A closer look

When your currency is so severely devalued that it literally lacks physical substance, you get the modern Japanese one-yen coin. Made of 100% pure aluminum, these coins weigh exactly one gram. They are so incredibly lightweight that if you place them flatly on the surface of completely still water, surface tension alone will keep them afloat. It's a fun science experiment and a stark, depressing reminder of economic stagnation all rolled into one.