A quirk of train travel is “Eki stamps”. In 1931 Eki ink stamps were introduced to railway stations so that passengers could collect stamps in a book to record where they had been. There are now 9,000 stations where a stamp can be collected. In addition some museums also provide stamps.
Temples produce goshuin, which is a combination of calligraphy and stamp which can be collected but in a “sacred” book, as a record of one’s faith.
We had learned about Eki stamps from a Joanna Lumley documentary we watched before our trip, so arrived armed with our stamp book purchased in the UK from Amazon. Such a book is not considered sacred, but we were able to purchase paper goshuin from the temples for 500 yen each.
Shilli-Fully Travels 