The Journey of a New Wallet
Dear Mr. Banknote,
Welcome to my world. Why not get familiar with the sweet papery scent of new banknotes? Close your eyes and enter the money forest. Fan yourself with the natural breeze of new banknotes. Take a deep breath and never turn back. … Forget those old-note-blues.
I started using mini wallets in 2012, when cash and card payments were the norms. Ten years later, after the end of the pandemic, luxury brands began carrying mini wallets one after another, and last year I bought my third mini wallet from Balenciaga, I like the white and yellow floral pattern on a black background. And although I carry this mini wallet most of the time, I actually rarely take out money from it, mostly because I use my phone to make payments.
However, I still prefer using new banknotes. It has become a personal rule of mine to give people crisp, new bills when I hand them money. Additionally, I find it comfortable always to have fresh banknotes in my wallet. The ATM at the nearest station, where I can consistently obtain new bills, holds a power spot.
New banknotes tend to get bent when I place them in my small purse. To prevent this, I use bank envelopes to keep them safe in my bag. However, I must remain cautious to avoid mistakenly discarding the entire envelope, as I have a tendency to dispose of receipts and promotional mail without much thought.
Given this background, I purchased a wallet exclusively for my banknotes on a money-luck day. The golden wallet is generally associated with money, but this time, in honor of the creative mind, I chose a 1 cm thick wallet by Margaret Howell. It easily holds 10 new banknotes and the blue-gray color blends in with my bright outfit. Furthermore, the blue-gray color is said to purify one’s luck and protect one’s possessions.
Before using the new wallet, it undergoes a certain ritual. First, I fill it with plenty of new banknotes, allowing the wallet to familiarize itself with money. Then, I let it rest in a quiet environment for a little over ten days.
So, to prepare the first banknotes to put in my wallet, I visited a shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, the god of money, which is said to bring the best luck for money in Tokyo and performed the ritual of washing money with water. I was told that since bills are paper, they only need to be slightly wetted with water, but if they are soaked with even a little water, they become soft like boiled sheets of lasagna, and I came to really recognize that money is just paper.
After the ceremony, I put the new money in the new wallet and put the wallet in the wallet duvet. Yes, I actually have a mini cushion for my gold satin wallet. The day I will start using the wallet is the next lucky day. It just so happens that I will be scheduled to visit a shrine in Kyoto that day, so the first time the money in my wallet will go to work will be at a money-luck shrine in Kyoto. This is where Mr. Banknote’s journey begins. Come back to my house again.
Looking back in this way, I believe that the attitude of treating money with care, paying attention to details, and being thorough in doing things are the elements that bring luck. So, cleaning every corner of our rooms and putting our wallets in order are extensions of the same thought process.
After putting my wallet to bed, I received a request from my client in my online community to host a money seminar for freelancers. I have had five tax accountants since I started my own business in 2006, and one of them once suggested to me, “You can give a seminar on money for sole proprietors. Finally, that proposal is becoming a reality.
We are anxious about money because we pretend not to see it. But if you face it properly, you will feel relieved. Try to put yourself in the mind of money and you will understand. Let’s always keep our wallets clean and tidy, filling them with good scents and making them cozy. And I am sure that money will come to such a safe place with its friends in tow.