Japan: stamps, Goshuin, Tokyo metro explained, and things to do!

I took this trip with my youngest son. We spent the entire trip enjoying Tokyo and hunting for his favorite retro games, eating delicious food and checking out the sites. We made sure to stop at some of our favorite shops, and I introduced him to a few that his brother and I found on our last trip.

If it's your first time visiting Japan, check out my earlier posts. Begin with the first post, as it contains all the details on accommodations, currency, transportation, and other essential information for first-time visitors. I do detail how to use google maps and navigating the trains in greater detail on this post.

Here are the direct links in order:

1. Japan: Tokyo and Kyoto

2. Japan: Tokyo and Kawagoe

3. Japan: Tokyo and Kamakura

4. Japan: Tokyo and Kawaguchiko

HOTEL INFO: We returned to our usual spot, the Comfort Hotel Higashi-Kanda. Although I considered a different location, my boys love the location. This hotel has made updates and no longer has the free breakfast. You can pay ¥1800 per person for the breakfast buffet. They now have a cafe and area to sit on the first floor which is nice.

TRANSPORTATION: We usually take an Uber to and from the airport simply for convenience. It's about $50 USD each way and to me it's worth it not to have to drag luggage through the metro. Do what works for you.

I'm going to discuss a couple of things before getting into the trip activities:

• The difference between Stamp Books and Goshuin Books

• How to navigate the metro using google maps.

Stamp Books: On previous trips, we didn't collect train stamps from stations. Looking back, I wish we had. If it's your first visit, be sure to get a stamp book before you leave, so you'll be ready to collect your first stamp as soon as you arrive at the airport. Stamps are free and available all over Japan. We kept an eye out for them and stamped if we saw one but didn't make a point of searching for them, so we didn't waste time. There are lots of sites online to tell you where to find stamps if this is something you are interested in collecting. For us it was something fun to do along the journey to our destinations each day.

The books I purchased were a little bit larger than your passport so fits easily inside your day bag to keep with you for times you spot a station stamp. Just look up Japan Travel Stamp Book and you can find one you like online before your trip. Here's a look at the book we used and some of the stamps we collected on our last trip.

Goshuin Stamps: The book above is not to be confused with the books for collecting Goshuin calligraphy "stamps" that are hand painted by shrines and temples. You can purchase Goshuin for about ¥100 at most temples and shrines. If you have the Goshuin book, they can paint directly into your book. I have been collecting just the paper stamps from the shrines and temples for years. They can be added to the books or kept separate. The Goshuin are considered spiritual works of art and should not be put into the same book as the train stamps which are for fun. Many temples will not allow the Goshuin to be in a book with the train stamps, so be aware and have separate books or just collect them without a book.

Here is an example of some Goshuin "stamps."

• The first photo shows the Goshuin from the Hie Shrine that I purchased. If you want it painted directly into your book, there is a separate line for this (bring your own book).

• Each stamp tells the name of the Shrine, where it is located and the date. The second photo shows this. I used the google translate app to translate it for you to read.

• Sometimes they give you a gift with the Goshuin, like in the third photo.

• How they give you the individual stamp depends on the temple or shrine. It can be given with no covering, in a white envelope, or a plastic sleeve like the one with the red monkeys in the fourth photo. The Mt Fuji Goshuin is a larger sheet and shows the pagoda and Fuji, just how it looks at that shrine. The last photo shows the plastic sleeve with the temple on it that holds the Goshuin I got at the Kanda Shrine. *Try using your google translate app to read it by clicking the camera button and focusing on it.

The stamp books for these are like an accordion, so you'd need to glue the loose stamps in if you decide to get one and have loose Goshuin. If you get one right away, you can have them paint directly into the book. This takes a bit more time, so keep that in mind.

I'm trying not to be repetitive with the Japan posts since I have been five times, but I do learn something new each time and I try to expand on some things we've gotten good at like using the metro around the city. My post Japan: Tokyo and Kawaguchiko gets into transportation and using the Suica card on your iphone for easy tapping in and out of stations.

NAVIGATING TOKYO: This blog post I want to show you what it looks like to use google maps to navigate around the city. We use T-Mobile which has free data and texting, so if your provider does not include this internationally, you need to look into that service or possibly an e-sim or pocket Wi-Fi to get around without issue. SKIP this section if you are already a pro at navigating and go to the EXPLORING TOKYO section.

Below is an example of how we get back to the hotel from Shimbashi Station. When you put your start and end point into google maps it will tell you how long it will take for the entire trip. This includes time to walk to the station from where you currently are, the time on the train, any transfers and walking, and then walking to the destination. It also shows the price.

Thie photo to the left shows that we are going to start at Shimbashi Station (A10) and go to Higashi-Nimbashi Station (A15) using the Asakusa Line. It shows it's a 10-minute walk to the hotel from the station.

At Shimbashi station, look for the red Asakusa Line signs and follow them to the area where you scan your Suica to start the trip fee. Continue following the signs to your platform. You can see on the app it says we are departing from Platform 2.

The top right shows our train is departing "9:13AM." You can click on the down arrow next to the "Also in 7 min & 12 min" for a list of the upcoming trains. So, if you miss this train, don't freak out, another is coming shortly, and you can take that train.

4 If you had a connecting train, boarding on the 4th car will give you the fastest exit to catch the next train. We don't need this since we only have one train. We have 5 stops till we get off "Ride 5 stops (10 min)."

If you click the down area next to Ride 5 stops (10 min) it will show all of the station stops along your journey. I like to keep this open on my phone and follow along. The white dots will appear next to each station as you come to it.

The train also has a monitor above the doors in Japanese and English with all of the station stops on the line. It will announce the station and show the progress of the line as it passes each station. It also shows which side of the train the doors will open and the station's exit gate information.

This photo shows that when we arrive at Higashi-Nihombashi Station we will Follow signs for Tonya-gai District Gate and Exit Via 1. If you get off the train and don't know which way to go, step aside and let everyone pass, then look for signs. There are signs posted that show exit directions. Find your exit, then follow the signs. You will tap your Suica card out of the Asakusa Line (completing your trip fee), then walk 10 minutes to the hotel. **Clicking the blue map icon will take you to the walking directions at the start and end of each trip.

Try it now! Type in 2 locations on your phone. I will type the Shimashi Station from above and the hotel where we stayed.

When you type in your destinations it will give you several options. You can see the pricing for each option listed on the right. I usually choose the one with the least amount of walking, or the fastest option if we are trying to get somewhere quick.

The last option shows a train and a bus. You would tap in and out at the train, then in and out on the bus. There are many options for using the metro. Don't stress. Pick one. If you don't like the way it turned out, pick another for the return.

Sometimes there are express trains (trains that don't make as many stops) at certain times of the day. If you pick this train and miss it, your time will be significantly longer, but you will still get there. The metro system is amazing and once you get the hang of it, you will appreciate it's convenience.

EXPLORING TOKYO

ARRIVAL DAY: Okay, let's get to the fun stuff. We aways start with a walk over to Akihabara. My kids love the area for retro game hunting and all things anime. Our first meal in Tokyo was tonkatsu from Tonkatsu Wako in the Yodobashi Akiba building. It's delicious and you get free refills of rice, cabbage salad, miso soup and tea. The tonkatsu set meal is a great deal for lunch. Honestly one of my favorites.

RETRO GAMES: There are rows and rows of games in buildings several stories high all over the city to look for games. I listed some of our favorites in my previous blog post, but you are going to find your best deals at Book Off, Mandarake and Surugaya.

Super Potato will have games, but you will pay much higher prices. There are tons of stores around Tokyo, you just have to explore and search for deals. Traders and Retro Game Camp are a couple more places that have a good selection of games.

