Canadian coins
I was gazing at the Canadian coins I still have and was primarily struck by the dates. 1974 and 1983 were familiar to me, as I have seen them numerous times while in Canada. But what I didn't expect was my reaction to others, like 1999 and 2001. Staring at their raised edges, the dates actually communicated with me: these are years I do not associate with Canada since I wasn't there. This is a new sensation for me: the years on the coins have no association with the country.
We have wildlife and nature images on our currency. Beautiful country, as all Japanese agree. Here in Japan, they don't put politicians or military figures on their currency. Rather, the space is reserved for writers or intellectuals. The allusion to the national pacifism in high profile public space is not lost on me.
Moving home: so yeah, coins are weird.