Why do I end up with so many coins, and what do I do with them?
Short answer
Because prices are not rounded and the coinage runs high in value. Dump them into an IC card top-up machine rather than carrying them.
The arithmetic that fills your pocket
Coins here go up to a value that would be a note in most countries, and prices are quoted to the yen rather than rounded. Two cash purchases are enough to leave you with a handful of mixed change.
The weight is the real problem rather than the number. A day of small cash payments produces a pocket that jingles and a wallet that will not close.
The move that fixes it
Feed the coins into an IC card top-up machine at any station. The machine accepts a pile of mixed coins at once and converts them into transit and convenience store credit you will definitely spend.
This is the single most useful habit to pick up on day one. It turns dead weight back into money without a counter, a queue or a conversation.
Other places coins go
Vending machines, coin lockers, temple offering boxes and older ticket machines all take them, and some take nothing else.
Paying with exact change at a small shop is welcomed rather than merely tolerated, so a handful of coins is worth offering before a note.
Good to know
- Top-up machines take a fistful of mixed coins in one go — you do not have to sort them
- A small coin purse is not a quaint habit here; it is why locals' wallets close
