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Japan issues new ¥500 coins for 1st time in 21 years

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45 Comments
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I'd prefer it if they brought back the ¥500 note.

15 ( +23 / -8 )

I have two crisp, unused ¥500 notes. I won’t sell them.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

I wish they brought back the old ones that were a near enough match for the Korean 500 won!

-3 ( +11 / -14 )

@sakurasuki: No one said the economy was healthy, but every few days the country auctions more paper, and then repurchases it itself, putting it simply. Never ending merry go round. Or, you could be like the US, in which case a lot of your paper is held by China. Not good.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

But back to the 500 yen coins. That's about $4.30. Can you use them in vending machines?

Sure can. Except for some of the old ones, which machines spit out. My problem when I've used 500 yen coins (highest value standard issue coin in the world) is losing them easily!

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Under the 百 it says JAPAN or NIPPON?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I personally like the 500 yen coins. Reminds me a little of the Canadian Loonie.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Gees, while advanced countries are heading towards cashless society, Japan is encouraging you to carry a safe in your pocket.

-4 ( +9 / -13 )

YumeToday  08:16 am JST

Under the 百 it says JAPAN or NIPPON?

JAPAN

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Japanese coins seem a kinda art. I like to calculate money every time before take them out of my wallet when I buy something. E-money, smartphone-pay, credit card,,, are very easy to pay but don't make you calculate money in mind. This is something not good.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Ooh, revolutionary.

What other advancements are they gonna do in 2022?

-5 ( +6 / -11 )

What? There are still people who use money?

-12 ( +5 / -17 )

Who's counterfeiting 500 yen coins? Wouldn't it take more labor to fake a coin than it would to fake a bill?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

What? There are still people who use money?

Most people still use hard cash in Japan.

12 ( +17 / -5 )

What material are the coins made of ? I have been hearing since I came here that

Japan hasn't natural resources. Hope the material used to make the coin is abundantly

limitless and that the cost of making one 500yen coin doesn't exceed the value of the coin itself.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Thinking security what about . . . holographic design . . . ?

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

At least it's a better reason than the one given for those ridiculous 2,000 yen notes.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I like the 500y coins and the 10000y notes, both larger denominations than the largest UK coins and notes. Growing up, coins and banknotes were tangible and taught us to appreciate the value of money. Much as I love Suica, digital just doesn't do that in the same way. Digital also requires tech/power to be useable, so always carry some cash with you.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

We put our ¥500 coins in a little tin box, when we empty our pockets and coin purse. It adds up to a nice fun fund.

We also have tins for ¥10, ¥5, and ¥1 coins, because they fill up the pockets and wallet so quickly. But, they don't add up to much. Gonna bring them to the bank some day to cash them in.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Oh yummy new mint flavored coins

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Waiting for the day when coins will be phased out

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Who's counterfeiting 500 yen coins? Wouldn't it take more labor to fake a coin than it would to fake a bill?

Estimates vary but it was thought that as many as 3% of the previous design of £1 coin in the UK were fake.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This makes me realize how long I've been here.

I was in Japan the last time they updated the 500 Yen coin. The reason they did it was because the Japanese 500 Yen and Korean 500 Won coins were the exact same size and weight, but the Korean one was only worth about 1/10th that of the Japanese one. This was a huge problem for vending machine operators since anyone with a 500 Won coin could easily scam a vending machine with them. So the new version looked mostly the same but had a different metal content which distinguished its weight from the 500 Won coins, and all vending machines were changed so they wouldn't take the old ones anymore.

My brain thinks this is something that just happened the other day, but actually it happened 21 years ago.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

500yen? You can barely afford anything for that much nowadays.

I always use 10 000 yen note and it is barely enough for daily groceries.

I think it's better to implement 100 000yen note and make people lives more convenient

Wow... Bragging still exists in this tough time.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Whatever happened to the ¥2,000 note?

> Apparantly they are passed out at foreign banks if tourists exchange some money before coming to Japan,

Pretty much that. Every time I've made a visit back home, and for one reason or other, needed to buy Japanese yen before returning, my home country banks, after giving me the 10,000 yen notes always gave me the loose extra notes as 2,000 yen notes. Made for some suspicious double takes at a convenience store when I paid for things with them once. Not sure why, but it seems the Japanese mint must use them only for foreign distribution.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

No one cares

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

The government, in their own time, or likely 2024 are looking for all the yen stored at home. Either to keep it safe or conveniently at hand. It also means the government doesn’t get its hands on the inheritance.

Changing the notes, probably making existing notes illegal tender will bring out all of this hidden potential tax.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

We put together ¥500 coins in ¥60,000 increments for our monthly expenditures. Definitely enough money for monthly food and regular household goods.

These shiny new coins will be a pleasure to spend. Although a bit heavy for the back pack.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Joeintokyo...

I seem to remember many years ago being able to use a much cheaper Thai coin in place of the 500 yen coin, which prompted some change in design back then.

It was the Korean 500 won coin...

Oh, happy times!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

MeiyouwentiToday 07:30 am JST

I have two crisp, unused ¥500 notes. I won’t sell them.

Same here. Have lots of mint condition old notes of every denomination. Hope they are worth a good amount when I retire.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Money is inherently an intangible concept , while currency is a physical or tangible concept.

You don't own the money anyway.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What ever happened to the 2,000 yen note?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I remember taking my daughter to the bank to cash in her full money box. The bank had a coin counter available. I empty the money box into the coin counter. It spat out a docket which you take to the teller to cash in. On the docket was a 10% surcharge for using the coin counter. When I noticed this surcharge on children money boxes I lost It. I said I am not paying so give my daughter coins back. The money box was introduce to promote children to banking. Not to charge them you idiots. The bank decide to wavier the surcharge from then on.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Larr Flint

I always use 10 000 yen note and it is barely enough for daily groceries.

You spend ¥70,000 per week on groceries? Uh huh.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'd prefer it if they brought back the ¥500 note.

Coins are a lot more cost-effective than bills. It’s the reason the US has been trying (and sadly failing) to phase out the $1 bill and make a $1 coin. It would save millions of dollars a year because the average lifespan of a bill is only 2 years, whereas it’s 25 years for a coin. Less bills to print means more money saved.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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