Japan surprises me every time I go with its innovation in technology and amazing food. However, what surprised me even more this time was the presence of Alipay in the taxi. It seems wherever Chinese tourists go, China's mobile payment tools follow behind.

Some 7 million mainland tourists are estimated to have traveled abroad during the National Day holiday earlier this month. Those 7 million tourists constitute just 5 percent of the total number of outbound tourists for the year. Given their large number, it is a no-brainer that the technology they habitually use follows them wherever they go.

It is not only happening in the metropolitan regions like Ginza and Shibuya. Alipay is also bridging inbound visitors and local merchants in small cities and countryside in Japan, including the small supermarket we went over in Chiba as well as numerous convenience stores such as Lawson and Family Mart.

Small wonder, Chinese digital payment service providers such as Alipay and WeChat Pay of Tencent Holdings Ltd are stepping up their expansion abroad.