A fun game using coins. A recreational game.
We’ve put together a collection of coin-based games and recreational activities!
When you think of games that use coins, the popular coin games at arcades probably come to mind first.
But did you know there are all sorts of games you can play using the coins in your own wallet?
Classic examples include “10-Yen Soccer,” which was popular among kids back in the day, and “Underwater Coin Drop,” a staple of summer festivals.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of games you can play with coins!
Give them a try during school breaks or at parties when you’re looking for a quick game everyone can enjoy.
Fun games using coins. Recreation games (1–10)
Flicking a 1-yen coin using the structure of the human body
It’s a little trick where you launch a 1-yen coin using only the movement of your hand—no gimmicks.
Turn your forearm upward and bend your wrist back, then place the 1-yen coin on the area just below your wrist.
As you firmly curl your fingers starting from the thumb, the tendons in your forearm below the wrist move, and that force propels the coin.
The exact position and force may vary from person to person.
A 1-yen coin is light and easy to launch, so I recommend it.
Muscle pass
The coin that drops from the top hand to the bottom hand seems to jump back up from the bottom to the top—this mysterious phenomenon is called the Muscle Pass.
In fact, there’s nothing mysterious about it: you’re actually using hand strength to throw the coin back up to the top hand.
Here, you can learn how to do the Muscle Pass.
It takes a bit of practice, but once you master it, you can show it off as a neat little trick anywhere!
One-yen coin flipping
A game where you flick a one-yen coin with your finger and try to land it in a cup placed at a distance.
The rules are very simple, but it’s surprisingly hard, and you can’t help getting stubborn and wanting to keep trying until it goes in (lol)! Another great point is that you can adjust the difficulty by getting creative—with wide-mouthed cups or narrow ones like wine glasses, changing where you place the cup, or adding obstacles.
By the way, if you want to make the coin fly farther when you flick it, it helps to use your whole hand, not just your finger!
10-yen game
“The 10-yen Game” is a game where you try to protect a 10-yen coin balanced on the back of your hand without dropping it.
It gets harder as you go from the heaviest 500-yen coin to lighter ones.
Be careful not to get hurt, and try playing during break time.
It’s even more exciting if you both balance coins and play against each other!
coin roll
The coin roll is a trick where a coin rolls fluidly across your knuckles as if it were alive.
Like a lively fish leaping about, the coin moves with a vivid, animated feel.
You roll the coin over your clenched hand by catching the edge of the coin between your fingers and passing it from one finger to the next.
With practice, anyone can do it—practice is all it takes!
Coin hunt in the pool
When you were in elementary school, did you ever play a game in the pool where you searched for little balls like they were treasure? This game is basically a much tougher version of that.
You toss a tiny coin into a big pool and everyone searches for it! Trying to find a single small coin amid all the splashing is incredibly hard (lol)! Most people will think, “There’s no way we’ll ever find this!!” but that just makes it all the more exciting when someone does.
And even if no one finds it, being able to laugh and say, “Told you it was impossible!!” is part of the fun too!
100-yen coin rock-paper-scissors game
Striking it rich with a single blow might not be a dream—the “100-yen Coin Rock-Paper-Scissors Game.” Each person holds a 100-yen coin.
Pair up with someone nearby and play rock-paper-scissors.
The loser is eliminated on the spot and entrusts their 100 yen to the winner.
In this way, winners keep collecting 100-yen coins, and the final winner takes all the coins in play.
It’s a game that gets very heavy as the number of players increases (laughs).
Coin toss
This is a Peruvian game called “coin toss.” You throw coins toward a target, aiming to land them within a frame.
It’s similar to ring toss or target-throwing games often seen at Japanese festival stalls.
Each person throws a set number of coins, such as a certain number per turn.
Because there’s a surrounding barrier, you throw the coins over the fence.
It’s a game that people of all ages—from small children to the elderly—can enjoy.
Underwater Coin Drop Game
This is an underwater coin drop game where you drop coins into small containers submerged in water.
Fill a transparent container with plenty of water and sink several cups or other small vessels inside it.
You then drop coins into them, but because of the water’s resistance, they won’t go in so easily.
The larger the container and the more and deeper the water, the higher the difficulty.
You can also assign different point values depending on which container the coin goes into.
Coasters with Coins
It’s a trick where you use a coin as a coaster and manage to make a glass stand while tilted on top of it.
There’s no gimmick at all—it really stands purely thanks to a perfectly pinpoint balance.
Mysterious, isn’t it? The success varies with the size of the glass and the amount of water inside, so it seems like it would take quite a lot of practice to be able to do it reliably anytime.