Including a chance to relive your starter Pokémon anxiety a whole nine times.

Japan is a nation that loves a stamp rally, and it’s not just kids getting in on the action. From highway rest stops to manhole covers, the simple act of stamping a design on a piece of paper is an enjoyable pastime for many people. Of course, there’s also the more traditional version of the activity, with countless people collecting the beautiful, handwritten calligraphic stamps called goshuin, which can be obtained at many temples and shrines. This summer, in commemoration of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, the railway company JR East has announced the official JR East Pokémon Stamp Rally 2026 that will run from July 16 to August 31, giving budding travelers the perfect excuse to explore Tokyo, go farther afield, ride some trains, and walk away with some exclusive Pokémon merchandise.

It’s pretty easy to get involved: starting July 16, you can pick up a free stamp book at major JR stations throughout the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, but you do need a digital redemption coupon that can be received by adding the official Line account (@cpn-jrepokemon2026). Should your birthday be on or after April 2, 2011, you won’t need a coupon, but event staff may ask to confirm your age, so be sure to have an identity verification document on hand that notes your birthday.

▼ Free stamp book (6-Course/Shinkansen Course version)

If you want to upgrade your journey, certain NewDays convenience stores will sell a Special Edition Stamp Book for 2,420 yen (US$14.99) from July 16, which includes a special Pokémon pass case, but stocks are limited so you’ll need to move fast if you want to get your hands on them.

  • NewDays Akabane
  • NewDays Ikebukuro West Exit
  • NewDays Ueno Iriya Ticket Gate (Outside)
  • NewDays Ecute Nippori
  • NewDays Omiya
  • NewDays Gransta Marunouchi South Exit
  • NewDays Cial Yokohama
  • NewDays Shinagawa Central
  • NewDays Shinjuku
  • NewDays Tachikawa
  • NewDays Perie Chiba Central Ticket Gate (Outside)

▼ Special Edition Stamp Book and pass case sold at NewDays

With your hands on the stamp book, your goal is then to acquire stamps from six different stations from among the 36 participating locations (listed below), but note that most stamps are located outside the ticket gates at each station, requiring you to pay the fees to travel there.

▼ Captain Pikachu stamp at Saitama-Shintoshin Station

Having gathered your stamps, you need to make your way over to the 6-Station Course Goal Counter near Oimachi Station, where you’ll receive three prizes, while stocks last: Pokémon Frienda Special Ex Treasure Pick Captain Pikachu (a peripheral used in the Pokémon Frienda arcade game that is used to operate the depicted Pokémon in battles), a special ticket-style sticker, and another stamp book.

While you’re at the 6-Station Course Goal Counter, you can also pick up the Captain Pikachu sun visor to wear on your next journey.

After completing the six stations, you might think the fun has ended, but then you look down at the additional stamp book you have received only to realize it’s slightly different, being designed for the 9-Station, 36-Station, and Shinkansen Courses. You could walk away without participating in the next level of the rally, but if you had planned your previous stations well, you could be just three more stamps away from reaching the next prize. Although, you may want to cut out your previous stamps and move them over into your new stamp book to save you having to do them all again.

The 9-Station Course differs a little from the previous course, as rather than any nine stations, you must visit a set list:

  1. Omiya: Turtwig/Chimchar/Piplup
  2. Akabane: Treecko/Torchic/Mudkip
  3. Ikebukuro: Grookey/Scorbunny/Sobble
  4. Kita Senju: Bulbasaur/Charmander/Squirtle
  5. Ueno: Chikorita/Cyndaquil/Totodile
  6. Yotsuya: Sprigatito/Fuecoco/Quaxly
  7. Mitaka: Snivy/Tepig/Oshawott
  8. Sakuragicho: Rowlet/Litten/Popplio
  9. Musashi-Kosugi: Chespin/Fennekin/Froakie

You might have noticed that there are nine stations, but a potential 27 Pokémon stamps to be gained, which means you’ll have to make that one difficult decision every Pokémon player has suffered through at the start of the game: which of the starters do you want to pick? However, this time, you’ll have to do it nine times in a row. Some people who are bad with decision-making may not make it out of this phase of the journey intact, although there’s nothing stopping you from taking a different book and making a complete collection of all of the starters for your own enjoyment.

