Things I didn't try early on: collecting goshuin

Long term expats on City-cost have been talking about things we didn't try in our first years in Japan. As genkidesu shared, she didn't try collecting the temple and shrine stamps / seals, called goshuin in Japanese, in her early years in Japan. It was the same for me, although the reason was slightly different.

Like Genkidesu though, I didn't hear about goshuin at all in my first years in Japan. I can't remember when I first heard about them, but I do remember that initially I wasn't that interested! I don't think I grasped the beauty of them, until years after I first heard of them. To be honest, it's only when I started truly looking at them, on social media, that my interest piqued. 

However, there was also a period after recognizing their appeal, that I was shy to buy them. Because I wasn't entirely sure how to buy them. Yes, I knew you get them at the offices of the temple or the shrine, but they don't all sell them and those that do, don't always sell them every day. They have fixed hours for goshuin sales. Moreover, some of them require you book in advance on the phone. There are others who won't put them directly in a goshuincho and others that will only put them in a goshuincho!

Then one day, a temple in Saitama Prefecture wrote a very clear explanation on social media, of how to buy theirs on social media, and I went and bought my first one. Then I got the confidence to buy more. If you do want to try collecting them, you just need to check the conditions / times of sale on the temple or shrines website. Do note though, it is not a cheap hobby. Plain goshuin typically cost at least 300 yen, but most often 500 yen, and seasonal / limited edition ones are often 800 to 1000 yen. The books for collecting them are at least double that. It adds up, especially if you are buying them frequently. But it's worth it!