Day 2: We ate breakfast at the hotel and headed to the Godzilla Art Exhibit. We got tickets ahead of time online. It's difficult to purchase directly from the website without having a local cell phone number, so I used the Klook website. Tickets were the same price, the website is all in English, and I was able to pay online and save the tickets on my phone.

Before arriving in Tokyo, check for any exhibits or pop-up events occurring in the city during your visit. There's always something happening, so search for your interests and see if you find something you'd enjoy. We searched for Godzilla, Studio Ghibli, and Sumo and discovered all three!

We always stop at Kura Sushi when we are in Tokyo. It's a fun way to eat conveyor belt sushi and there are games you can play when you return the used dishes to the slot at the table. If someone in your party doesn't eat sushi, no worries, they have tons of cooked options too.

The next day we headed to Nakano to shop at Nakano Broadway to hunt for more games and collectables. This area has a covered walkway (Nakano Sun Mall) along the walk to the building with several restaurants and shops. Nakano Broadway has about 8 Mandarake stores in it as well as tons of other shops filled with figures, retro games, manga, capsule toys, and TONS more. You could easily spend a few hours shopping here.

After all that shopping, we stopped at Ichiran Ramen for dinner. This is a family favorite for a fun experience. You can get a noodle refill too. If you order the refill at the kiosk when you order, you can use your credit card. If you order extra noodles at the table, you pay cash.

Red bags (like the one below) are popular in the new year. Most places will have red bags filled with surprises and all you know is the theme of what is inside. Marcus found one still around in June that said Kirby on it, so gave it a try. It was only Kirby packaging, so he was a bit disappointed, but it was cheap. This is all what we bought in Nakano.

Day 3: We made our way to Ikebukuro. This area is fantastic for anime and retro games. While many believe Akihabara is the top spot, Nakano and Ikebukuro offer excellent alternatives, often with better prices in certain stores.

Ikebukuro Yakiniku Stadium is an excellent spot for barbecue. The lunch set is tasty and includes everything shown in the photo. You can grill your meat directly at the table.

We headed over to Sunshine City mall to check out some character stores and check out Bandai Namco Cross Store. Lots to see and do here. My previous post shows the observatory they have at the top of the building with great views if you can get a good spot by the windows.

Next, we went to Cat Cafe Mocha to escape the heat and enjoy the company of adorable cats. You pay based on how long you stay, and you also receive unlimited drinks.

The Hie Shrine features 90 torii gates leading up to it. At the entrance, there's a sign explaining how to pass through the Chinoa. You can obtain a Goshuin stamp at the building located to the left of the Chinoa. Afterward, proceed around the corner and descend the stairs through the torii gates.

We stopped for iced drinks to cool off at a local cafe and then walked to Akasaka Station.

Akasaka Station is known for its Harry Potter decor. Music from the movies plays in the station. There are lots of HP decor in the area as well as a Harry Potter theater. It's a fun area to walk around if you are in the area and a fan.

There are tons of shops all over Tokyo, so make sure explore! Fan Gamer, Village Vanguard and Don Quijote are always must stops for us. We also keep a look out for our favorite characters at the vending machines and convenient stores (Demon Slayer coffee and water shown).

For lunch we headed to Uobei for conveyor belt sushi. You get a number from the front and sit along the bar. Orders from the tablet come to the to the conveyor belt in front of you.

Whatever you're into, Tokyo has it. The Capcom Store, Jump Shop and Pokemon Stores are located in several neighborhoods. The stores below, including the Godzilla store, were located in Shibuya.

We ended our day with a beef bowl at Yoshinoya, a local chain in Tokyo that's super cheap and delicious. Then grabbed an ice cream from FamilyMart before heading back to the hotel for the night. Some nights I would get a smoothie from 7-11 to cool off.

Day 4 Meals: A great place to stop for lunch and eat on a hot day is Sagatani in Akihabara. Place your order at the front kiosk and wait for a seat to open up. Cold soba is so delicious on a hot day. For those who have not had cold soba, you dip your noodles in the strong broth and then once you are done you fill the cup with hot water to dilute the intense broth and drink it. You can get a rice bowl with it like we did. The rice bowl I chose had grilled fish flake on top. It was a great meal for just ¥780 (that's just $5.28 USD).

Another tasty option is Kamakura Soup with Noodles. You get a huge bowl of ramen with cabbage. The gyoza here are delicious too. It's another chain you can find throughout Tokyo. And of course, I can't pass up an opportunity to grab drinks with a Demon Slayer theme. These were from that machine I posted earlier.

Day 5: We headed to Asakusa, just past the temple to grab some melon pan before our exciting event for the day.

Kagetsudo is the most popular place to get melon pan in Asakusa. The line wasn't too long, and you have the option to get them plain or filled with ice cream. We had plain since it was our breakfast.

On our first trip to Japan, it was not sumo tournament season, but we were able to go to the Arashi-beya Sumo Stable and watch them practice. You can look up the practice times and watch from the street through the window.

This trip we wanted to learn more about sumo, so got tickets to a show at Asakusa Sumo Club. The show is done in English and explains the history, rituals, and rules of sumo. We enjoyed an all-you-can-eat traditional Japanese meal, including chanko nabe (chicken hotpot), while watching the show. The show also had a traditional art of geisha dance at the beginning. After the show you can volunteer to be selected to challenge a sumo wrestler. This was fun to watch. Then your group takes photos with the wrestlers and geisha and receive a gift to take home. It was so much fun and a definite highlight of the trip.

Across from the Sumo Club you can shop at Uniqlo. We love this clothing store and always stop in to see what the latest anime themed t-shirts they have in stock. If you forgot any necessities, you can also purchase them here. They have great quality clothing.

We headed over to the observation deck of the tourist information building to grab a drink at the cafe before heading to our next stop. There are great views from the top and it's a nice place to sit and have a cold drink on a hot day and use the restroom.

We stopped at Fan Fun Street and the Bandai Co Head Office to look at the outdoor sculptures and see the free two floor Bandai Namco Museum inside the building.

We enjoy walking, but you could definitely take the metro over to our next stop. You'd miss this photo of on the bridge though. It is less crowded walking in this area too.

If you have a Kirby lover in your family, odds are you tried getting tickets to the Kirby Cafe (and may have been successful). If you don't know, it's a whole process, and they usually sell out in 20 minutes for the following month. If you couldn't get tickets, don't despair. You can order from the to-go menu and eat at the tables right out front. You can also shop in the exclusive Kirby Cafe shop.

While you wait for your meal (usually a 30-60 min wait time), you can go to the Kirby Store inside of Skytree town and grab a Kirby themed jelly drink or shop. When your time slot comes up, just pick up your meal and enjoy out front under the Skytree tower.

Securing a ticket for Ghibli Park can be challenging. If tickets are unavailable, you can visit several stores throughout the city that sell Ghibli merchandise. These shops feature large characters from different movies for photo opportunities, such as Totoro at Skytree.

Make sure to look for any popups or exhibits scheduled during your time in Tokyo. We were fortunate to discover the Ghibli 3D Sculpture Exhibition 2025. This led us to explore a new area of Tokyo and enjoy an amazing exhibit. There was also a place to grab Ghibli themed drinks and sit on the dock to enjoy them.

We took a short metro ride and walked to Diver City Tokyo to see the Gundam Unicorn. We watched the light show and then went inside to grab a snack.

They had a cute Gundam Hello Kitty in the Sanrio Store. We also got a treat at the Sanrio Cafe next door. A great way to cool off from the heat and end our day.

We slept in on the last day and just grabbed some 7-11 favorites before our trip home. Don't forget to get a luggage tag if you end up purchasing an extra suitcase for all of your souvenirs and gifts for friends! Enjoy Tokyo. I've been 5 times now and would go back again and again. There are other parts of the country I'd love to see. Okinawa is on my wish list.