Filthy Casual for Life

Japan is still 17 months away, but it doesn’t stop me from deep diving on YouTube to scour for things to do while in Japan.

One of the things we decided to do is collect eki stamps. Outside of most train stations is a rubber stamp designed specifically for that particular station. Free to the public, anyone can stamp their souvenir books. Casey and I thought it was a fun way to document our travels to each station.

I was watching a YouTube video of a young woman on her trek to get all 30 Yamanote line stamps in one day. Then she mentioned stopping at a nearby shrine for a goshuin. A what? I kept watching the video and she stopped again holding this really pretty piece of paper with calligraphy on it from a temple.

So, I went down the rabbit hole to learn about goshuin. It is a stamp created by the shrines/temples. It documents your visit to their temple/shrine. Goshuin is more ornate than the eki stamps. I immediately fell in love with them.

They’re typically red and black ink. Look at how much they vary! There are even special event goshuin and seasonal goshuin. I’m excited because we’re planning on going during sakura season. Will we get lucky with sakura-themed goshuin?

They’re so beautiful. But that isn’t the only thing that is beautiful. You need a beautiful goshuincho to put your stamps in. I found this one on Etsy and I am pretty sure I am going to buy it even though we won’t be going to Japan any time soon.

What do you think of collecting train stamps and temple/shrine stamps? Do you think they make good souvenirs?