Boy spends weeks piecing together shredded note

In a display of determination and patience, a young Japanese boy, known as Tomo on social platform X, spent three weeks meticulously piecing back together a 10,000 yen bill that had been accidentally shredded into thousands of pieces, Oddity Central reported.

The story began when Tomo’s father inadvertently shredded an old envelope at work, forgetting that it contained a 10,000 yen bill from months ago. Rather than despair over the mistake, the father saw an opportunity to turn it into a unique challenge for his son.

He brought home the entire shredder waste basket and presented Tomo with the task: if he could reconstruct the shredded bill and exchange it for a new one at the bank, he could keep it.

Japanese X user ‘Tomo’ put back together a 10,000 yen bill that had been shredded. PHOTO: X/@C8kCGa5jT0LlbuA

Tomo, undaunted by the project, started sorting through the bill pieces amidst other shredded paper in mid-February. This was no easy feat, as some parts of the bill had a lighter tone and could easily be mistaken for plain paper. To aid his progress, Tomo placed another 10,000 yen bill under a sheet of transparent plastic as a reference, carefully comparing and fitting the pieces together.

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Despite the challenges and the uncertainty of finding all the pieces, Tomo persevered. He spent over three weeks meticulously arranging the fragments of the bill, constantly gauging his progress against the reference bill. On 21st March, he proudly shared a photo of the partially reconstructed bill, acknowledging that it wasn’t perfect but hoping it would meet the criteria set by the Bank of Japan for damaged bill exchanges.

Japanese X user ‘Tomo’ put back together a 10,000 yen bill that had been shredded. PHOTO: X/@C8kCGa5jT0LlbuA

The Bank of Japan’s policy stipulates that if more than two-thirds of a banknote remains and the unique number on it is legible, it can be exchanged for its full value. With this in mind, Tomo took his reconstructed bill to the bank at the end of last month for inspection. After a thorough examination, he received confirmation that his efforts had paid off. The bank exchanged his jigsaw puzzle of a bill for a brand new 10,000 yen note, much to Tomo’s delight.

Japanese X user ‘Tomo’ put back together a 10,000 yen bill that had been shredded. PHOTO: X/@C8kCGa5jT0LlbuA

News of Tomo’s project quickly spread across Japanese X, with many users applauding his patience, determination, and problem-solving skills. Some expressed admiration for his perseverance, while others marvelled at his creativity in turning a mishap into a rewarding challenge.