This is because of hefty costs to upgrade IC card readers and to boost convenience for rising numbers of inbound foreign tourists, but the major shift has perplexed some local and other passengers ...

Train station ticketing machines: In Japan, train stations have ticketing machines near the gates with IC card readers where you can easily add funds to your Mobile Suica or Pasmo using cash.

Prepaid IC cards, such as Suica and Pasmo, are widely used at stations. But the new credit-card gates allow passengers to take trains without worrying about remaining balances.