My eki stamp errors and expectations
I have been going to Japan since 2001 and have been into the Japanese train experience for over 10 years. I didn’t really put effort into Eki stamps unless it was right there with a piece of paper. I have passed so many stamps without even thinking how interesting it is to collect them.
I was visiting Japan in 2020, right before they closed the border and the world wide pandemic happened. During that time, I had to reflect on everything I did in Japan as I didn’t know when I would go back. As I was going through my storage bins of Japanese souvenirs, I came across some old eki stamps I happened to stamp. I started to look into eki stamps and it brought me down a rabbit hole. When I returned, I decided to add another layer of my trips to Japan with stamps and seals.
*DISCLAIMER – These were my experiences and not a definitive guide. I felt these were my mistakes and how I changed my approach for me to have a better experience. Again, this is from my perspective and the experience/approach is subjective to the person.
When I returned to Japan in 2023, I started to get some stamps. Since I was meeting with friends I haven’t seen in 3yrs, I only stamped when it was convenient.
MISTAKE 1: Not being prepared/not having paper or eki stamp book
When I initially went around, I depended on the stations to have pieces of paper at the stamp location. In a rush, if I didn’t have something on me, I’d just pass the opportunity.
My other times, I would have a passport size eki stamp book, but if you are stamping a lot, you will run out of space. My immediate solution was to get any notebook available (not every place has eki stamp books). This has happened to me a few times.
MISTAKE 2: Not asking staff for help and miscommunication
Prior to focusing on stamping, I would just walk around and if I didn’t see a stamp, I would move on.
Sometimes the stamp location could be at a specific exit of station. This can be tricky if it is a big station. Asking staff, they could point it out to you.
There are times where the stamp might be in a hidden location (out the way) or not even openly available. Sometimes the stamp can be in the gate office or station master’s office and you have to ask for the stamp. Asking staff will usually give you the information or even the eki stamp inside the office.
*Note – sometimes staff members don’t know and will say “No eki stamp” only for you to find it in a hallway or something. Sometimes the staff doesn’t know where they are at or might not even care or don’t want to deal with foreigners.
I was going around in the evening getting Yamanote line station stamps and when I got to JR Meguro station, the staff member told me “No eki stamp here“. I knew there is an eki stamp because JR East updated 78 stations’ eki stamp designs. I came back the next day and found the stamp.
I’ve had the same issue with Tokyo Monorail and Yoro Railway (Ogaki station). Both times I was told “No stamp” but I later find out there is a physical stamp, but on a different level (Tokyo Monorail) or someone getting a stamp telling me they got one there (Yoro Railway). It is frustrating because it was a missed opportunity that wasn’t necessary.
MISTAKE 3: Expecting Perfect stamps
I feel that getting perfect stamps in a passport size eki stamp book is kind of misleading. There are factors that could make it difficult.
- Most common – dry ink pad.
- Worn stamp (people put a lot of pressure on a rubber stamp)
- Stamp not aligned right
- Stamp removed by company
- Too much ink (blulrry stamp/bleed through)
- Big stamp on passport size page.
Many of these factors leads to errors in my books to the point I had to I had to redo a stamp. I realized that I won’t get a perfect eki stamp book after these factors.
Dry ink pad
There is nothing you can do about this if you come upon a dry ink pad. It is recommended to ask staff about a new ink pad and sometimes that works (I haven’t had that luck).
What some people have suggested is bring their own ink pad/ink refill. I was told by my Japanese friend NOT to do this. What if you use the wrong ink or wrong color? I don’t want to bring a bunch of containers and have a chance to leak in my bag either.
I have accepted that I wont always get a perfect stamp and might be unlucky.
Worn stamps
Sometimes you can’t help that stamps are worn. Whether is elementary school kids using the stamp like a toy or an adult that puts all their strength to make sure the stamp gets on the paper… this will eventually take a toll on the stamp. I was getting a stamp at the Yokohama Marine Tower and while the stamp was clean, the edge of it was worn. The staff member showed me that the bottom of the stamp is worn.
