For those of you who like to collect something
Do you like to collect something? There are collectors of various things in the world, but many of them cost a lot of money or take up a lot of space. Then, why don’t you try collecting station stamps, which don’t cost much money, don’t take up much space, and are easy and memorable?
Station stamps are designed with motifs of the history and symbols of the city where the station is located, and are a way to preserve the memories of your trip. All you need to collect them is a Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass(JR Tokunai Pass). If you have a Japan Rail Pass, of course you can use that. Let’s start with Yamanote Line stations.
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Stamp Stations and Locations
As of 2023, stamps have been installed at 78 stations in the Tokyo area of JR East. On the Yamanote Line, all stations have stamps.
The location of the stamps vary from station to station. Most of them are located outside the ticket gates, and if a station has a Ticket Office, it is often located there.
What you need
・Train Fare
(Japan Rail Pass, Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass, and transportation system IC cards such as Suica and PASMO)
*Note that the Tokyo Metropolitan District Pass will not pay for itself unless you ride the Yamanote Line at least 5 times.
・Notebook
In most cases, a paper for stamping is provided along with the stamps. Prepare a notebook in case there is no stamping paper.
About the Stamps
Stamps are designed with a single kanji character of the station name and a symbol representing the history and characteristics of the station or the area.
The size of the stamp is approximately 5 cm in length and width, so please refer to it when you buy a notebook.
New ways to collect stamps: EKITAG
There is also a way to collect stamps by downloading an app on your phone. To collect them, simply hold your phone over the sticker shown in the picture near the stamp stand.
Limited Time Stamp Rally
JR East frequently holds limited-time stamp rallies. Most of them mainly coincide with children’s summer vacation periods, and many of them are collaborations with anime, manga, and video games.
In the summer of 2023, Pokemon Stamp Rally and Crayon Shin-chan Stamp Rally are being held. For more information on the Pokemon Stamp Rally, go to this article.
Let’s collect stamps at various places!
The history of seal culture in Japan is long, beginning around 700. They were brought from China and were originally used in public offices such as government administration. It spread to the general public during the Edo period (1603-1867) when it was used as a guarantee of property.
Even today, seals are required for some transactions, and almost all Japanese have at least one seal with their name on it.
The “commemorative stamp” developed in Japan, where seals are so familiar. A stamp is stamped to commemorate a visit to a sightseeing spot or a railroad station. Stamping something like this on your own notebook will be a memorable part of your trip to Japan.