Stamp rally
A stamp rally (スタンプラリー) is an event or course dedicated to collecting stamps that follow a certain theme at sites such as train stations, rest areas, tourist attractions, museums, zoos, onsen towns, shopping malls, and other locations.
[2][5] Stamp rallies have some conceptual commonalities with the long-running Passport to Your National Parks campaign in the United States.
Stamp rallies conducted in collaboration with various media properties are often held, such as television dramas, films, anime, and video games.
Often, stamp rallies conducted in collaboration with anime or television series set in contemporary Japan focus on the many types of landmark locations featured in the work, rather than working with singular private transportation companies or chain businesses.
[9] Since 1997 East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has been conducting an annual project to place stamps of characters and creatures from the Pokémon franchise at major stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area during the summer vacation period of elementary and junior high school students (except in 2001–2002, 2016, and 2020–2022).
Since 2004, two of the stamps have been placed at Tokyo Monorail stations, a member of the JR East Group.
In 2011, due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, the "Pokemon B&W Stamp Rally" was reduced to a simple rally in which participants could choose one of 12 stations along two courses on the Yamanote Line and collect stamps at six stations.
[12][13] The "Metropolitan Area Course" included stamps from 10 stations (or three of them) within the scope of the "Holiday Pass" and "Nombiri Holiday Suica Pass," while the "Shinkansen Course" included stamps from only one of five designated Shinkansen stations in the Tōhoku, Jōetsu, and Hokuriku regions.
From 2006 to 2010, Summer Vacation Timetable: Pokemon Stamp Rally Special Edition (夏休み時刻表 ポケモン・スタンプラリー特別号) was published by Kotsu Shinbunsha and served as the official guidebook for the rally, and was commonly known as the "Pokemon Timetable".
Until 2010, the prize is exchanged at Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shinagawa, Ueno, and Matsudo stations at the end of the stamp rally.
In conjunction with the stamp rally period, the Yamanote Line operated tie-in "Pokémon trains" in 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2010.
In a common arrangement at anime conventions, attendees who purchase goods over a certain cost threshold at participating booths become eligible for a stamp.
In other cases, the reward pool is more general in nature or involves the convention itself, like a special pin.
These programs may either be designed by the managers of the event or arranged among a group of independently acting booth vendors.
[53][54] Some Japan Amateur Radio League members affiliated with Kuji Sunkist Club, JR7YKK, issue Michi-no-Eki QRV (道の駅QRV) awards to amateur radio operators for collecting QSL cards and stamping them at roadside stations close to the sender.
[55][56] A special-purpose database software utility was created for logging stamped QSL cards called Michi-no-Eki Get's (道の駅 Get's).
When using BankTime [ja], "RBT-XXXXXXXXX" is displayed instead of the branch name, which is a 7-digit number that corresponds to the unique code of the location where the ATM is used.
Mizuho Bank also falls into this category, but in its case, the Shibuya Chuo Branch Broadcast Center Sub-Branch (branch number 165, located in the restricted area of the NHK Broadcasting Center) cannot be accessed.
In the case of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the store number is printed on the passbook when using an ATM of a non-branch location.
Mister Donut Meguri (ミスタードーナツ巡り) is another travel-related hobby involving visiting Mister Donut locations and purchasing more than 300 worth of merchandise to receive and collect the store's MisDo Card (ミスドカード), formerly known as the Lucky Card(ラッキーカード).
On December 1 of the same year, "Misdo Club" was launched nationwide, shifting to a point card system.
Customers began receiving and collecting store-numbered MisDo Club point cards, receipts, and advertisements with coupons.
Some enthusiasts visit Lawson locations, a major nationwide convenience store chain, and collect receipts.
Since Lawson was one of the first convenience stores in Japan to expand into all prefectures, it is often seen in travel destinations and is visited while procuring groceries for the trip.
Some people make tours of branches of CoCo Ichibanya, the largest Japanese chain of curry restaurants, sometimes abbreviated to CoCo-Ichi Meguri.
For example, at the Musashi-Urawa Station East Exit store, which opened on November 24, 2005, the gift was a strap with a whistle attached.
Kuki, Saitama began offering a Lucky Star-themed marriage form in 2020, with character illustrations bounding the intended area for a couple's jitsuin.
