Gate payment eliminates queues at Shinjuku Gyoen

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden has a history of over 400 years, and has played a variety of roles, from the residence of a feudal lord in the Edo period to an agricultural experimental station, an imperial garden, and a national park. Currently, the Ministry of the Environment maintains, manages, and develops Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, and it is loved by people as a garden that inherits its wonderful natural and historical heritage. The number of visitors per year is 1.69 million (2022 results), and the park has a restaurant and cafe overlooking the garden, and is visited by people of all ages, from young people to the elderly.

Please tell us the background behind your consideration of introducing SB Payment Service's payment service.

As many as 80,000 people visit the park each day during the cherry blossom season, and there are long lines in front of the entrance gates, which can lead to crowds and crowds from nearby residents. Being a nuisance has been an issue for some time. It was time to update the equipment at the entrance gates, and we asked business operators for effective suggestions for reducing queues when procuring new equipment. As a result, we decided on the entrance gate of Nippon Signal Co., Ltd., which manufactures automatic ticket gates, etc., and the payment service of SB Payment Service, which supports the gate.

What was the effect of introducing SB Payment Service's payment service and what was the response?

日本信号株式会社が提供するゲート

From November 1, 2022, we have started operating some of the regular gates at all gates, Shinjuku Gate, Okido Gate, and Sendagaya Gate, by changing them to SB Payment Service's payment service (gate payment). Currently, approximately 25% of visitors use gate payment to enter the park on holidays (as of November 23rd). We have received compliments on social media from people who have actually entered the park by paying at the gate, such as "It's simple, but great,'' "I'm glad it's a little faster to enter,'' and "smart,'' and it has even been featured in the news. There was a reaction. Gate payment eliminates the time required to line up at a ticket vending machine and purchase an admission ticket, leading to a reduction in queues when entering the park.

Please tell us about Shinjuku Gyoen's future service development and prospects.

Currently, the only payment methods that can be used for gate payment is transportation IC, but in the future, we are considering adding QR code payment and credit card touch payment to increase the options when directly entering the park. As a result, we expect this to lead to a reduction in staff costs. In addition, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden has held events such as illumination at night during the cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, and autumn leaves seasons, as well as opening early in the morning from 7 a.m. and holding yoga classes and running classes sponsored by business operators. However, on December 3rd, we opened the "Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden Museum'' as an exhibition facility that conveys the history and culture of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in an easy-to-understand manner. We hope to continue creating new attractions that many people can enjoy while preserving our wonderful natural and historical heritage.

Message from SBPS Sales Representative

Shinjuku Gyoen is a wonderful garden where you can experience nature throughout the seasons, even though it is located in a big city. We have proposed and introduced this service because we believe that a smooth and stress-free entrance to the garden will improve the customer experience for visitors. We are pleased that the introduction of this service has made it convenient for visitors and led to improved operational efficiency for the Ministry of the Environment and others in charge of facility operations. We will continue to propose and support ways to contribute to improving the convenience of Shinjuku Gyoen through cashless payments.

SB Payment Service Corp.
Sales Division OMO Sales Department Sales Section Manager
Manager of Sales Section, Real Market Promotion Department, Planning and Promotion Headquarters
Hidero Watanabe