In April this year, the Ministry of Finance revealed new designs for the Japanese yen -scheduled to go into circulation in 2024 - featuring an image of Tokyo Station and theGreat Wave off Kanagawa, as painted by ukiyo-e wood block master Hokusai.

The redesign prompted Japanese illustrator and manga artist Ponkichi to come up with an alternative banknote of his own, featuring a widely beloved Japanese icon: the ShibaInu.

Ponkichi's 1,000 yen (US$9.31) note design became so popular it got its own range of merchandise, and now the artist is back with another cute currency, this time with a 500yen creation.

Japan doesn't actually have a 500-yen note, as the country's banknotes start at 1,000 yen. However, if we were to switch from today's 500-yen coin to a 500-yen note, Ponkichi'sdesign would be hard to beat, with not one, but five Mame Shiba Inu pups gracing its surface.

To read the complete article, see:
Japanese Mame Shiba Inu banknote design pays homage tonation's beloved dog (https://soranews24.com/2019/10/09/japanese-mame-shiba-inu-banknote-design-pays-homage-to-nations-beloved-dog/)