Japan has previously had the reputation of being a futuristic place, but this reputation is slowly fading as travellers report back about fax machines and a lack of credit card machines. So is Japan really so old fashioned or is this yet another misconception? Cash or card? In the UK card payments are accepted everywhere with very minor exceptions. Contactless payments have exploded in the last couple of years so that all you need is a tap of your card or phone (thanks to Google and Apple Pay). The landscape in Japan is very different. There is no guarantee when you walk into a store or restaurant that cards will be accepted. A large part of this is due to the vast number of independently run businesses. One of the lovely things about Japan is how easy it is to find a meal at a restaurant that isn’t part of a chain (although chains definitely exist as well). For smaller places like this, it’s more typical to pay in cash. In fact, some places will …