SYSTEM NOTICE

Auto translation by AI. Be sure, accuracy, nuances and authorial intent may not be fully reflected.

🎹 [Extra Edition] Should piano tuition be paid with crisp new bills? Midnight ATM refugees and the ironing incident

2026年5月4日 20:06

The PTNA season has begun.

My daughter's days of being immersed in piano have started.

In the midst of this, there is a sacred time that comes about once a month.

It is a drinking party with my comrades-in-arms, also known as my mom friends and dad friends.

↓↓ Here are the usual suspects ↓

🍺 The best time to unwind, and a shocking remark

Between full-time work, housework, and childcare, our discussions have recently even started to include caring for our aging parents.

That day, too, we were chatting about trivial things like complaints about work, stories about our children, and the common struggles of caring for elderly parents.

Forget about piano, work, and caregiving for a moment. Tonight is just a "drinking party." We all have a lot going on, but because we have this time, we can keep doing our best.

Barely touching their food, the middle school girls are all about TikTok. Filming, editing, decorating, and done. The world of middle school girls is incomprehensible to us mothers.

In the middle of this, one of my mom friends said casually,

"Ururun-chan, do you pay your piano tuition with crisp new bills?"

New bills.

......What on earth is that?

"I took piano lessons when I was a kid. My mom used to say, 'It's tuition day this week, so I have to get some new bills.'"

"What! I didn't know that! Is that a thing?"

Everyone pulled out their smartphones.

Google-sensei, tell us.

"It is considered traditional etiquette to prepare crisp new bills when paying piano tuition in person. This expresses gratitude and courtesy, showing that you 'prepared' for the payment."

I had no idea.

I truly had no idea.

To all the teachers I have been indebted to until now.

I am truly sorry.

Wait, is that a thing!? Everyone started searching at once. The takoyaki party was interrupted.

From the following month, I started making sure to prepare new bills to pay the tuition.

New bill etiquette, fully mastered. Exchanging money has become a routine. I've even become a familiar face to the lady at the bank counter.

💦 Incident occurred, I ran out of new bills 💦

......And then the incident happened.

Tuition day is tomorrow.

I opened the envelope where I keep my stock of new bills.

Empty.

Work was hectic last week, and I forgot to exchange money during my lunch break.

It is late Friday night. The lesson is tomorrow morning.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Google-sensei, I need your help again.

What should I do if I urgently need new bills?

"Bank ATM exchange machines, Japan Post Bank ATMs, hotel front desks, department store information counters... If you still can't get any, use an iron."

An iron!?

"If you lightly dampen it with a spray bottle, place a pressing cloth over it, and iron it on a low setting, the wrinkles will smooth out and it will look like a new bill."

🏧 Late-night ATM refugees, and the last resort

First, I clutched my wallet and headed to a late-night ATM.

First stop. No new bills.

Second stop. None.

Third stop. None!!

Why, of all times, now?

First stop, none. Second stop, none. Third stop, none either. Why, of all times, now? Three strikes at the late-night ATM. I was completely cornered.

Alright. Time for the iron. 🔥

A quick spray of water. Use a pressing cloth. Low heat. Gently. Carefully.

The final resort, activated. Spray bottle. Pressing cloth. Low heat. The showdown. Now that I've come this far, I have no choice but to do it.

“...Hey, does this look like a new bill? Does it? Which one!?”

My husband, woken up in the middle of the night, said with half-closed eyes,

“Did the teacher even tell you to pay with new bills in the first place?”

“...No, she didn't.”

“Then why don't you just apologize honestly?”

“But I don't want her to think I'm a mother who doesn't know manners!”

“But isn't it less honest to iron them to pretend they're new?”

Bullseye.

Silence.

“...I'll do that. I'll apologize honestly.”

I quietly put the iron away.

(Though I did put the ironed bills in the envelope just in case. It's my insurance.)

“The teacher didn't say that, did she?” My husband's logic left me completely stuck. “Why don't you just apologize honestly?” With those words from my husband, I understood everything.

🎹 The next morning, Elsa-sensei's mercy

The next morning.

As I handed the envelope to Elsa-sensei, I took a deep breath and said,

“Sensei, I wasn't able to prepare new bills this month. I am truly sorry.”

The teacher replied with that beautiful smile of hers,

“Thank you for always being so thoughtful. I know how busy you are, so please don't worry about it.”

When I gathered the courage to apologize, what I got back was that smile. It was the morning the teacher taught me that it's okay not to be perfect.

🌸 Important feelings tucked into a small effort

In this cashless era, we carry less cash than we used to.

Even so, I believe that something beyond words resides in the small effort of preparing new bills.

The respect of saying, “I prepared this for you.”

The gratitude of saying, “Thank you for everything.”

Small, precious feelings tucked into a single envelope.

I think this is a wonderful custom.

I might be careless again in the future.

But I want to keep expressing my gratitude to the teacher who guides my daughter in this way.

...Next time, I'll make sure not to need the iron's help.

I've written 'restock new bills' on my calendar.

🌿 A novice parent and child who don't know anything. Even so, one step at a time. We will continue to learn together.

#PTNA #Piano #PianoClass #PianoTuition
#NewBanknoteEtiquette #LessonEtiquette #ParentalRealizations
#WorkingMother #DualIncomeFamily #ParentingMom
#Essay #ParentingEssay #DailyLifeEssay
#ATMRefugee #RelatableContent #DidntKnowThat
#CreativeAward2026