Coins are good...you should notice them!
Ok, I don't know if it's because I'm American or I'm just me, but I'm having a serious problem realizing that the coins used here are actually useful. I always only consider bills as valued currency, so I end up dumping loads of coins in a container on my desk and never really using them. They sit there forever until I start thinking I'm running out of money. Then, I'll count them, and find I 2000, 3000, or even 4000 yen sitting on my desk.
In Japan, they don't start using bills until they get up to 1000 yen (10 dollars), so everything under that (1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 yen (1, 5, 10, 50 cent and 1 and 5 dollars)) is in coins. I'm not use to making several dollar purchases in coins. In fact, in the states, if you tried making a purchase over a dollar in coins, I'd probably look at you funny and maybe even kill you if you tried to use anything other than quarters. Heck, even if it was under a dollar, and you dumped a pile of dimes and nickles in my hand, I'd be annoyed. (I'm thinking of the summer I spent as a cashier) In other words, I see using coins as annoying. Bills are quick, simple and require pretty much no counting time, so I always use bills even here in Japan. But that only means...I get more coins! I always use coins for trains tickets and paying for lunch at school, but school is out for the moment. I'm also not riding the train as often as when I first got here. Good thing I can use the 100 coins for laundry, or I'd never get rid of them.
What's worse is now I might not even use coins for the train anymore. Last year, when I was buying a train ticket, I got a really strange surprise. 500 yen coins are usually gold, but when I got my change, the machine spat out a silver colored 500 yen coin. The annoying thing is...I spent the coin. I hadn't intended to, but my destination required several transfers which meant I had to buy more tickets. The machine wouldn't take my 1000 yen bill. There were people behind me, so I didn't feel like searching my bag for coins. I dropped the silver yen in there. >_< Baka!
Now, I don't know how rare those silver coins are. Heck, I didn't even know they exsisted until I got one, but I'm determined to get another one. Only way I can do that is to use bills, so I'll get 500 yen coins as change...and probably the not as useful smaller coins. *sigh* Well, I made 2 purchases in coins yesterday, so maybe I'm getting the hang of it.
In Japan, they don't start using bills until they get up to 1000 yen (10 dollars), so everything under that (1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 yen (1, 5, 10, 50 cent and 1 and 5 dollars)) is in coins. I'm not use to making several dollar purchases in coins. In fact, in the states, if you tried making a purchase over a dollar in coins, I'd probably look at you funny and maybe even kill you if you tried to use anything other than quarters. Heck, even if it was under a dollar, and you dumped a pile of dimes and nickles in my hand, I'd be annoyed. (I'm thinking of the summer I spent as a cashier) In other words, I see using coins as annoying. Bills are quick, simple and require pretty much no counting time, so I always use bills even here in Japan. But that only means...I get more coins! I always use coins for trains tickets and paying for lunch at school, but school is out for the moment. I'm also not riding the train as often as when I first got here. Good thing I can use the 100 coins for laundry, or I'd never get rid of them.
What's worse is now I might not even use coins for the train anymore. Last year, when I was buying a train ticket, I got a really strange surprise. 500 yen coins are usually gold, but when I got my change, the machine spat out a silver colored 500 yen coin. The annoying thing is...I spent the coin. I hadn't intended to, but my destination required several transfers which meant I had to buy more tickets. The machine wouldn't take my 1000 yen bill. There were people behind me, so I didn't feel like searching my bag for coins. I dropped the silver yen in there. >_< Baka!
Now, I don't know how rare those silver coins are. Heck, I didn't even know they exsisted until I got one, but I'm determined to get another one. Only way I can do that is to use bills, so I'll get 500 yen coins as change...and probably the not as useful smaller coins. *sigh* Well, I made 2 purchases in coins yesterday, so maybe I'm getting the hang of it.
posted by melissa @ 6:10 PM
1 Comments:
At Sat Feb 25, 11:49:00 AM ,
Mariposa said...
Why do you think I took that box of coins from you while I was there? Do you know how far that box got me? Far that's how far.
A pregnancy center asked for a baby bottle of my spare change. I was like, "What!" But I did it.
~M
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