Another Life in Japan: Everything Starts with a Seal

Life Reset Journal  by Sio

The first thing you do when you move to Japan is the making of a personal seal. In Japan, signatures don’t matter much, but seals carry the legal weight. From receiving packages, opening a bank account, to signing a contract, everything requires an official stamp.

On my first day after moving to Osaka, I rushed to Hankodo, located in front of Abeno Q’s Mall in Tennoji, to get my seal made. Since my residence card shows my name in Roman letters, my friend suggested me to make a surname only seal in English (it took about 30 mins to make and cost around ¥1,000).

The next day, I went to the local ward office to register my seal and my address. It took hours. It was confusing. And yet, when I finally received the Seal Registration Certificate, I felt unexpectedly emotional,  like it was telling me - your new life in Japan has officially begun.

To be honest, I never imagined I’d end up here. I’ve wandered half the globe, lived on different sides of the world, returned home to Macau, and rested through a global pandemic. Japan was never on my “dream list”, and yet, here I am, starting over once again, writing a brand new chapter of my Another Life.

Afterword…

Turns out I could have used my full name. My friend just wanted to save me some money — sweet, right? But by the time I found out, it was too late. The registration was done, the seal was made, and I was left staring at it like… seriously? This thing is going to follow me forever. Of course I wanted my full name. But hey, redoing it is way too much trouble. So I’ve decided to laugh it off and just appreciate the thought behind it.

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Sio

Resetting life in Osaka after years in the UK, France, Spain, Canada & Argentina. Seeing people and cultures from many sides.

Follow @anotherlifeclub and restart Another Life with me.