When you move to Japan there is a long list of things that need to be done to make living a bit more easier. One hurdle was passing the driving test and receiving our Japanese license. The last major hurdle we had was receiving an ETC Card. This card is a pass used for the toll roads. In Japan all highways are toll roads. The reason this card is so coveted is because you receive a substantial discount when you use it. An hour drive can cost $30+, but with this card it is reduced to $15. Overtime the savings are huge.
The difficulty is that to receive the card you have to have a Japanese credit card. Although this is no problem for us in America (took 60 seconds the last time we tried) we have been rejected numerous times by Japanese companies. We really felt defeated. We learned of a way to apply for a card if we were willing to put down a large deposit so we tried. Although this wasn’t ideal we were APPROVED!! We will receive our deposit back when we leave and for now are receiving toll discounts. For us this is a huge victory!
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