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SHOPPING GUIDE
The shopping circumstances in Japan are now attracting worldwide attention. In Japan, anything from traditional folk handicraft articles having a nostalgic feel of the good old days to novel articles symbolizing the latest fashion and state-of-the-art commodities can be purchased. Some useful background information is introduced here to help you better enjoy shopping in Japan.
Japanese currency
There are four kinds of paper money, coin six kinds to a Japanese currency used continuously now.
| Bank notes | ||
| 10,000 yen | Front side: Back side: |
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| 5,000 yen | Front side: Back side: |
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| 2,000 yen | Front side: Back side: |
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| 1,000 yen | Front side: Back side: |
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| Coins | ||
| 500 yen | This coin is made of nickel brass, 26.5 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 7 grams. Chinese characters 日本国 and 五百円, and an image of a paulownia tree are on the front side. The Chinese characters have a concavo-convex background. Images of bamboo and a mandarin orange tree are on the back, along with the figure “500” and year of issuance. |
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| 100 yen | This coin is made of cupronickel, 22.6 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 4.8 grams. Chinese characters, 日本国 and 百円, and an image of cherry blossoms are on the front side; the figure “100” and year of issuance are on the back. |
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| 50 yen | This coin is also made of cupronickel, 21 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 4 grams. Chinese characters 日本国 and 五十円, and an image of chrysanthemum flowers are on the front side; the figure “50” and year of issuance are on the back. This coin is characterized by having a hole in the middle. |
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| 10 yen | This coin is made of bronze, 23.5 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 4.5 grams. Chinese characters 日本国 and 十円, and an image of the Phoenix Hall of Byodo-in Temple at Uji are on the front side; the figure “10” and year of issuance are on the back. |
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| 5 yen | This coin is made of brass, 22 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 3.75 grams. Chinese characters 五円 and images of an ear of rice, seedling leaves, a gear, and water surface are on the front side; Chinese characters 日本国 and the year of issuance are on the back. This coin also has a hole in the middle, and is only coin without any Arabic figure indicated. |
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| 1 yen | This coin is made of aluminum, 2 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 1 gram. Chinese characters 日本国 and 一円, and an image of a young tree are on the front side; the figure “1” and year of issuance are on the back. |
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Places where you can exchange money
You can exchange money at banks, post offices and exchange counters at airports. Some hotels are also licensed to exchange foreign currency, so please ask at each hotel.
ATM
Certain cash cards and credit cards issued by foreign banks can be used at ATMs in post offices. Usable cards are Cirrus, PLUS, Maestro, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, and some others. For more details, please check the “International ATM Service” of Japan Post.
- Yucho(Japan Post Bank) - International ATM Service
http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html
You can also use these cards at ATMs installed in Seven Eleven convenience stores. You can withdraw Japanese yen with your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, or China Union Bay cards. You can use these ATMs at anytime, 24 hours a day, and choose a language of guidance to be indicated on the ATM screen from among English, Korean, Chinese and Portuguese. For more details, please check the “International ATM Service” of the Seven Bank.
- Seven Bank - International ATM Service
http://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/service2.html







