Turn to your favorite character from the popular shonen anime for help with all of your bureaucratic needs that require a signature.
stamp
Times are tight here at RocketNews24, so our 10,000 yen (US$85) fashion challenge has been downsized to one yen ($0.0085).
If you want to relive the childhood excitement of seeing your name on an ink stamp, now’s the time to start planning your trip to Japan! From 2016, you’ll be able to create a personalised stamp with more than just your name – think cute borders, shapes, colours and any type of photo you choose. Plus, you won’t have to send away and wait weeks to see your purchase because it will be dispensed in a minute or less from a high-tech vending machine!
Hanko are little name stamps used in Japan in place of a signature when receiving a parcel, authorising a document or filling in just about any kind of form. Being official identity markers, most hanko stamps are pretty boring – just your last name written in kanji.
These new Hanko-san (Mr. Hanko) stamps are designed to be used together with your existing hanko, allowing you to turn your seal into a little message that will bring a bit of spark to the drudgery of your working day. And they’re coming soon to a gashapon machine near you!
Earlier this year as the Japanese government enacted a sales tax hike, the cost of mailing a letter also increased. As a result a new 2 yen stamp had to be issued to fill the price hike, and in an effort to quell public anger, Japan Post put a picture of a cute fluffy bunny on it. Surely that’d do the trick, right?
Of course it did! In Japan, cuteness is a rock-solid commodity and the bunny stamp was a huge success. It was so popular that people came out to buy some even though they had no mail to send. And so, Japan Post set a mandate to make all of their stamps pretty before fiscal 2015.





Does a long line mean a sweeter deal? We compare two sweets from a Hokkaido food fair【Taste test】
Family Mart unveils new Japanese bread that elevates convenience store food to mocchiri levels
Do gohan no otomo, Japan’s traditional easy white rice toppings, work with toast?【SoraKitchen】
Waiter, there’re 100 crickets in my soup! We try make-it-yourself Cricket Ramen【Taste Test】
Foreign man arrested for walking on Shinkansen tracks, claims he was on the run from yakuza
Schoolkids learn life skills through shopping field trips at street markets in Kochi Prefecture
Our reporter tries amemonaka, the traditional sweet from Niigata Prefecture
Is fancy drinkable yogurt better than regular yogurt for marinating chicken? 【Taste Test】
We investigate Tokyo’s “haunted” phone booth in Mizumoto Park【Haunted Tokyo】
7-Eleven Japan sells freshly baked pizzas…but are they any good?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Tokyo teahouse serves up a sakura matcha dessert you won’t find anywhere else
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Schoolkids learn life skills through shopping field trips at street markets in Kochi Prefecture
Our reporter tries amemonaka, the traditional sweet from Niigata Prefecture
Is fancy drinkable yogurt better than regular yogurt for marinating chicken? 【Taste Test】
We investigate Tokyo’s “haunted” phone booth in Mizumoto Park【Haunted Tokyo】
7-Eleven Japan sells freshly baked pizzas…but are they any good?
Famous koi ponds overwhelmed with tourists throwing thousands of coins in them
Japanese manhole lid raises eyebrows with fertility god symbol that looks like… well, you know
Hayao Miyazaki comments on Chihiro’s final test scene in Spirited Away
Final Fantasy invites you to adventure in Fukushima with Fukushima Fantasy Chocobo fun[Video]
Can a downtown Tokyo super sento bathhouse beat a hotel for a one-night stay?
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights