Originally Posted by
seigex
I have no interest in telling you how do your thing in Japan, but for other people, TTP is fully authorized legally to carry instead of passport, no different than a zairyu card, and I don't want any problems that could come with being caught not carrying it, easier just to have the card in my wallet.
My general approach to this is, I normally carry a passport when driving in case I'm involved in an accident. (And unlike the guy in the video I would never ride a scooter since I don't have a death wish.) If I were asked for a passport on the street, I would ask the officer how he knows that I am a foreigner (they can only ask your for your passport if you are not Japanese) and then start making accusations about racial bias. Anyway, the odds of being asked are phenomenally low, the odds of getting fined are astronomically low, and the expected actuarial cost of not having your passport is probably about the 1/10,000 of the value of the time expended in applying for a TTP.
For those interested, not carrying your gaijin card is a much more serious offense and runs the risk (albeit very small) of getting you deported and making you inadmissible in the future.