HANKO is a personal name stamp. In Japan, HANKO is used instead of signature on Japanese official documents. HANKO is also called INKAN.
Why don't you make your own HANKO for souvenir?
Some types of personal seal vending machines are available in Japan. You can get your original one quickly.
My friend who are from England bought a Hanko with this vending machine above.
First, you choose a material such as plastic, wood, tusk and amber.
Then, You input your name using Japanese characters or alphabets. Several fonts are available. You can also customize the font design and layout so that your stamped seal is the only one in the world.
After you pay the bill, you will get it in 10 to 20 minutes. It costs between 500 and 4000 yen at this machine. The prices depend on the materials.
I found this machine in a shopping mall Ario Nishiarai アリオ西新井 in Tokyo.
Of course, shopping mall is not meant to be places for sightseeing, but if you are interested in Japanese local cultures, taking a walk in the mall is a valuable experience.
This is another vending machine in a DIY store HOME'S Sokatoneri branch ホームズ草加舎人店 in Saitama 埼玉 prefecture (outside northern Tokyo).
However, English instruction is not available on the machines above. If you have friends who can read and write in Japanese, please ask them to help you make the seal.
Please check the information and instruction video of this machine on the website below.
Website (in Japanese)
This websites says that it is placed at many stores of Don Quijote ドン・キホーテ all over Japan.
Store Examples in Tokyo:
Shinjuku 新宿, Roppongi 六本木, Ikebukuro 池袋, Ginza 銀座, Akihabara 秋葉原, Ueno 上野, Nishiarai 西新井, Asakusa 浅草, Shibuya 渋谷 and so on.
Information is as of 2016 - February 2019.
One more Japanese stamp culture
