Check this out: coin usage in Japan is down for the first time ever, and the decrease is blamed on cashless payment systems. All interesting stuff, but most interesting to me is the idea that for the first time in history, purchases of small items like cigarettes, newspapers, soda and snacks are not undertaken anonymously.
According to Bank of Japan, the number of coins in Japan decreased first time in the history (the 0.05% decrease was observed at the end of July 2005.) Nikkei Shimbun discusses that this would be because of the increased use of digital cash and credit cards (i.e., coinless payment) at supermarkets and convenience stores.
(via Smartmobs)