1984 because the ticket machines that handle the magnetic tickets are the literal coolest things ever
JR East will begin replacing short-distance magnetic tickets with QR-code tickets from spring 2027. 🎫📱
The current magnetic tickets will be phased out, changing how passengers use ticket gates. Instead of inserting a small magnetic ticket into the gate, passengers will hold a QR-code ticket over the reader.
The ticket format will also get larger, changing from the current 30 × 57.5 mm small ticket to a 57.5 × 85 mm large ticket. The larger size is designed to make the QR code easier to scan at the gate.
The new QR tickets will remove the magnetic layer on the back, reducing the environmental burden during recycling after use. 🌿
The change is also part of a wider shift toward mobile, ticketless travel and more efficient station layouts, with ticket-vending-machine areas reorganized as stations are redesigned.