Tam has come to an electronics store with her friend Ayaka. Tam wants to buy a hair dryer.
When asking how much something costs, say "ikura desu ka" or "how much is it?" When you mention the name of the thing, ask "Kono/Sono/Ano [thing] wa ikura desu ka." "Ikura" is an interrogative meaning "how much?" "Kono/Sono/Ano": "Kono/sono/ano" are the forms used when the demonstratives "kore/sore/are," which you learned in Lesson 9, modify nouns. They're placed before the nouns they modify.
Japan has four kinds of paper money: 1,000-, 2,000-, 5,000-, and 10,000-yen bills. But you rarely see 2,000-yen bills around.
As for coins, there are 6 types: one yen, five, ten, 50, 100, and 500. People have plenty of opportunity to use them, with vending machines on almost every corner. But the machines don’t take one-yen or five-yen coins. So, they stay in your pocket until you shop at a store.
The proper etiquette when giving cash gifts for marriages and other celebrations is to insert new bills in envelopes specifically used for that occasion.
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