Scripts of My Life (僕の人生の脚本)

Money is the source of evil… as they say..Do you believe that?? Or Money is everything for you?? Well, as for me, it depends on the person on what he thinks of money.. For example, a poor person will think of money as a means of feeding their family, to survive, to live.. While a person with alot of money who still wants more money is plain greedy… On the other hand, a person with alot of money who wants more money to help poor people is kind.. And a person who doesnt have enough money but buys anything he wants is just suicidal…

Well, Im not here to discuss those kind of people, rather to share to you guys the money here in Japan..

MONEY!!!

LAPAD.. One of the first answers you’ll hear when you ask what Japan is.. Even before going here in Japan, alot of people were asking me to give them LAPAD.. And i asked one of them.. “What is that LAPAD??”.. Then that person told me that its the biggest amount of Japanese Money… It is called LAPAD because its size is bigger compared to the other money… I havent seen any Japan money yet that time, thats why I dont know what it look like.. So I was very anxious to see one.. Specially, tha t LAPAD…

Then after receiving my first money, I thought to myself. “Wow, so this is the LAPAD they were talking about..” And by description, yes it really is bigger than the 1kyen or 5kyen bill.. I dont know why they designed it that way.. I’ll try to ask one of my officemate for that…

1 Lapad

So what is the worth of Japan Money?? Well, alot.. First, the conversion of Japan Yen to Philippine Peso is almost half (based current exchange rate).. And that money can buy you anything you want or can make you travel around Japn.. From Gadgets to books, to places like Nagoya and Hokkaido.. So you can do alot of things using that money…So what do I do with the money I receive?? Of course I buy the things I needed and also give support to my family so that they’ll have extra money around the house, and also to share my blessings to them.. I mean, up until now, I was able to buy alot of things that I wasnt able when I was in the Philippines.. Like laptop, cameras, and more.. Also, there are the necessary things like foods, clothes, bike? ehehe.. Ans also, I was able to send money to my family in the Philippines..

5k Yen

Compared to the Philippines, the salary here is bigger, and better.. Thats why alot of people have been trying to work here in Japan whatever it costs.. But sad to say, that money cannot buy you happiness in here.. There have been alot of people, who wishes to go back to the Philippines because they miss their families.. Also, there are those who just cant stand the Japanese Culture and are forced to leave Japan.. As for me, well, I dont know,.. I became used to their customs.. Its just the people I work with who I find difficult to deal with.. Hehe..

1k Yen

The 1k yen.. The most used money here in Japan.. Well, most of the time, people tend to use this bill whenever paying for something they bought.. I dont know, Its like the 100 pesos in the Philippines,.. That even when buying a 20 peso worth of item, youll pay with a 100 peso bill… By the way, the 1k bill is the 4th highest bill in the Japanese Money System.. Of course, the highest is the 10k yen, or the LAPAD.. After the 1k yen bill, are coins… Starting with the biggest, 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1..

Coins

Coins here are also important.. They can be used when buying in vending machines, or when in a 100 yen shop, and many more.. As for me, I tend to pay with my coins first, rather than bills.. Its very heavy if you have alot of bills, and Im pretty sure you dont want your pocket to make a sound whenever you are walking… hehe..

2k Yen Front

There are also special money here in Japan.. One of them is the 2k yen bill.. Well, its not really that special.. Its just that its rare to see one.. So comparing to the Philippines, its like the first release of the 10 peso coin and the 200 peso bill.. At first, you wont believe if it is real money… But after everyone had gotten hold of it, itll be back to normal again.. As for the 2k yen bill, this is the only one Ive seen so far.. One cool thing about it is the design at the back.. Here, take a look:

2k Yen Back

.
There is a design in the lower left like a Japanese writing, that even I cant read.. So there..
Another special money in Japan is this coin, the 100 Yen coin specially made for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo..

100 Yen Back

My friend showed it to me and I was amazed… But he said that you cannot use it.. I dont know if he was talking about the past, that only during the Olympics season that the coin can be used, or the coin is just plainly for collectible sake.. Well, I dont have a piece of that, so I will not waste my time and think about it.. ehehe..

100 Yen Front

Lately it occurred to me that I havent saved my own money yet.. I mean, Ive been in Japan for almost 9 months this December, and I dont have a single yen in my account that can be considered as savings.. One reason is that, I used all of my money for foods, travels, and fun.. But I dont regret using all of it in those events.. Im happy that Im able to do alot of things with that money.. And I will not consider those times as a waste, rather a good memory that will last… So what am I talking about?? Hehe.. Well, for the past few months, Ive been assigned to work in Nagoya.. But my friends are all living somewhere in Kamakura.. So every month, whenever there are consecutive hollidays here in Japan, I visit my friends and we go to places like Disney Sea, Yokohama Sea Paradise, Temples, and other more places.. So those were the only time per month that Ill be able to see them.. Of course, it will cost me alot of money that can be considered as my savings.. But I am willing to spend all of my money just to be with my friends.. Because I really do miss them, and I just cant bare it when I dont see them even once per month.. hehe..

Money For this Month!!

So my friend Dabbie helped me with my problem with money.. Well, its not actually a problem, but she forced me to save the maximum money I can save per month.. After receiving my salary for last month, we talked via Skype and wrote in a paper all the things that I will spend my money for this month.. So that included the Year-End Party for our company, our own Christmas Party in Kamakura, our trip to Disney Land next year, my food for this month, and other more stuffs.. And we were able to compute my target savings for this month.. So using those envelopes, I were able to limit my money and  on were to spend them.. And funny thig is, for example I will buy a food, I will use the money in that envelope to pay for the food, and return the change inside it.. So its like having alot of wallets depending on what you will spend on to.. ehehe.. But its really effective.. though I just used it twice up until now.. ehehe.. So lets see if I can manage my own money as well.. ehehe..

So thanks to her, I now have something to put in my savings, and hopefully this continues until next year.. ehehe… And I advise all of you guys, to save some money too.. For your future… For your plans.. and For your family… ehehe.