Taking a 2nd look at the currency that we got to take with us, I can’t imagine how big the Japanese wallets are? These bills are fat! They are about 50% taller than US Dollars and will not fit in my wallet unless I fold them into smaller portions. They are also in HUGE demoninations. If you read the bills they are in teh thousands! But that doesn’ t mean they are worth that much in USD. Infact the current excange rates have them at $0.0125 for 1 Yen. That means 1000 Yen is only $12.50 How crazy is that? I can buy something for 100,000 Yen and it will only be a $1,200. Not that I am going to be spending that much money over there on one item, but it makes me wonder how many zeros department stores have to have on hand when prices change. I should be careful if i go to a Wal-mart over there. Falling prices really could hurt you if that many numbers where involved.
I am feeling more confident in the plans for Hong Kong and Tokyo now that I have the currency and am getting good with knowing which is which, as well as knowing the current conversion rates. I feel that things will go smoothly for us once we arrive. This week will all be about cleaning up the apartment and packing for the trip. Do you have any suggestions for packing? Have you been there before, or other Asian countries during the summer?
