more US/Canada/some Euro countries being particularly dangerous, and not Japan being uniquely safe.

I think it's more high-trust than high-safety. Most American cities (and certainly suburbs) are quite safe, and have only been getting safer over the past decades.

And yet we are constantly bombarded with fearmongering around children getting kidnapped on every street corner, every hour of the day.

I'll absolutely agree that a place like Tokyo is safer for a child on their own than NYC or SF, but the gap isn't as wide as the mainstream media would seem to suggest.

Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#67

Post by kelnos »

mgiampapa wrote: post #12
satvikpendem wrote: post #9

I wonder how 7/11 in the US will change now that the Japanese version bought out the US version. Will we actually have hot and prepared food like Japan? I doubt it, seems the supply chain infrastructure just isn't there.

7/11 Japan has been running the stores in Hawaii for ages, just look there.

The stores in Hawaii are certainly nicer and more full-featured than the ones on the US mainland, but the stores in Japan and Taiwan are still light-years ahead.

Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#68

Post by vibekoter »

rjh29 wrote: post #38
ak217 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. The payments landscape has shifted pretty dramatically in Japan over just the past 3 years. It used to be that you had to worry about getting cash, IC cards, refilling said IC cards, going to an actual bank with your passport, etc. Now all you need is an iPhone (although I hear Android phones from outside Japan still can't use suica).

Android doesn't support suica for public transport but you can still use Google Pay most of the time. Except when you randomly can't! Unlike other countries you still need to take a credit card (and maybe even some cash) as backup.

"Unlike other countries you still need to take a credit card (and maybe even some cash) as backup"

"still"

I take a reliable CC and cash any fucking day over Apple and Google Pay or any shit payment "app" like Revolut which simply blocks you out of your account if on a device they seem to not like / that is not attested, while preventing browser-based usage.

You stupid tech bros. Appps, apps, apps, everything via an app.

Even the Tokio metro paper tickets via cash work well. No phone needed!

Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#69

Post by kelnos »

decimalenough wrote: post #21
firefax wrote: post #7

I ate a lot 7/11 onigiri as a poor grad student exploring Tokyo on a long layover once... they're truly wonderful little stores. (They also are one of the few places you can use an ATM, very useful given how cash based Japan is) He can be proud of the legacy he built, which is something many American founders cannot say with a straight face. Rest in power sir.

This is a bit out of date. These days basically any ATM allows foreign cards, just in time for Japan to finally switch to electronic payments in a big way (in particular PayPay).

There are still significant gaps. I was heading from Narita to Shinjuku about a year ago, and after I got off the Narita Express, I realized my Pasmo card (which I hadn't used in about 8 years) didn't have enough on it to get me the rest of the way. There were two ATMs I could find in the (reasonably-sizeable) train station, and neither accepted my US-issued VISA debit card. I had to walk down the street to -- of course -- a 7-Eleven to use the ATM there.

During the rest of my week and a half there, I saw plenty of other ATMs that appeared identical to the ones in the train station that didn't work for me.

Re: Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Seven-Eleven Japan, has died

#70

Post by krial »

Svip wrote: post #62

Apparently, the three 7-Eleven stores with the highest revenue are all located in Denmark[0], two of which are located at Copenhagen Central. [0] https://www.retailnews.dk/article/view/1178986/6000_kunder_o... (Danish)

Doesn’t surprise me. Had a layover in Copenhagen and they charged $7 for a coke.
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