Japanese Piggy banks go high-tech

The idea of saving money is embedded into Japanese culture, and with the pitiful interest rates you get at a Japanese bank you may as well keep the money buried in a coffee can in the backyard (if you have a backyard at all). There’s an underlying thinking of saving for the proverbial “rainy day” or for a nice vacation. Men, usually given pocket money by their wives, have to keep especially good tabs on their loose change, and with coins made in 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and ¥500 denominations (think of ¥1 as almost $.01) there’s a lot of change in your pocket at the end of the day. These days nearly any toy/electronics/gadget shop carries lots of variations of the piggy bank, either simple ones as characters, or high-tech versions that reward you for saving.

Jinsei Ginkou (Life Bank) from Takara Tomy has a logo and design that looks like a promotion from a real bank, but it’s actually a Tamagotchi-like piggy bank with an LCD screen. The ultimate goal is to save up to ¥100,000 ($850) on a schedule that you create. On the screen is “you”, a poor looking guy in a crappy one-tatami apartment with flies buzzing around. However, every time you insert ¥500 (it only takes ¥500 coins!) your situation gets better. You go on dates, get new clothes, upgrade apartments, and generally pimp yourself out. By the time you get to your goal it’s time to move the game to real life and spend your hard earned Yen. Jinsei Ginkou has been absolutely huge in Japan, and was completely sold out for a few months until recently.

The banks above are variations on a real ATM, with passcodes, access cards, and services to manage your loose change. While Jinsei Ginkou is fun for people of all ages, these banks are mostly meant for kids. What better way to teach them the true value of money? Kids who use banking “toys” like this will be ready to deal with the real thing when that time comes. Of course, with Japanese women controlling most of the money, the boys might want to just brush up on their pachinko skills.