Q.

What is hanko?

A.

Hanko, also called inkan is a carved stamp of a name that is used to receive packages, open a bank account, or sign a contract.

Even if you are a foreigner, if you reside in Japan and plan to get documents issued from a bank or do any kind of official signing of a contract, you should get one as just signing will not be accepted in most cases.

Although hanko culture is fading slowly, it is expected to stick around for a while. Hanko can be found in many places like 100 yen shops however, it only has hanko with popular Japanese last names. As this is the case, you will likely need to order a personalized hanko for yourself!

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