The country’s largest coin has something to say to you.
The 500-yen coin just feels special. Large and weighty, it’s also one of the highest-value coins in the world (its current value is about US$4.42, but in times of more stable exchange rates it hovers closer to five bucks). Even cooler, it’s got a pair of hidden messages, one on each side.
We’ve touched on this before, and thanks to enterprising Imgur user m4n031, there’s a handy guide to spot the tiny, tiny lettering. As shown above, one face of the coin proudly displays its value in numerals…
…but if you look closely…
…each digit also contains two letters. The 5 has an N and an I…
…the first zero two Ps…
…and the final zero an O and an N…
…spelling out “Nippon,” one of the names for Japan in the Japanese language, and specifically the one used by Nippon Ginko (the Bank of Japan), the branch of the government that issues legal tender.
But the 500-yen coin still has more to say. Flip it over to the other side…
…and hidden among the blossoms and vines of the metallic flora are once again letters spelling out Nippon.
▼ The letters are clustered around the center of the design.
The pair of messages is another sign that Japan loves to put thought into little details, and also shows that while you can have fun with a massive stack of yen, you can find some amusement in just a single coin too.
Sources: Imgur/m4n031 (1, 2), Reddit
Top image ©RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]
Follow Casey on Twitter, before it’s only a matter of time until he parts ways with the 500-yen coin at the top of this article in order to obtain taiyaki or manga.
[ Read in Japanese ]
Japanese cosplayer wows crowds by dressing as one of the anime world’s strongest stars【Pics】
Pet therapy: Japanese netizens show off their cute pets and leave us smiling all day
Japan issuing beautiful new coins to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement
Adorkably stylish cosplay cats remind us to adopt pets instead of buy them 【Photos】
Taiwan pulls ahead of Japan in moe race, plasters subway cars with doe-eyed girls
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
The oldest tunnel in Japan is believed to be haunted, and strange things happen when we go there
Arrest proves a common Japanese saying about apologies and police
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Our reporter takes her 71-year-old mother to a visual kei concert for the first time
Every weekend is an itasha car show at Akihabara’s UDX parking garage
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
There’s a park inside Japan where you can also see Japan inside the park
New Studio Ghibli bedding sets are cool in all senses of the word
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
Hanton rice — a delicious regional food even most Japanese people don’t know about, but more should
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
Hamburg and Hamburg Shibuya: A Japanese restaurant you need to put on your Tokyo itinerary
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Kyoto bans tourists from geisha alleys in Gion, with fines for those who don’t follow rules
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Kyoto creates new for-tourist buses to address overtourism with higher prices, faster rides
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli’s new desktop Howl’s Moving Castle will take your stationery on an adventure
Japan unveils beautiful new yen coins for Tokyo Olympics, needs your help picking the best design
Japan’s magic umbrellas reveal cute patterns in the rain
Tokyo restaurant’s all-you-can-eat curry, udon is under five bucks, comes with free fried chicken
In Japan, one yen coins don’t get picked up by strangers in public – they multiply instead
Silver 1,000 yen coin to be issued for Shinkansen’s 50th anniversary
Japanese astronaut sends a picture to the world, world has Photoshop battle【Photos】
Hello Kitty keeping as busy as ever — this time she collaborates with…money itself!
Picture of extremely excited corgi turns into online Photoshop battle【Photos】
Brighten your day with these 12 adorable photos of Shiba Inu being unintentionally cute 【Pics】
Does Japan’s five-yen coin need a foreigner-friendly redesign?
Dedicate your savings to your oshi of choice with this new buildable offertory box
Adorable talking Pokémon Eevee coin bank is here to take your money, make you happy about it【Vid】
How many prizes can you win from Japanese arcade crane games with 10,000 yen?【Experiment】
Japan’s top train station bento boxed lunches for 2016, as picked by travelers
Japanese company has employees-only capsule toy machine in its office for an awesome reason
Leave a Reply