Unused foreign bills and coins brought home by Japanese travelers as well as leftover yen nestling in the pockets of departing foreign visitors are creating business opportunities at the nation's airports.
A Tokyo-based venture began setting up machines last year allowing travelers to exchange leftover currency for electronic money or gift vouchers.
"There's no way I can use" foreign currency at home, said a 21-year-old university student returning from the United States in January, who converted several dollars into gift vouchers at a Pocket Change machine. He was just one of many travelers at Haneda airport changing money at the machines, which can be operated in four languages — Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.