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The mesmerizing art of stacking Japanese coins 【Photos】

Casey Baseel Dec 6, 2016
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Here’s a beautifully compelling reason to hang onto your change when you go shopping in Japan.

Japanese coins are pretty cool. Not do they come in large enough denominations that you can buy a drink and some snacks all with a single piece of metal, certain types of disc-based yen have hidden messages and can even float on water.

But Japanese Twitter user @thumb_tani has recently been showing off another cool thing about Japanese coins: they can be stacked in awesomely creative ways.

製作開始から二時間弱。時間を犠牲にした新作をご覧下さい。 pic.twitter.com/11TZp0IkBo

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) December 3, 2016

ちょっと楽しいと思い始めてる自分が嫌になる。 pic.twitter.com/M22WTW2kUd

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) November 25, 2016

こんな真夜中に見ている人なんていないと思いますが、やっと完成しました。 pic.twitter.com/MwvWOykpos

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) August 6, 2016

The extreme variations in size and weight between yen coins of different values, plus the fact that the five-yen and 50-yen pieces have holes in their centers, give @thumb_tani plenty of options to work with when balancing and positioning the components of his creations.

コインを一枚積む度に私の心は浄化されていくのです。私の心は湖面のように静まり、宇宙のように広くなっているのですよ皆さん。あぁトランスコイン積み pic.twitter.com/XZt1r48tSQ

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) October 1, 2016

完成と同時に寝落ちして、冷静になった今これを見て「俺は何をしてたんだろう…」ってなってる。 pic.twitter.com/mKGFYagvEV

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) October 1, 2016

コインタワー。久し振りにやると緊張しますね。 pic.twitter.com/Ui6kRct1JC

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) October 22, 2016

@thumb_tani doesn’t strictly confine himself to the media of legal tender, though. When he’s looking to mix things up, he’ll also employ non-coinage elements in his work, including spoons, pens, and marbles.

一日分の集中力と気力を使い果たした。 pic.twitter.com/SJ8t8GysN1

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) November 3, 2016

普通は難しい事に成功すると嬉しいはずなのに、この虚しさはなんだ。 pic.twitter.com/vwrXvXrJou

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) August 27, 2016

最近、製作欲が湧きません。
アイデア下さい…。 pic.twitter.com/EHvMWdIvgq

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) September 4, 2016

▼ Umm…that’s not how a coin bank is supposed to work.

久し振りだけど、いい感じです。 pic.twitter.com/0MzfwsfP1U

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) October 1, 2016

He’s certainly got a flair for the dramatic, but @thumb_tani is also aware that simplicity has a visual appeal all its own.

「今日は心が穏やかだな」って感じる時はすぐに集中状態に入れる。そしてこんなのが一回目で決まったりする。 pic.twitter.com/92ThnH0D9L

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) November 29, 2016

コイン積みを始めて四年経ちました。
なんだか精神修行じみてきました。 pic.twitter.com/dy3oQ9w9Sk

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) November 20, 2016

Being a Japanese balancing enthusiast, obviously the yen is the form of currency @thumb_tani has the easiest access to. A few of his projects also incorporate the peso, though, giving them an international flavor.

やっつけ仕事 pic.twitter.com/lc4XsFbXov

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) August 27, 2016

こんな事に1時間も費やしてしまった。
こんな事に。 pic.twitter.com/c5b29pi3tl

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) November 23, 2016

写真を撮る瞬間のドキドキ感も悪くない。 pic.twitter.com/4du5uAKafY

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) September 10, 2016

If calling someone a “balancing enthusiast” seems a little odd, be aware that if he doesn’t have any coins handy, @thumb_tani is also perfectly happy to amuse himself by using umbrellas or eggs to thumb his nose at gravity.

地下鉄来ないな…。 pic.twitter.com/8T6I4vooDz

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) June 24, 2016

おやすみなさい。 pic.twitter.com/9m4Jn3DbBq

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) May 27, 2016

And while these stacks of coins look like they could topple over at the slightest shift in balance, at least one of them was stable enough to continue standing as a bug crawled its way to the top of the structure.

キイロテントウ、コインタワー登りに成功。 pic.twitter.com/jnkDAnTsU1

— た　ぬ (@thumb_tani) August 25, 2016

There’s no question that @thumb_tani is extremely talented at what he does. However, while you obviously need money to artistically stack up coins, you really can’t make much money doing that, so @thumb_tani needs a day job. We’re not sure if he’s already secured employment, but if not, he might want to see if any of his local bookstores are hiring.

Source: IT Media, Twitter/@thumb_tani

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he thinks it’s a good day if he can hand his change over to the convenience store clerk without dropping half of them on the floor.