The Free Souvenir We Ended Up Collecting All Over Japan

One of the first things we'd tell anyone travelling around Japan with kids is this.

Buy a cheap notebook.

Not because you'll need it for planning. Not for journalling. Buy it because Japan has hundreds of free stamps scattered all over the country, and collecting them became one of Jax's favourite parts of travelling.

We only realised how big a thing it was once we arrived in Japan. We'd spot a stamp at a visitor centre, then another at a train station. Then one at a roadside service area. Then a museum. Then a tourist information centre.

After a few days we stopped being surprised. If there was a building that welcomed visitors, there was a decent chance there'd be a stamp somewhere inside.

We spent a 3 weeks travelling around Japan, in a campervan, and every time we parked up somewhere new Jax would disappear on a mission.

"There's probably a stamp here."

Most of the time he was right.

It turns exploring into a game

One thing Japan does brilliantly is making exploring feel fun without trying too hard.

Instead of us saying, "Come on, let's have a look around," Jax was the one pulling us into visitor centres because he wanted to check for a stamp.

Sometimes we'd find it straight away, sat on a little table near the entrance.

Sometimes we'd end up wandering around the whole building before spotting it tucked away in a corner.

Either way, we'd usually end up learning something about wherever we'd stopped. We'd read the displays while Jax proudly added another page to his collection.

It gave every stop a little purpose, even places we'd only planned to spend twenty minutes.

The best part is that the stamps are completely free.

You don't need to sign up to anything or buy a ticket in a lot of places. They're just there for anyone who wants to collect them.

Considering how expensive souvenirs can add up over a long trip, it felt like a really nice alternative.

One thing we'd do differently

The only mistake we made was assuming the stamps would include the date or location.

A lot of them don't.

Some have the place name. Some don't. Plenty don't have anything except the design.

After a week we were already looking back through the notebook thinking, "Where on earth was that one from?"

So take a pen.

Every single time you stamp a page, write the location and the date underneath while you're standing there. Future you will be grateful when you're trying to remember whether that brilliant castle stamp came from one town or another.