Japanese Numbers

It appears that Japanese folks may be familiar with three separate sets of numbers. They understand the Easter Arabic numbers, which we use here in the states. They also have a set of numbers that look like glyphs of simple line strokes. There is also a third "fancy" numberset that they have where those simple strokes are not so simple. The reason appears to be to prevent fraud when writing checks, since it's very easy to change a "one" (a simple horizontal line) to a "two" (a smaller horizontal line above the first). So with all of these number sets, I wonder which number set they are more comfortable with. I'm debating if I should change my countdown timer to display Japanese numbers in the simple/fancy character set, or just stick with East Arabic decimals. There is also the question about Arabic and Persian number sets as well (although I don't see a need for them yet). This is one of those scenarios where people tell you to "Know your target audience". Howe!

ver, I do not know anyone who is fluent in Japanese or the culture that I can contact without a price attached to the conversation. From Dedric Mauriac via bloghud.com