Don’t Throw Away Those One-Yen Coins!

Posted on 02/28/2023 Last updated on 01/11/2024

Top photo: FRANK211さん on PhotoAC

I studied abroad in Japan when I was in college, and when my studies concluded I packed my things and took everything home with me. Everything I wanted, that is. I left one thing in my room: a bag full of one-yen coins.

One-yen coins are the smallest yen and have the least value. They seemed worthless to me and I didn’t know what to do with them. They made my wallet bulge and I didn’t want them, so I discarded them. There are others in Japan who feel the same way I felt. My Japanese mother-in-law has a jar full of one-yen coins that she has collected over the years.

If you are coming to Japan and you are someone who usually shops with a debit or credit card, one thing you will have to get used to is using Japanese cash and coins. Although cashless options are increasing in Japan, the country has traditionally been a cash-based society, which means that you should always carry yen with you. When you do so, I suggest you take those one-yen coins with you, too.

When you are shopping in Japan, your goal should be to minimize your change. By doing some simple math in your head, you can give the cashier an amount that will get you the change that you want.

Say you are shopping at a super market and you have 1,758 yen in your wallet. Your total is 208 yen. The easiest way to pay that is to ignore your change purse and give the cashier 1,000 yen in cash. But, then your change is 792 yen and you have a handful of unwanted coins. So how can you pay for this to minimize your change?

Pay the exact amount:

Paying the exact amount is always preferable, because it means no change!

Pay the same as the ones amount:

Paying an amount greater than the total that has the same ones value will always give you good change. In this example, if you pay 508 yen, your change will be 300 yen.

Aim for a five-yen coin:

Something I do often when shopping is look at the total price and count the difference between the ones value and five. So, if the total is 208 yen, 8-5=3, and that means if I give 253 yen my change will be 45 yen.

These three methods are simple and will minimize your change and help you avoid those dreaded one-yen coins. There are other calculations, such as aim for a fifty-yen coin or aim for a five hundred-yen coin, that will help you with that. I’m still learning myself and hope to become a master at getting five hundred-yen coins. I’d love to fill a bag with those!

So, if you’re coming to Japan or are new here, make sure to carry yen with you everywhere you go, even those one-yen coins, and aim to pay an amount that will give you the change you want.

Photo Credits:

Top photo: FRANK211さん on PhotoAC