Japanese culture × ALT life vol.2

The second topic is “hanko”.

Have you ever heard of hanko/inkan? It is a Japanese stamp that we use in place of our signature. We can buy hanko at a dollar shop and we use it for daily life, but usually there is wooden one which is considered to be the real one for official documents like bank book or marriage certificate. In my case, I was given a good one when I graduated from junior high school, and I still use it as my registered hanko. To be honest, I don’t know why hanko is very important and considered to be trustworthy because anyone can buy one at a dollar store.

I think signature is more reliable. However, this is one part of Japanese culture, and it is becoming less common these days because of the paper less trend.

As Heart ALT, you are supposed to get a stamp from a teacher at your schools every day before you leave your school to prove that you are there, and a teacher gives you a confirmation by giving you the stamp. This is must and we cannot pay you without it!

It might be a good idea that you create your own hanko. It must feel good that you are becoming a member of the Japanese society!