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Tokyo-ites: Coin Exchange!

yoyo5280

yoyo5280

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Feb 24, 2007
1,910
0
Melbourne, Australia & Bay Area
Hey! I need help from those, if any body here, residing in tokyo.

I have a HUGE jar of coins, that I would like to change to bills but have not found a place. I know in some countries they these machines called CoinStar　
success_coinstar_machine.jpg
that exchange them for you but I have yet to find one in Japan.

I have asked on other forums, and my friends (日本人) and have gotten answers such as

  • [*]I dono, the bank?
    [*]DONT TAKE IT TO THE POST OFFICE< they get pissed
    [*]etc.
    Click to expand...

So does anybody have a better answer?

[i have trouble with banks. btw]

ありがとう、
 
Can you just deposit it at your bank? ATMs have little Coinstar-like slots you can just dump your coins into.
 
My old bank, Hachijuuni, had ATMs that let you just dump the coins. Next time you pass a Citi ATM, take a close look to see if they have a slot of sorting coins. Or take your big jar and just walk into a branch and they'll probably direct you the right way. Are you Japanese or gaijin?
 
itcheroni said:
My old bank, Hachijuuni, had ATMs that let you just dump the coins. Next time you pass a Citi ATM, take a close look to see if they have a slot of sorting coins. Or take your big jar and just walk into a branch and they'll probably direct you the right way. Are you Japanese or gaijin?
Click to expand...

外人です。　Makes thing a bit harder :p
 
Being gaijin works in your favor. Just walk into your parents' bank with a huge jar of coins, look confused, point to your coins, point to some paper money, and point back to your coins. Someone will help you out.
 
itcheroni said:
Being gaijin works in your favor. Just walk into your parents' bank with a huge jar of coins, look confused, point to your coins, point to some paper money, and point back to your coins. Someone will help you out.
Click to expand...

Haha I hate doing that though. I always try to speak japanese, (usually resulting in them asking me something I don't understand somewhere a long the line) but I watch as my Half/Half friends take advantage of their gaijin said to avoid the embarrassment of being Japanese and not knowing something :p
 
yoyo5280 said:
Hey! I need help from those, if any body here, residing in tokyo.

I have a HUGE jar of coins, that I would like to change to bills but have not found a place. I know in some countries they these machines called CoinStar　 that exchange them for you but I have yet to find one in Japan.

I have asked on other forums, and my friends (日本人) and have gotten answers such as
So does anybody have a better answer?

[i have trouble with banks. btw]

ありがとう、
Click to expand...

I assume you have a Japanese ATM card? Perhaps for one or more of their banks? I don't know do you know but their ATM machines accept coins. I'd advice you to use them, there's no charge for deposits... but don't do what I did - load the thing right up, cause it'll jam!! :eek: Than you'll hold up the long queues, need to get on the phone and ask for help!!

がんばって！
 
UltraNEO* said:
I assume you have a Japanese ATM card? Perhaps for one or more of their banks? I don't know do you know but their ATM machines accept coins. I'd advice you to use them, there's no charge for deposits... but don't do what I did - load the thing right up, cause it'll jam!! :eek: Than you'll hold up the long queues, need to get on the phone and ask for help!!

がんばって！
Click to expand...

I don't know much on the topic but my parents use CitiBank, would an ATM for citi work?

Thanksfor the help!
 
yoyo5280 said:
I don't know much on the topic but my parents use CitiBank, would an ATM for citi work?

Thanksfor the help!
Click to expand...

Give it a try!! There's no harm. I know 三井住友 (Sumitomo Mitsui) and 三菱東京 (Mitsubishi) works.. However, I'm not sure about Citi cause I don't bank with them.
 
You can walk into any bank and ask them to change it for you. Just walk up to the counter and ask them to "ryougae 両替" (exchange) or "matometekudasai まとめてください" (put together). They'll have you fill up a form - do so, and you should be off on your merry way with your (paper) cash.

がんばれ！You can do it!


irmongoose
 
yoyo5280 said:
I don't know much on the topic but my parents use CitiBank, would an ATM for citi work?

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

I'm really quiet curious... How did you manage to collect so much, what I can only assume would be small dominations? Cause I've never intentionally managed to collect huge jars of coins, simply because I would use them in the 'conbini' - even the aluminium stuff!!

