Toshoken

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A Tosho Card, the book voucher that has been in use since 1990

Toshoken ( Japanese 図 書 券 , dt. "Book voucher") was a voucher for books and magazines, ie for classic print products, issued by Nihon tosho fukyū Kabushiki kaisha ( 日本 図 書 普及 株式会社 ) from December 1960 to 2005. The printed version of the voucher with tear-off coupons was replaced in 1990 by an electronic chip card ( Tosho Card ). Since 2005 there is only this chip card, the sale of printed book vouchers has been stopped. The official name is: Zenkoku Kyōtsū Toshoken ( 全国 共通 図 書 券 , for example: "General (all) Japanese book voucher"). The book voucher can be purchased and redeemed in all participating book stores. Since the tokens were only designed for the purchase of print products, convenience stores are usually not part of the participating stores, so that, unlike other rechargeable chip cards, such as the Suica , the card could actually only be used in book stores . The card cannot be used in most second-hand bookshops or for Amazon. The chip card is currently accepted in 7523 member stores.

overview

The Tosho Card is one of the best-known among Japan's vouchers. It was designed as a gift card and a popular gift for children when they start school. It was also often offered as a prize for magazine puzzles. For a while, it was also given in exchange for a blood donation .

The Tosho Card is a registered trademark. The size of the chip card has a typical business card format of 86 × 54 mm. Print versions such as chip cards were available with a fixed face value of 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000 and 10,000 yen. The paper version (Toshoken) of the voucher was first issued in December 1960 to promote the sale of books and magazines. Until 1976, the Toshoken had, similar to the collective tickets for buses, tear-off sections with a nominal value of 20 yen. However, the nominal value of the sections increased over time. In 1990 it was replaced by a chip card with a magnetic strip, and in 2005 the print version of the book voucher was completely discontinued.

At the same time as the book voucher, there was also a stationery voucher ( 文具 券 , Bunguken ) from 1979 until the issuing company was liquidated in 2012 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 図 書 カ ー ド と は . Nippon Tosho Fukyu Co. Ltd., accessed May 18, 2013 (Japanese).
  2. ↑ 会 社 の あ ゆ み . Nippon Tosho Fukyu Co. Ltd., accessed May 18, 2013 (Japanese).
  3. ↑ 過去 に 発 行 し た 図 書 カ ー ド . Nippon Tosho Fukyu Co. Ltd., accessed on May 18, 2013 (Japanese, with illustrations of various Tosho Cards.).
  4. ↑ 日本 図 書 普及 ・ 過去 に 発 行 し た 図 書 券 . Nippon Tosho Fukyu Co. Ltd., accessed May 18, 2013 (Japanese, with illustrations of various Toshoken.).

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