So moved😭😭 I was able to exchange for a 1997 500-yen coin

I'm so happy...!!
I'm just so happy!!

February 25th.
The time is 3:00 AM.
I jumped out of bed.

Actually, two years ago, I posted an article like this.

The content is roughly like this👇👇

When I was in elementary school, I decided to start a collection of 500-yen coins from 1997 onwards.

However, even after searching for 15 years,
I just couldn't find the ones from 1997, 1998, or 1999... sob sob

If anyone has one, please exchange it with me!!

I received a message saying they had one.

I mean, I never expected to get a message after someone saw an article from two years ago...!

Honestly,
I thought, "Oh, this is a scam"😅

Because I am not buying the coins for more than 500 yen.
I am only asking for anexchangeafter all.
There is no benefit for you all.

In the first place,
・Even if someone has one, they aren't reading my note
・Even if they did read it, they wouldn't go out of their way to look for it
・Even if they happened to have one, they usually wouldn't notice.

And besides,
according to Wikipedia,

Whaaaat😱😱
I found this out in 2024; I didn't know it when I published the article.

In short, I had given up, thinking it would be impossible.

I never expected to get a message!

I decided to reach out, thinking that even if I were being scammed, it would be worth it if we could actually meet up.

I was prepared to go anywhere in the country.
If I were to be called out to some remote area and stood up,
I could at least turn that into content for a note post, haha.

That said,
I couldn't stop the excitement.

It wasn't because of the joy of getting a 1997 500-yen coin.
It was because someone read my article,
actually looked at their 500-yen coins,
and even left a comment.
I was deeply moved by this fact.

Since they had also sent me a DM on Twitter (now X) at the same time as the note comment, I figured it probably wasn't a lie.

Even so, I tried to stay calm so that I wouldn't be too shocked if things didn't work out.
I sent a reply.

Would I actually get a reply?
If I didn't get a response, I wouldn't even be able to write a note article about it...

I said I would go anywhere in the country, but...
If it were the Ogasawara Islands or a remote island in Okinawa, would I be able to find the time for a round trip?

What if it's a scam and I get kidnapped?
(Though, a scam this niche using a 1997 500-yen coin would be way too much effort for the payoff, haha)

Just five days later...

While telling myself to stay calm, I was feeling nervous as I stood at Kyoto Station.
Looking around, I saw Westerners and Asians dragging their suitcases.
I had already shared what I was wearing, and I had been told what the other person would be wearing.
Still, even so.
With so many people here, will I really be able to find them?

That's right.
I actually received a reply! 😆
They said they would really meet me!
If I just wanted to get a 500-yen coin, there are ways to do it by mail.
A 1997 500-yen coin itself doesn't have any value beyond that.

Even so.
I wanted to thank them in person.
I thought this kind of connection was interesting.

That's it, I'm going to Kyoto!

It's my first time in Kyoto in eight years.

The 500-yen coin I've been searching for for 15 years, exchanged‼️

Despite their busy schedule, we were able to talk for about an hour and a half.

Apparently, they don't usually meet people they know from the internet in person, but they said they were willing to meet me for the first time for this.

Wow, and yet you still messaged me...!

They said they thought they would send a message if it would make someone happy, and
Wow... what a wonderful person...!

But they also said they were a little scared to meet.
(Well, that's understandable! Haha)

They mentioned that they often have opportunities to see old coins at work, and
they were aware that they had a 1997 500-yen coin themselves.

When I told them I came to Kyoto just for the 500-yen coin, I surprised them.
And they laughed, saying they didn't expect me to come so soon.

Even so,
I don't have much money other than my 500-yen coin savings, so I came by night bus😅

Thank you so much for this time!!
I even received a souvenir💦💦
This has become a memory of a lifetime‼️

This is not the end.
There are still 500-yen coins I haven't collected...!

Now then.
Let me say it again.

If you have a 500-yen coin from 1998,
please exchange it with me!!!

[Thank you for reading until the end!🍀🍀]
I would be happy if you could take a look at another article♪

・I have met many people through social media👇
For example...

・Why I jumped out of bed at 3 AM👇