When I visited Japan last year, I noticed a stamp on a table at the Nippori station. Luckily, I had my journal with me, so I stamped it. Right behind it was a poster featuring the stamp designs of 77 Japan Rail train stations across the country. Ever since then, I’ve been on the look-out for these 駅スタンプ (station stamps). Aside from train stations, other places like museums may also have stamps. Last year, I was able to stamp my journal with the Nippori Eki stamp and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building stamp. I saw the stamp in the Torokko Sagano eki, but sadly, I didn’t have my journal with me.
This year, one of the things I wanted to do on the trip was collect more of these stamps.
I had decided to travel lighter, leaving my DSLR and lenses home. I brought only my trusty point & shoot camera. This way, I always had space in my street bag for my journal. And I am happy to report that I was able to get quite a number of stamps
At first, I thought only the JR stations had these stamps, but it turns out that stations in the Osaka Subway system also have them. During the time I was in Osaka, it had turned into an obsession. And since I used the subway more than the JR Osaka Loop line, I was hoping that the subway would have them. And as I was walking past the glass doors of the Station Master’s office one evening, I saw it. A plastic tray with a stamp lying on its side, exposing the design. I snooped through the glass and saw that it could be a station stamp. The day before my trip ended, I got the nerve to ask one of the station’s staff and yes! it was an ‘eki no hanko.’ Oh happy day. So, from the Osaka Subway, I got two stamps: Awaza and Nishinagahori, the two stations closest to my hostel. 😀 And a quick visit to the Osaka Aquarium got me a few more. I’m a happy collector.
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