Station stamps in Tokyo
How to collect paper station stamps, ask staff for help and plan your journey in Tokyo.
A station stamp (駅スタンプ) is a souvenir impression you make in a notebook or on a sheet of paper. JR East’s 2020 Tokyo-area stamp redesign used motifs associated with individual stations and their neighborhoods. Collecting a paper stamp can be a small addition to a journey you already plan to make.
Before you look for a stamp
Bring a notebook or loose paper. Choose a page where ink will not spoil anything on the reverse, and let the impression dry before closing your book. Keep your belongings clear of other passengers.
Ask whether a paper stamp is available before making a special detour. Confirm its current location and access hours at the station; a train timetable or ticket-office schedule does not confirm when you can use a stamp.
Show these questions to station staff
You can show the Japanese text on your phone. Each question asks about the physical stamp used on paper.
Does this station have a paper station stamp?
この駅に紙の駅スタンプはありますか
Where is the paper station stamp?
紙の駅スタンプはどこですか
Until what time can I use it?
何時まで押せますか
Check before passing through a ticket gate
Outside the ticket gates (改札外) means the public side of the ticket barriers; it does not necessarily mean outdoors. Inside the ticket gates (改札内) means the area beyond those barriers. Ask which side you need before exiting or entering. These labels explain directions; they do not identify a stamp location at any particular station.
Check whether your ticket permits you to leave and re-enter. JR East’s ordinary tickets for journeys wholly within the Tokyo suburban area do not allow stopovers outside the gates. If you plan several stops, check the conditions of your ticket or pass and budget for the journeys between them.
At the stamp stand
Follow any instructions displayed at the stand. Place your page on a flat surface, make the impression carefully and leave room for the next person. Keep the stamp at its stand.
If you are directed to a phone app, explain that you are looking for a paper stamp for your notebook. A digital image and an ink impression on paper are different ways of collecting.