http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suica
"A Suica card works as the standard prepaid Suica card (with user's name available on it) which can be used to ride trains in the place of paper tickets, or it can become the Suica commuter pass for unlimited traveling between two destinations for work or school. The Suica commuter pass also doubles as a prepaid Suica card for purchases or tickets outside of the normal commute route.
"There are also Suica cards which double as credit cards. The Suica operation of these cards is no different from the normal cards; however, they can be used as credit cards at shops which do not normally support the Suica system, and automatically recharge themselves with the recharged amount added to the user's credit card bill. There is even one type of Suica card offered by Japan Airlines (JAL) that is called JALCARD Suica. In addition to having Suica and credit card functionalities, a JALCARD Suica card can also function as an electronic boarding pass for a JAL-operated domestic flight in Japan at an airport that offers the JAL IC service.
"Due to a rash of incidents where a commuter may have more than one type of Suica in their wallet when passing through the ticket gates, and the resulting trouble that can result when the wrong card is scanned when exiting the station, JR East has begun an awareness campaign that discourages the storage of more than one card together."
"Thanks for the monster inflatable penguin ubiquity arphid pic, whoever you are out there in Google Image Search land:
http://blogs.dion.ne.jp/kibitantan/archives/2006-04.html
