It seems like everyone is trying to find a way to destroy paper currency. Notably, Square and PayPal are working on its own solutions, but now a Japanese company is trying something else — integrating electronic money with a wristband.

The Japanese company is Hashy Top-In and the wristband is called the E-Money Band. It's made of silicone and comes in a variety of colors. The wristband is compatible with the Edy e-money system set up in Japan and can store up to $600. To add more money, just recharge it at participating convenient stores, department stores and vending machines.

To tell you the truth, they don't look terribly bad. But we've seen RFID contact-less solutions by way of the Octopus watches in Hong Kong and we got to say, the E-Money Band not doubling as an actual watch is somewhat of a letdown. Each wristband goes for $36. It's not too expensive — looks like a great gift for kids. Unfortunately, like most cool ideas, the E-Money Band is Japan only for the time being.

Crunchgear, via Ubergizmo