Japan’s new Coins of Destiny capsule toys want to help you answer life’s most important questions

Such as “Should I get up now, or go back to sleep?”

Capsule toys are often saddled with the stigma as being silly, unimportant little trinkets. Here to shatter that misconception is capsule toy maker Tama-Kyu, whose latest creation has the purpose of nothing less than helping you answer some of the most difficult, lifepath-altering questions we face as members of the human race.

Behold: the Coins of Destiny!

For each coin, one side is printed with a decision about how to move forward with your life, while the opposite side has the opposite course of action. This one, for example, is for when you need help deciding whether to “Get up now” (おきる), or “Sleep more” (寝る).

Also addressing man’s inner struggle between dynamic action and decadent relaxation, there’s a coin for “Do it now” (やる) or “Do it tomorrow” (明日から).

These aren’t chintzy little plastic trinkets, either. They’re discs of die-cast zinc, giving them a weight of 15 grams (0.53 ounces) for the proper heft commensurate with the weight of the decisions. When you find yourself in a quandary, just flip the Coin of Destiny, and it’ll tell you what to do, as demonstrated in Tama-Kyu’s video here.

運命の選択。
コインに委ねれば、もう迷うことなんてないかも。

「運命のコイン」本日より発売https://t.co/zRGUnHPSwB#タマキュー pic.twitter.com/jXid0ORr56

— TAMA-KYU（タマキュー）@カプセルトイ (@TAMAKYU_CP) October 26, 2023

The Coins of Destiny can also tell you the proper time to give in to your bulk/impulse-buying urges…

▼ Buy just one (１つ買う) or buy them all (全部買う)

…and they’re helpful with food/drink decisions too.

▼ Rice (ライス) or bread (パン), which in Japan also often doubles as the decision between eating Asian or Western-style food

▼ Udon (うどん) or soba (そば), a choice between Japan’s traditional wheat or buckwheat noodles

Hot (あたたか～い) or cold (つめた～い) has a wide range of applications, what with Japan enjoying tea, coffee, cocoa, and noodles both hot and cold.

▼ Though the superfluous ～ mark here is most commonly associated with the way the words are written on drink vending machines, so beverages are probably the main thing the designers had in mind.

Much more specific in scope, though is the mushroom (きのこ) or bamboo shoot (たけのこ) coin. While you could use it to decide on what sort of healthy side dish to eat, the real decision many Japanese struggle with is whether to eat confectioner Meiji’s Kinoko no Yama or Takenoko no Sato candies, which are almost identical snacks shaped like mushrooms or bamboo shoots, but with different ratios and placements of chocolate and cookie biscuit.

And last, there’s the work overtime (残業) or clock out at the regular time (定時) coin.

This one seems like it’d mainly be useful to freelancers and self-employed individuals who’re struggling with maintaining a desirable work/life balance. Even if you work for somebody else, though, you can get creative and use this to tell your boss “Sorry, I can’t work late tonight. The Coin of Destiny says I have to go home.”

The Coins of Destiny are available in capsule toy machines now and priced at 400 yen (US$2.70). Some may question the logic of spending four 100-yen coins, all of which, of course, have two sides already, to purchase a single Coin of Destiny. With such important matters as the ones discussed above, though, using dedicated equipment in the decision process really seems like the responsible thing to do, and the wisest investment since Tama-Kyu’s pants for your fingers and protection from social media evil amulets.

Source: PR Times via IT Media
Images: PR Times
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