OSAKA -- A ceremony was held at the Japan Mint in Osaka to kick off the stamping of commemorative coins for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The world's top rugby tournament will begin in September. There are two types of commemorative coins -- a golden coin with a denomination of 10,000 yen and a silver coin with a denomination of 1,000 yen. The gold coin bears an image of the Webb Ellis Cup trophy awarded to the winning team, as well as a rugby ball on the front side and cherry blossoms on the reverse side.
The reverse side has a bumpy surface, so that when light hits it, the cherry blossoms glow in vibrant colors.
The silver coin has an image of a player making a tackle on its front side, while the reverse lists the names of cities where matches will be held.
Participants in the ceremony including Daisuke Ohata, 43, an ambassador of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and a former player on the Japan national team, pushed a button hooked up to a machine to stamp the surfaces of coins. "I want to boost the Rugby World Cup, to brighten up [the coins] even more," said Ohata.
A total of 10,000 gold coins priced at 120,000 yen each will be minted, and 50,000 silver coins at 9,500 yen. More details about the coins will be available on the Japan Mint's website from 5 p.m. on March 14.
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