Fax machines and cash-only stores: Japan struggles to go digital

Ryuichi Ueki, like many Japanese small business owners, only accepts cash at his ramen restaurant [John Power/Al Jazeera]

Tokyo, Japan – Ryuichi Ueki, like most restaurant owners he knows, only accepts cash.

The fifth-generation owner of Asahi, a ramen restaurant in Tokyo’s historic Asakusa district, Ueki does not want to pay credit card fees or bother getting to grips with digital payment platforms such as Apple Pay and LINE Pay.