These coin banks are pretty nifty and require batteries of course. I have some photos of the kitty cat coin bank and of the Yamanote Line coin bank. These can be found in Japan at the toys section of Yodobashi Camera or possibly Tokyo Hands. Some online stores may have them too.
The Itazura Cat Coin Bank -- Orange Tabby CatThis is a cute coin bank. A poor kitty lives inside a replica of a carboard box and when you put a coin on the fish skeleton plate, the cat reveals itself and sticks a paw out to collect your money. Of course it buys sushi with its share of your savings. It also makes a meowing sound. This bank is for cat lovers and it comes in different colours of cat.
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| Cat Coin Bank 1 |
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| Cat Coin Bank - peeking! |
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| Cat Coin Bank - Your money is mine! |
Yamanote Line Train Car Coin BankOn my last trip to Tokyo, I was looking for this coin bank and found it at the Yodobashi Camera in Akiba. There were multiple train lines available. This coin bank doesn't have the glitz and glamour of the cat bank but it tells the time! But not only that, it flashes the lights when you put a coin in. Unfortunately Canadian Loonies and Toonies do not fit down the slot, but our quarters do. The bank will play through three different train station tunes and generally looks pretty cool on your desk. It was a nice souvenir. There is also a manual button to trigger the music and light show.
If you've spent any time on the trains in Japan you'll notice that many stations have a unique musical tune that plays on the train as you approach. I'm not quite sure how this tradition originated, but I'm sure that more than one dozy rider was awakened by the unique sound of their station coming up and was warned to get off.
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| Yamanote Line Coin Bank. |
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| The lights were flashing here, but you really can't tell unless you look really hard. |
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| Back of the box with the station tunes listed. |
Visit my
Evangelion canned bread article where the can becomes a coin bank afterwards!
