¥1. Is equal to a penny. Has a tree on one side and the number 1 on the other side.
¥5. Is about the worth of a nickel. Has a rice grain on one side and the year it was minted on the other side. This coin is interesting in that it has a hole in the middle. The hole in the coin goes back to archaic times where coins were strung on a string and tied at the end. People would hang it around their neck and untie it when they were about to spend money.
¥10. About the cost of a dime. Has the Byoodoo (平等院) on one side. The Byoodoo (平等院) is a famous temple in Japan. The other side has an evergreen tree, which symbolizes eternity.
¥50. Is about the value of two quarters. One side has a chrysanthemum and the other side has the year of minting in kanji.
¥100. Is about 1 U.S. dollar. One side has cherry blossoms and the other side has the number 100 written.
¥500. Is about 5 U.S. dollars. One side has flowers and the other side has a bamboo and an orange.
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4 Comments
WOW!!! Thank you for this paticular post. I would be so happy to actually have some Japanese Coins (Mainly the ones with the hole in the middle). Everything about Japan is interesting to me so I truely LOVE your blog!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
How would one go about getting 5 yen?
The history of older Japanese coins is even more interesting than that of modern coinage!
I have a Hirohito Golden Jubilee Commemorative gold coin that was given to my Father while he was Chairman of INCO. It is a 50y coin, and I can’t find anything about it.