This paper introduces the history and development of community currencies in Japan, and examines the successes and remaining problems of the community currency coupons which are currently gaining such popularity. As a rule, in Japan, only shopkeepers can exchange community currency coupons for the national currency. Therefore, in order to expand a currency’s circulation and revive the community, each shopkeeper should use the community currency actively instead of saving or cashing in it immediately. Most importantly, each shopkeeper should be made fully aware of how it is different from a local coupon and the various uses of it. This will ensure that they spend the currency preferably to facilitate its circulation instead of accumulating or cashing in it. The paper looks at the community currency used in Tokyo’s Musashino district, known as the muchu, and uses a questionnaire based method to examine in particular the relationship between how well shopkeepers understand the muchu and how they behave with it, and the circulation of the community currency. The research makes it clear that the degree of awareness about a community currency greatly affects its circulation.