I suppose, Japan ain't bad at all when it comes to spending money... Hong Kong's a bleedin' nightmare!! Most stores won't accept small coins, even if the total makes up the correct amount!! Yet they can't change the biggest bills.. From where I'm from, money is money. Don't want my business or money.. I'd spend it elsewhere. Hehe

Happy New Year!
 
yoyo5280

irmongoose said:
You can walk into any bank and ask them to change it for you. Just walk up to the counter and ask them to "ryougae 両替" (exchange) or "matometekudasai まとめてください" (put together). They'll have you fill up a form - do so, and you should be off on your merry way with your (paper) cash.

がんばれ！


irmongoose
Click to expand...
すみません、両替ください？。　My bunpo is very very bad.

UltraNEO* said:
I'm really quiet curious... How did you manage to collect so much, what I can only assume would be small dominations? Cause I've never intentionally managed to collect huge jars of coins, simply because I would use them in the 'conbini' - even the aluminium stuff!!
!
Click to expand...
Because I don't like carrying around tons of coins with me, unless they are 100\500¥ (Easier to loose) I would put them in my room just collecting. Then I decided I need to organize it and put them Into a large container. :)

Now I want to change that to cash cause I need more money :p
 
Highly Ironic.

I'm in exact same situation... I have no 日本 bank account anywhere (post office ATM suffices :D), and also have a huge ziplock bag filled with 1's 5's 10's some 100's and probably couple hidden 500's!

Let me know what works Yoyo! I've tried many places (Don't try the post office, they looked like they wanted to kill me...) and cant seem to get anyone to take the bag! Though a fast food joint took 980¥ worth of 10's and three 100's...! Girl wasn't even fazed, somehow.

I agree, it's so much easier to dump the coins you end up with at the end of a day and just run around with mostly paper bills here...
 
Philz said:
Highly Ironic.

I'm in exact same situation... I have no 日本 bank account anywhere (post office ATM suffices :D), and also have a huge ziplock bag filled with 1's 5's 10's some 100's and probably couple hidden 500's!

Let me know what works Yoyo! I've tried many places (Don't try the post office, they looked like they wanted to kill me...) and cant seem to get anyone to take the bag! Though a fast food joint took 980¥ worth of 10's and three 100's...! Girl wasn't even fazed, somehow.

I agree, it's so much easier to dump the coins you end up with at the end of a day and just run around with mostly paper bills here...
Click to expand...

Plastic baggy sounds easy to transport. Mines a large tup-of-ware container! :p

Its way easier to dump the coins somewhere and use bills agreed :)

Haha just what my friend said, the post office gets pissed.


I bought a game from Bic Camera Shibuya with all coins once. The guy was laughing :)

I'm back in school, I'm going to ask my friends again.
 
Off topic: Good to see so many people in Tokyo. I'm taking my first trip of the year over at the end of the month. Looking forward to some shabu shabu...
 
yoyo5280 said:
I bought a game from Bic Camera Shibuya with all coins once. The guy was laughing :)

I'm back in school, I'm going to ask my friends again.
Click to expand...

That poor guy was probably laughing cause cash tills in most stores are like coin-ops, he/she doesn't really need to count it.. But what gets me about most store staff is their inability to calculate the change from say 万円 if you've spent 9997円. Have you seen them with a the calculator? 笑:D
 
^^Pahaha i just might try that someday.

MooneyFlyer you probably know this, but don't go to tourist shabu shabu restaurant. its real takai, and you could pay just over ¥1000 at some places in shibuya.
 
Surely you must be able to exchange coins. My girlfriend has kept a "piggy bank" full of coins since she was young. When it's full, she exchanges them for cash. She has done it since she was young. I never save my coins because I'm able to use them, although the lightweight 1 yen coins are annoying. They don't even feel like real money.

Perhaps if you were to sort the coins out for them, they'd be more willing to accept them. Also consider doing it in chunks. Don't just hand them ALL your coins.
 
yoyo5280 said:
^^Pahaha i just might try that someday.

MooneyFlyer you probably know this, but don't go to tourist shabu shabu restaurant. its real takai, and you could pay just over ¥1000 at some places in shibuya.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know this well. Although one of my customers likes a place on the 10th FL of the Niko hotel in Kawasaki that is "dai takai"

I'll be hitting a small place in Shin Yokohama near my hotel. Also, the Yakatori Club in the SY train station as my schedule permits.

Ja mata!
 
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