Japan is full of commemorative stamps found at various locations all over its beautiful landscapes—both cities and countryside. Japan is not only an amazing country, it is full of stamps for tourists to collect while visiting. 

Hi! My name is Katrina Hadnot, and my family and I live in Japan right now, because of my husband’s job. After moving to Asia from Europe, we have learned a thing or two about cultures, and we love to travel. I run Lindale Studios, an art studio that helps brands stand out with ease with color and texture. When school is out, we try and make the most of our time and travel to a new city or country!

Today, I want to share a little bit about the stamp books I painted, and brought to the World Expo in Osaka, Japan.

These stamps often feature designs related to the local attractions, landmarks, or famous aspects of the area.  Japan has millions of visitors each year, and creating your own stamp book can be your own version of a travel diary. The stamp spots are usually self-service and free, and serve as a fun and free way to document your travels in Japan. Your stamp books can feature stamps or even shrine stamps as well.

We are currently living in Japan, and it just so happens that the WORLD EXPO was here in Osaka this year. The World Expo only happens every 5 years, so obviously we took a plane from Nagasaki to Osaka. We got really cheap airline flights which made the trip even better!  So I wanted to get my girls some new stamp books, and do something creative with them.

The World Expo had stamps all over, so obviously I needed to get them and paint in them before we left for Osaka.

Just like most kids, my girls ask for souvenirs when we go somewhere, and I don’t really want them collecting needless trinkets. Travel diaries are wonderful, but for kids who don’t love to write, stamp books are the way to go, at least for Japan!

We had tried collecting stamps from our travels in Japan in regular little notebooks, but they were flimsy. I wanted the girls to have more of a keepsake, and for the book to be more durable. If I got them something more durable, it would give them the option to draw and paint in them as well. 

So I ordered these little sketchbooks, and painted the inside of the front cover for them as a keepsake. I started panting them during spring break in the Phillipines.

Each one is different, and if you notice, I was able to paint a little scene of each of them in their own stamp book from either a memory or a photo I had taken here in Japan.

These special little books are now keepsakes, and I got to have fun and get some creative play while making them. I would love to hear your thoughts about this little project. I’m so grateful to have completed them and given them to my girls.

It will be a keepsake forever, and something fun forward to during our travels in Japan!

Do you need to come up with your own ideas of creative play to bring out the artistic side of your soul, and have some fun?

Check our my free PDF guide HERE! “Creative Play: The What, WHY & HOW”

Check out the sketchbooks here!

Come and check out Lindale Studios!

If you want to learn more about Katrina or Lindale Studios, color theory and inspiration, and how it relates to your brand, click here  visit the website, services, or social media!

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