A collection of printed mementoes from Japan
Often, when the Heist Team heads to a different country for fieldwork, we collect receipts to track our expenses. For a little while now, I’ve been fascinated by receipt designs and toyed with the idea of designing receipts as a way of documenting my life.
For my trip to Japan, I initially wanted to collect all the receipts I’ve received to document the trip. However, looking at my stash of paper artefacts from my trip, I realised I’ve also collected many other interesting printed mementoes that I would love to share.
1. Fortunes from Temples
I had the chance to visit many of the famous temples in Tokyo and Nara. These temples often allow visitors to receive their fortune by shaking a container filled with numbered sticks. Those who receive good fortunes can bring their fortune slips home while those who receive bad fortunes usually tie up their clip along the temple walls to let the gods change their destiny.
2. Admission Tickets
I also kept admission tickets from some of the temples and castles in Kyoto. These visits were often very calming and I felt that this was a quality that was also reflected in the design of the tickets. The ticket for Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto even had a spiritual saying written on it.
The ticket for Kinkakuji Temple is my favourite. It is actually an amulet that wishes you good fortune and safety for your family.
3. Fastpass for Mermaid Lagoon theatre at Disney SEA
My sister loves visiting theme parks so we made it a point to visit both Disney SEA and Disneyland while we were in Tokyo. A limited amount of fastpasses are usually available at the entrance of each ride or show and they are usually collected when you enter the queue. I have this one with me because there was an earthquake close to Tokyo while we were at the theme park. Even though we only felt light tremors, most of the park was temporarily shut down for most of the day and I did not have a chance to use my fastpass. At the time, we were all frustrated to find out we are not able to go on the rides at that time but looking back, it was a memorable experience and I’m glad I have something that will remind me of it.
4. Train Tickets
While we were travelling across Japan, we had transport cards that allowed us easy access to all train lines — but I decided to purchase a ticket for my last train ride in Japan to serve as a memento for the trip. I also thought it was interesting that all train tickets and receipts have brown magnetic backings.
This is a ticket from Asakusa Temple to Tokyo Station where I boarded an Airport service train bound for Haneda Airport.
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I really enjoyed collecting receipts and tickets during this trip. Not only do they serve as a great way to remember my trip, it also allowed me opportunities to examine the visual vernacular of an unfamiliar environment — something that is always important for a designer!
