What changed
2026-07-30 22:16 UTC → 2026-08-07 23:42 UTC ·
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Following After the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s July 24 announcement, Tourism announced a wave of free digital stamp digital‑stamp rally festivals launched in late July across multiple locations—Hyōgo’s “Yokai Village,” Odaiba’s “Minions & Monsters,” 2024 – including events in Hyōgo, Odaiba, JR East’s Hamadori line, Yokohama’s “Summer Sounyan,” Yokohama, Funabashi City’s third “Funabashi Digital Stamp Rally,” and Tokyo’s Togoshi Ginza “Summer Stamp Festival.” These events Togoshi‑Ginza – municipalities used QR‑code stickers or app‑based stamps, offered food stamps to give food, collectibles or collectible prizes, lottery prizes and ran to draw families to local attractions through August and September, aiming to boost family tourism and foot traffic. September. The model was quickly adopted elsewhere. From August 1, 2024 Sano City in Tochigi Prefecture added the “Sano City Murazukuri Soba Stamp Rally,” operating until November 29 and featuring four rural restaurants, QR‑code or paper stamps, and a lottery of local produce for 170 winners. Simultaneously, rural‑restaurant rally, while Chikuhoku Village in Nagano ran a “Time‑Travel” rally through October. Toshima Ward in Tokyo launched a year‑round walking rally in July 2024, encouraging exploration of lesser‑known neighbourhood sites. In 2026 the programme expanded nationwide. Fukuoka Prefecture hosted two parallel rallies – a three‑station road‑station rally in Tōhō village and a city‑wide celebration linked to the “Keroro Gunso” film – both running to the end of August. Ishikawa’s Kagari Kichijōtei inn promoted the 33.3 km White Road scenic drive, while Gunma Prefecture ran the “Chikuhoku Time Travel Stamp Rally” “Kanna‑Kobura∞Gurubura” rally from July 25 to October 25, November, offering hot‑spring stay prizes. Hokkaido’s Tobetsu Town held a 33‑site rally using the “furari” tourism app, quizzes at 17 checkpoints, Kyuria no‑code platform, with monthly ¥1 million prize draws. July 2026 also saw a coordinated summer rollout: Hyōgo’s “Yokai Village” rally, Odaiba’s Minions & Monsters adventure, JR East’s Hamadori line rally, and prizes such as hot‑spring vouchers Yokohama’s “Summer Sounyan” rally, all free and character goods. These programs extended the QR‑code family‑focused. Funabashi’s third digital rally initiative into additional municipalities, sustaining the summer‑season push and lengthening promotion into autumn. In mid‑July, Tokyo’s Togoshi‑Ginza “Summer Stamp Festival” ran in August, while Toshima Ward Ward’s walking rally continued year‑round. New cycling‑focused rallies launched the year‑round “Toshima‑machi Walking Stamp Rally,” inviting participants to collect five differently coloured stamps at sites such as Ikebukuro East Exit, Global Ring Café, Zoshigaya, Tokiwazō Street Showa Retro Hall and Sugamo Cultural Creation Center. Completing the set produces an illustration of local mascots, encouraging residents in Niigata (Kubiki Cycling) and visitors to explore lesser‑known neighbourhood spots. The Nagano’s Chikuhoku rally continued alongside this new Tokyo event, reinforcing Village, using the broader national effort Spot tour and furari apps to use digital stamp rallies for regional tourism revitalisation. attract cyclists.