When you turn on the ignition of a car imported from Japan, you often hear voices speaking.
I will explain what this means and how to turn off the sound.
If you’re interested in this topic, please read to the end. I hope it’s helpful to you.
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This voices tells you whether an ETC card is inserted or not.
In short, the ECT card is not inserted.
Also, if the ETC card is inserted correctly, you should hear a message saying, “ETC card authenticated.”
Where is that voices coming from?
The voices can be heard coming from this card reader.
This is an “ETC” card reader.
ETC card reader is usually located inside the glove compartment.
What is an ETC card reader?
An ETC card is used when driving on Japanese expressways.
Most expressways in Japan are toll roads, and there are gates at the entrances and exits.
Role of ETC card.
If a valid ETC card is inserted, the expressways entrance and exit gates will open automatically.
This allows vehicles to pass through ETC lanes at expressways toll gates at a reduced speed of 20 km/h or less without stopping.
This eliminates the need for cash payments at expressways entrance and exit gates, allowing payments to be made using a credit card linked to the ETC card.
What happens if you don’t insert an ETC card?
If you reach a Japanese expressways entrance or exit gate without inserting your ETC card, the gate will not open. You will need to inform an attendant and consult with them, which can be a bit inconvenient.
Therefore, this voice announcement is played as soon as the ignition is turned on.
You might think, “Why not just leave the ETC card inserted?” However, since ETC cards are linked to credit cards, most people remove the card when they get out of the car to prevent theft.
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Can the voice prompts from the ETC card reader be turned off?
Depending on the type of card reader, some allow you to turn off the sound with a simple operation.
Mute setup procedure.
If the card reader has two or three buttons, one of them may be for voice settings.
Each time you press that button, the volume changes, and in some cases, you can completely mute the sound.
Alternatively, some card readers allow you to silence the sound by pressing and holding both buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
Some types only emit a warning sound.
If your ETC card reader doesn’t have a button, it might be a type that only provides a sound warning without any voice alerts.
Since ETC card readers cannot be used in countries other than Japan, removing them might be one option.
Summary of what was written in this article.
ETC cards allow you to pass through expressways toll gates at a slow speed without having to stop to pay.
Good effects of ETC card.
This will alleviate traffic congestion on Japanese expressways and enable smarter toll payments.
In addition, discounts on highway tolls may be available when using an ETC card.
If you plan to rent a car for your trip to Japan.
Originally, Japanese expressways gates had both ETC lanes and cash payment lanes, but in recent years the number of cash payment lanes has been decreasing.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan and intend to rent a car and use expressways, it’s a good idea to check with the rental car company beforehand to see if they also provide ETC cards.
*When driving a car in Japan, be sure to obey Japanese road traffic laws.
