What is Japanese money made of? The Bank of Japan prints yen notes on a special paper that is made from “mitsumata.” This plant grows in the mountains. Farmers take the bark off the plant, beat it, and dry it. Making “mitsumata” is hard work, and these days there are fewer and fewer Japanese farmers who produce it. The company that makes the special paper needed a new source, and they found a plant like “mitsumata”  in Nepal. The company taught the Nepali farmers how to make the fiber, and now Nepal is selling the fiber to Japan. Japan’s new yen notes are coming out in July, and they will be made from this Nepali fiber.　　(116 words)