Stamp

One thing that I have learned in the past week is how the Japanese sign documents.  Instead of just signing their name in hiragana or in Chinese characters, the Japanese do all their business with a rubber stamp.  The stamp is very important.  I had to get mine to open a bank account and I even had to get it registered at City Hall.  I don't know the exact reason for the stamp, I just know that since there are many of the same surnames in Japan, the registered stamp is a way to protect ones identity.  Now, don't think of the stamp as a signature in terms of how we sign things in America.  If a Japanese person uses a credit card, it is not likely they will just take out their stamp to sign the document.  Instead it is used in more of a business way.  I had to use mine to sign up for insurance, get my car (more on that later), heck I even have to "stamp in" at work to show I am there!  The stamp is a very important part of Japanese culture.  The stamp is always done in red ink and on important documents there is always a place to stamp your signature.   The pictures show my stamp case, the stamp inside the case with the red ink, and my stamp.  Mine says "Anna."