Temples accept donations by swiping credit cards

A temple in Tokyo is trialing electronic payments amid concerns about theft of donations and as coins become increasingly rare in circulation.

People pray on New Year's Day at Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Reuters.

Visitors to the Ohtori Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, can now swipe their credit cards to make a donation if they don't have coins on hand, Nikkei Asia Review reported.

Tokyo's oldest shrine began accepting "donations" by bank card in November after many people asked if it would accept donations by electronic payment.

Earlier this year, the famous Atago Shrine, located in the central Minato Ward of Tokyo, pioneered the practice of accepting donations in cryptocurrency. Atago Shrine partnered with online shopping operator Rakuten Inc. to test a “cryptocurrency offering” day on January 4 to mark the start of the new year when the number of visitors to the shrine increased dramatically.

A money-receiving device is placed next to the traditional wooden donation box. When visitors enter the amount and swipe their Edy card, a payment card issued by Rakuten, or hold their smartphone to the device, a "ting ting" sound will sound, indicating that their "money offering" has been successful.

"This device allows visitors to donate the exact amount they want even if they don't have spare change on hand," said Masataka Yoshida, director of Rakuten's card issuance division.

An electronic payment device sits next to a traditional wooden offering box at Atago Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, on January 4. Photo: Nikkei Asia Review.

The Japanese have a tradition of donating a 5 yen coin with a hole in the middle to wish for happiness. However, this coin is becoming increasingly rare. According to a survey by the Bank of Japan, since the end of 1999, the number of 5 yen coins in circulation has decreased by 14% to 10.8 million yen in November 2016.

Koichiro Naruse, a 46-year-old businessman who donated in cryptocurrency, predicts the trend will likely become more popular as it helps shrines avoid trouble. “Cryptocurrency is money,” Naruse stressed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rie Matsuoka, a custodian of Atago Temple, said the temple decided to test electronic payments because of concerns about theft of donation money and banks' growing reluctance to accept coins.

"We expected there would be some buzz, but people used to donate rice or fish and then switched to cash. So we thought moving towards cryptocurrency could also be considered a form of donation," Matsuoka explained.

The government is also encouraging people to make more electronic payments because it costs about $72.2 billion each year to maintain cash circulation, according to statistics from Mizuho Bank.

According to VNE