Hey Hey, Peeps!
It's Bikky once again. As you may have noticed, my posting declined over the last couple of weeks. Sorry about that. I just got caught up in the fun, chaotic life of a Japanese college student. Of course, that meant very little sleep and trying to balance out and fun and school. Then, I got sick again this past week.... Before you freak out, one shouldn't be all that surprised. As my mom said, it's like being a first-year teacher. First-year teachers often get sick multiple times through out the year because they are exposed to new germs that their students bring in. It's the same when you're living in a dorm. We are in close contact with each other and sharing kitchen utensils, sponges, ect. So, it's hard to stay away from germs. To add to that susceptibility, all the students at this dorm are international students, probably bringing germs from their countries here, and we are all in a new land with new germs attacking our system. Combined with lack of sleep, it's easy to see why I've gotten sick twice now. Plus, I'm not the only one who has gotten sick multiple times. Many of my close friends have, as well.
But enough with that "being sick" talk, let's discuss this thing called a hanko. Think back to all that paperwork you have done in the past and all the signing you had to do. Wouldn't be nice to streamline the signing process? Well, the Japanese culture has a way of doing that. They use a little stamp called a hanko to sign paperwork. This stamp is often a circle with the Chinese characters (called kanji) of the owner's last name inside of it. For the Japanese, it's fairly easy to buy a hanko. Just walk down to any stationary shop or general store and voila!, there's a spinning case holding generic hanko of all the common Japanese last names. It's like finding one of those personalized name stamps at Disneyland or a party supply store.
But, note that I said "common Japanese last names". Truth be told, some last names are not common to have generic hanko made for them. That's part of the reason why there are hanko stores.
Real quick: here's a photo of a hanko diplay, most likely from a hanko store. This photo is courtesy of the Almighty Wikipedia. Here's another photo, this time from realestate.co.jp, I found it through Google Images. And one more photo, this time of a hanko stamp, called an inkan. Let me clarify, this is not an image of the seal the stamp produces, but of the actual stamp itself. Typically, the stamp is small, smaller than an adult's palm. The seal it produces is also quite small, yet often very intricate!
Back to the discussion. At hanko shops, Japanese people can also buy generic hanko. But these stores are very important for foreigner and Japanese businessmen. Foreigners who are planning on living in Japan will need to have a personalized hanko made for them. Since Westerners don't have kanji attached to their last names, they can forgo getting a stamp with kanji. But, some like myself, can create kanji combinations for their last names.
Sorry if you are a little confused. Japanese language has three writing systems, two are syllable-based and the last one is the Chinese characters called kanji. In short, Japanese language uses are three writing systems simultaneously. One of the syllable-based writing systems is used for borrowed words, foreign names and made-up words. This system is called katakana. I will use a different post to fully explain the writing system. Just know that foreigners have a choice of using katakana or kanji for their hanko stamp.
Now, there are three types of hanko. One is used for everyday signatures, such as signing for packages. This hanko, called a mitome-in, can be made of rubber. The next type cannot be made from rubber. This type, aptly called a ginko-in, is commonly made from bamboo and is used to open bank accounts, cell phone accounts and the like. I say it is aptly called a ginko-in because the word for 'bank' in Japanese is 'ginko' and this stamp is used for opening bank accounts, thus ginko-in.
The last type of hanko is really expensive I noticed. It's equivalent to a few hundred US dollars. This one, called a jitsu-in, is used for business dealings, such as property sales and car purchasing. Apparently, these stamps are often kept in a safe due to their importance in Japanese life. These can take a week to be made, so it is important to have one made in advance before considering any major life changes.
On that note, the mitome-in and ginko-in can be made to order in as little as a day. It depends on the shop. I found one hanko shop that would make a personalized ginko-in in three days and another that took only 24 hours. Guess which one I went to...yep, I got mine in only 24 hours!
Now, as you are ordering your hanko, you may have a choice of the stamp's 'handle' or lacquer color (which varies in pricing) and the case color. I chose a semi-inexpensive lacquer and the cheapest case ever! Mind you, I can always pick up another case at the 100-yen shop if mine breaks or I get bored of it.
When you are using the hanko, learn from my troubles. Always make sure that you have enough ink on the seal pattern and always make extra-sure that you have transferred your seal onto the paper by rolling the stamp back and forth. If you don't, you'll end up like me at Citibank and the cellphone company, Softbank, using up all their forms because I didn't transfer my seal correctly. The seal has to be legible on the paperwork. If it isn't, you have to do the form all over again and pray that you transfer your seal correctly. Or, you first transfer the seal, then fill out the form....
Anyway, that's the lesson of the day. I hope this wasn't too confusing. I got my info from englishpool.net this time. Just click on the site address and it will take you directly to the hanko explanation.
For the next post, I'm either going to discuss the trash system of Japan or the written Japanese language. So, leave a comment down below as to which you would like me to discuss first, or if you have my Facebook or email, message me there.
Until then, later Peeps!
