I did a double take last night when I got my change back from the convenience store clerk, thinking he was trying to pass off some of that funny Canadian money. After a visit to the ATM today I see all the new 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen note are in full circulation. Here's a Bank of Japan page that explains the new security features, which are plentiful. The 5,000 yen note, shown above, features a portrait of Ichiyo Higuchi, a 19th century novelist and the first woman to appear on a Japanese banknote.
