Rubber-Stamping In Japan

Above, the bow of the Lucky Dragon No. 5.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I recently renewed my U.S. Passport, I was kind of worried that I wouldn't be able to keep my old one, but the Passport division of the State Department returned my old one with some holes punched through it.

Why would I want my old passport back? Well, I have several of the unused back pages with rubber-stamped images from different places I visited in Japan over the years.

Spoon & Tamago has an article on just this subject, "Riding the Yamanote Line Railway Stamp Rally."

It begins with:

Have you heard of train station stamps? These stamps can often be seen at major sightseeing spots as a way for people to commemorate their visit — but it’s not just tourist sites, you know. Regular stations also have these stamps.

Some of the places I have stamped in my old passport include Fukuoka Tower, Mount Aso Volcano National Park, Lucky Dragon No. 5, Hiroshima A-Bomb Cenotaph, Inaricho Station, the JR ferry to Miyajima Island, Mount Fuji Visitor Center, Harajuku Station (that is a Yamanote Line stop) and others (some of which I don't remember where they came from and they don't indicate where either).

Above, Harajuku Station in Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is an interesting article to read and it includes some samples of stamps the writer obtained.

To read the article, go here.