If you live in Japan, at some point in life, you are going to have to acquire a “hanko” (name stamp). Like a signature in western countries, a hanko is a way to represent yourself in correspondence and business transactions.

The other day, I was staring at my own hanko and wondering how I could get more use out of it. The only place that requires me to use it is my bank—I can simply sign for everything else. Then it hit me: “This would make a great blog post!”