Currency

Everyone uses money, whether it’s in Japanese Yen, or American dollars. However, there are many differences between Japanese yen and American dollars. There are also differences in how they are used. Both are used to purchase goods, of course, but as you’ll see soon use of money is slightly different in Japan than the United States.

In America, many people use credit cards. In fact, many credit card commercials discourage the use of cash, portraying it as slow and very cumbersome. The coins are easy to drop, the dollar bills are difficult to sort, etc. It’s much easier to just have a plastic card that pays for everything. (Even though with a credit card, it’s not your money that you’re spending and you’ll end up paying a lot more than the initial cost of what you bought with it.)

In Japan, cash is much more widely used. People pay for even very large, expensive items (such as televisions or couches) in cash. It’s not uncommon in Japan for people to pay in exact change, either. They will often pay for items to the exact cent, even if it’s slightly more time consuming, because they don’t want to inconvenience the sales person or employee helping them out and giving them the goods. In America, it’s seen as tedious to pay for things in exact change, especially when you have those state of the art credit cards.

In Japan, there are places called konbini (or conbini, short for convenience store). These small stores are similar to tiny Wal-Marts, and they sell many different products from food for lunches on the go, and chapstick. If you go into a conbini with a 10,000 yen note, even the smallest conbini will take it and break it up for you without blinking. In America, however, I’ve found it’s very hard to find a place that will even break a $50 bill. Many stores and fast food restaurants refused to break it.

The Japanese yen is broken up a few ways. There are two bills and six types of coins. The bills are 10,000 yen (roughly $100), 5,000 yen (roughly $50) and 1,000 yen (about $10). The coins come in one, five, ten, fifty, one hundred and five hundred yen (this means that in Japan there is a coin that has a $5 value). Some of the coins in Japan have holes in the center. This is for people to easily discern which coin is which, and to pay in exact change easily.



Another thing I found interesting about Japan is that no one tips. It’s seen as rude if you tip your server or waiter at a restaurant, because it seems like you’re taking pity or looking down on them. In Japan, waiters and waitresses are paid complete salaries. In America, waiters and waitresses aren’t paid minimum wage. They are expected to make the rest of their wage through tips, and if the people they serve tip badly all week, then they don’t make as much money as they should. The Japanese system seems a little bit more efficient, since the customer doesn’t have to pay any extra, and the waiters and waitresses are paid a set rate.