The most extreme example was when I went to Gujo Hachiman. They have 2 locations: Yanaka Lane and Igawa Lane. Igawa lane’ stamp was gone. While Yanaka Lane’s stamp…. well
I have also accepted this as it isn’t my fault the stamp is highly used.
Misaligned Stamps
This is kind of subjective. Many people are WAY MORE CREATIVE than me and they don’t make perfect stamping, but making the stamp book (with sketches/drawings/painting) way better. This isn’t what I am aiming for.
The stamps usually have an indicator showing you want is the top of the stamp. I’ve had one incident where where whole stamp was rotated. Luckily the stamp was round, so it kinda looked okay.
On the other hand, when you think you did it right until after LOL.
The other alignment issue I had was a combination of factors. Using the back page and the book’s spine not being flat when pressing the stamp. This is a result of that. Horrible mistake. All the pressure on the spine side, not enough on the opposite side.
Stamped removed by company
Truthfully, this is out of our control and nothing you can do about it. It is definitely is a huge disappointment, but could impact a sequence in stamping (let’s say I am going station to station tryin to get stamps on the particular line).
The 1st time it happened to me was at the terminal station of the Kyoto Romantic Train.
Too much ink
There are a couple issues with too much ink. The easiest solution is to have a spare piece of paper to test a stamp. Since I am always rushing, sometimes I don’t always ‘pre stamp‘. This leads to mainly 2 issues:
- Stamp becomes unclear/blurry
- Bleed through (if you are stamping front and back on pages)
Sometimes I would push the stamp into the ink pad a bit too much and that ends up getting more ink than I actually want.
If you are stamping front and back pages of an eki stamp book, it can bleed through. I stopped stamping on back pages because of this..
Big stamps on passport size eki stamp book
This is a personal preference for me. I love the size of the passport book, but I found out that if you get big stamps. When I got Keisei rectangular stamps, I had to adjust them sideways to fit on a page.
It is one of the reason why I kinda went to bigger note books for stamps. Again, it’s personal preference and I am not artistic or creative like many.
MISTAKE 5: You have to use a Passport Eki Stamp book
As I was starting to put some focus on stamping, one of the easiest ways collect is to get an Eki Stamp book. These are relatively cheap and is usually the size of a passport. The size is so ideal as it can be put in your pocket.
*This is my personal preference – Get a slightly bigger book.
I was filling up my passport stamp book that I started to cram stamps on each page. While there is no right or wrong way (and some people love stamps that overlap or cover each other up).
This has happened quite a few times while I was out. I would run out of space and I couldn’t find another eki stamp book. I started would go into a Konbini and grab a notebook. Usually those are less than 200 yen! While not as thick as a passport, I’ve been able to fill them up with more stamps.
In July 2024, I got back from Amanohashidate to Shin Osaka station. I was suppose to meet my friends in Taisho (Eiji-san has a shop there), but they said they were busy for a couple more hours. My eki stamp book was full, but I decided to do a Osaka Metro run. There is a bookstore at the station, but I coudn’t find an notebook with no lines or anything.
I decided to grab one of these:
I spent a 1.5hrs going around and just getting Osaka Metro eki stamps before going to Taisho station to meet with my friends. Again, while not a perfect eki stampbook, this worked well enough for me as I got A LOT of stamps. Mostly within the Osaka Loop area.
Another option is using a generic “goshuincho”. Straight up, Goshuincho should NEVER have anything else in it besides goshuin. That is what I was told and decided to follow. Many Goshuincho you get at temples and shrines and they are really decorated with the theme based on the place you got it.
There are generic goshuincho style books, which I feel are okay to use as anything. The paper is thicker as it’s made for the calligraphy of brushes and heavy ink usage. I got one from the Kyoto Randen and I thought it was for “stamps” as it said on the website. So when I brought my voucher for the 1 day ticket and free stamp book, I immediately stamped the 2 eki stamps that were available. When I got to the other stations, found out there were no other eki stamps. That’s when I realized that the ‘stamps’ were meant to be goshuin.
Conclusion:
This was my 2023-2024 errors and expectations. Now that I have a better grasp of stamping, I will continue to apply my experiences on future trips. I’m sure I will add more as time goes on or as I address issues others have.