Fun Facts About Japanese Coins

Ever wonder why Japanese coins look the way they do and why two of them (the 5-yen and 50-yen) have holes? What coin is considered the "good luck" coin?

RocketNews24 has an article that will give you the answers.

They start it with:

A fun way to get a perspective on another country’s history and culture is by looking at the currency used. The materials and design that go into making them can say a lot about what a country holds dear. 

So, why don’t we take a quick look through the modern coins used in Japan and learn a little about why they look the way they do and some other tidbits along the way such as what happens when you microwave a one-yen coin and why you shouldn’t do it.

To read the full article, go here. 

The Lucky 5-Yen Coin

When I first traveled to Japan in 2001, I learned a little bit about Japanese currency, the yen (pronounced "en").

One thing I learned is that the 5-yen coin is considered a lucky coin. It's not worth much (roughly comparable to the U.S. nickel).

According to YesJapan.com:

Good luck
The 5 yen coin in Japanese is pronounced "go-en". This also coincidentally means "good luck". For this reason the 5 yen coin is thought to be good luck.

And, according to Associated Content.com:

The Japanese pronunciation of five yen, "go en", sounds very similar to the expression for karma or good luck. This similarity in pronunciation was sufficient in the Japanese culture to evolve into a well developed superstition. The five yen coin is believed to bring good fortune to those in possession of it.

Not that I am superstitious, but I save all my 5-yen coins from each trip to Japan and hand them out to friends (or people I want to have good luck). They all like the jesture once I explain it to them.

People can carry them in their wallet, pocket, purse or wear it on a ribbon or chain (the handy hole in the center of the coin makes this easy).