Mystery money turning up in gov’t office restrooms across Japan
Over the past several months, small stacks of envelopes, each containing a 10,000 yen bill (about $85) and a handwritten letter, have been turning up in the restrooms at prefectural offices across Japan. On July 11, officials announced the mystery money has been found in 33 different restrooms in government offices located in 15 prefectures — Hokkaido, Aomori, Miyagi, Akita, Niigata, Saitama, Chiba, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, Nara, Hyogo, Oita, Nagasaki and Miyazaki.
In every case where the money turns up, the 10,000 yen bills are each enclosed in separate envelopes with the words “payment” and “one envelope per person” written on them. The envelopes also include a handwritten message asking the finder to use the money to help pay for some sort of study or training.
In Tokyo, a stack of ten envelopes was found in the restroom on the first floor of the Tokyo city office on June 14. Elsewhere in the city, stacks of nine envelopes were found in the men’s restrooms at both the Kita and Itabashi ward offices, and a stack of ten was found in a restroom at the Shinjuku ward office.
According to officials in Shizuoka prefecture, where 200,000 yen (about $1,700) was discovered in the restrooms at the city and prefectural offices, each of the 20 accompanying letters written on rice paper featured slight differences in handwriting, indicating a single benefactor wrote each letter by hand.
The first known mystery money appeared in Sendai on April 9, where a stack of six envelopes was found in the first-floor men’s restroom of the city office.
All told, more than 2.8 million yen (more than $23,000) has been found in restrooms across Japan.
[Sources: Asahi, Yomiuri, Tokyo Shimbun]
This kind of mysterious planting of money envelopes reminds me of lost, the real world/internet game that is based on hidden invitations found all over the place. Here’s a link if you want to check it out: www.lost.eu/4b430
Hmm, makes me wonder why they did it. Maybe an elaborate prank by a rich man/woman? If they’re suggesting Training/ studying, I’d think it’s either to humiliate them, or even possibly to warn them, telling the men to bone up on how to deal with possible tight situations?
Maybe just someone who feels they have not achieved what they had intended with their life and wants to feel better about it by making anonymous contributions via good intent. I hope those who do find the envelopes do something positive with the cash.
Actually it makes sense. If we reward people for being good instead of rewarding people for being bad, maybe the world would be good.
If more rich people did this sorta thing, the world would be more efficient, as long as the people who recieve the money continue the cycle.
It’s called passing it forward.
IM TEH ONE WHO SI DONG AL THES AL TEH WAY FROM UZBKISTAN HAHAHAHA!!11!! JOK BUT I STIL WOND3R WHO SI DONG THIS.!!1!!!1!!11!1!11!!1 LOL
A friend told me that it’s happening because of the book, “When Money Talks, Listen!”. It’s an e-book you get at www.mystermoney.com
In the book, there are 5 lessons about money. One chapter and lesson is actually called “Mystery Money”, which encourages the main character to keep his eyes open for money that can come to him from anywhere, even from a stranger. Another lesson in the book encourages giving away mystery money and thinking of fun, creative ways to do it. Not sure if this is why or not, but it is very similar.