Sites Linked to Faces of New Bank Notes Excited before Release

Tokyo, June 25 (Jiji Press)--With the debut of new bank notes just a week to go, excitement is building in locations with strong links with the three historical figures featured in the new notes, including Eiichi Shibusawa, dubbed the father of Japan’s capitalism.

The new 10,000-yen, 5,000-yen and 1,000-yen notes will enter into circulation July 3 in what will be the country’s first bank note redesigning in 20 years.

In Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, the birthplace of Shibusawa, the face of the new 10,000-yen bill, the “Michi no Eki Okabe” roadside rest station is selling some 90 products related to Shibusawa, such as neckties and sake.

They are selling well. A 65-year-old man from Watari, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, bought cookies that have a mock 100-million-yen note with Shibusawa’s portrait printed on them. “I saw these on television,” he said. “I’m looking forward to trying them.”

“I feel the excitement grow day by day,” said Yukio Katsuki, 40, who manages the rest station. “We hope to increase the number of goods to 200.”

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]