▼ Bulbasaur/Charmander/Squirtle stamp at Kita Senju Station

At this point, you could go to the 9-Station/36-Station/Shinkansen Course Goal Counter located in Tokyo Station to receive the special neck strap prize, but if you haven’t scratched that stamping itch enough, you can continue on to the 36-Station Course without having to stop off.

For those daring enough to complete all 36 stations, you will receive a special key ring upon showing your stamp book at the Goal Counter in Tokyo Station.

  1. Ageo: Maushold (Family of Four)
  2. Hasuda: Chansey
  3. Musashi-Urawa: Charizard
  4. Saitama-Shintoshin: Captain Pikachu
  5. Itabashi: Instructor Starmie (Mega Starmie)
  6. Koshigaya-Laketown: Quagsire
  7. Ryugasakishi: Rayquaza
  8. Kashiwa: Alcremie Ruby Swirl
  9. Shim-Matsudo: Midday Form Lycanroc
  10. Tachikawa: Kilowattrel
  11. Asagaya: Shiny Lucario
  12. Shinjuku: Skeledirge
  13. Yoyogi: Meowscarada
  14. Osaki: Armarouge
  15. Shimbashi: Hatterene
  16. Yokohama: Quaquaval
  17. Ofuna: Dot’s Tinkaton
  18. Omori: Gholdengo
  19. Haneda Airport Terminal 2: Metagross
  20. Shin-Urayasu: Elekid
  21. Funabashi: Dragonite
  22. Chiba: Sableye
  23. Nippori: Ditto
  24. Machida: Snorlax
  25. Shinagawa: Koraidon
  26. Takanawa Gateway: Miraidon
  27. Ichikawa: Mimi (Espurr)

However, for the particularly adventurous, if you happen to gather a stamp from just one of the seven participating shinkansen stations, you can call back into Tokyo Station for a special medal that features both Koraidon and Miraidon.

  1. Shin-Aomori: Teal Mask Ogerpon
  2. Akita: Okidogi
  3. Morioka: Pecharunt
  4. Yamagata: Munkidori
  5. Sendai: Pagogo (Terapagos Normal Form)
  6. Niigata: Fezandipiti
  7. Nagano: Pagogo (Terapagos Terastal Form)

▼ Pagogo (Terapogos Normal Form) stamp at Sendai Station

▼ Medal received for getting a stamp from one of the Shinkansen stations

If all of that stamp collecting wasn’t enough, there are even times when certain stamps will mega evolve, so you’ll need to keep an eye out on the official Twitter account for announcements, or just be lucky enough to encounter them in the wild.

Of course, this event doesn’t just involve traveling around for stamps, it includes a few little extras to brighten the day of the average commuter, including Pokémon wrapped trains in August on the Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku, and Chuo Line Rapid lines, and wall decoration photo spots.

These spots will appear at as-of-yet undisclosed locations, but will include the Waters Takeshiba business park, Tokyo Station, and Oimachi Tracks business park.

▼ This design will be displayed at Tokyo Station’s Silver Bell Area

For a couple of other things to check out, there’s a special stamp at Waters Takeshiba that involves layering four stamps over each other to create a special design, and there’s the Honda Koraidon on display at Oimachi Tracks.

To top it all off, you can even book a completely free meet-and-greet session with Captain Pikachu at either Oimachi Tracks or Waters Takeshiba, for four people per group, 15 groups per session, and four sessions per day.

Oimachi Tracks will host their events on July 18, 19, 20, 25, and 26, whereas Waters Takeshiba will have theirs on August 1, 8, 15, and 22. The application periods will be held between 12:00 p.m. on July 13  and 12:00 p.m. on July 15 for the former, and 12:00 p.m. July 27 and 12:00 p.m. July 29 for the latter. Take care that no tickets will be available on the day, and reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

All prizes for the stamp rally are subject to availability, so if you’re looking to get your hands on any of them, don’t wait too long to start zipping around the city, but if you’re just looking to catch ‘em all, this is a fun way to spend some time in the heat of summer while taking in the sights of Tokyo.

Related: Pokémon Stamp Rally 2026 Website, English Pamphlet, Meet and Greet Reservation, Official Twitter Account
Source and images: PR Times
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!