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Attack on Titan stamp rally perfect for Japanese-speaking train fans, probably sucks for everyone else

Fran W Aug 3, 2014
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A stamp rally, a promotional event in which you rush, saunter or dawdle around a local area collecting rubber stamps from checkpoints, is a popular summer activity in Japan. It often takes the form of a themed rubber stamp chained to an inky board that can be found at each station along a railway line, thus encouraging kids (and their accompanying, ticket-buying parents) to visit a bunch of places by train during the summer holidays.

Rubber stamps aren’t just for kids, though. Adults are welcome to collect the stamps in a book to keep for themselves, or if you catch ’em all on the promotional leaflet and hand it in to the organisers, you can sometimes win some cool prizes or goods relating to the show or characters being promoted. And this summer, Attack on Titan attempts to bring the stamp rally kicking and screaming into the 21st century, with a railway rally entitled Attack on Chichibu. The twist: it’s a stamp rally where there aren’t any stamps.

How does that work, then? Well, in Shingeki no Seibu Tetsudou (“attack on” or “advance on Seibu railways“) you collect digital stamps on your smartphone at locations around Chichibu City, which allow you to listen to limited edition recorded voice messages from characters Eren, Mikasa, and Levi. Which, depending on how much you like Attack on Titan, digital wallpapers, and “limited edition recorded voice messages” (they’ll be in Japanese, but if you’re in Japan you’re probably cool with that), is either going to be really fun or stupendously boring.

▼ The traditional stamp rally set-up. Not pictured: parent begrudgingly thinking about the cost of today’s train tickets.

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The campaign runs from August 6th to November 5th, and encourages participants to visit locations around Chichibu city. Visitors who scan four separate “Survey Points” on their smartphone before returning to Chichibu station and scanning the QR code at the checkpoint there can hear those special recorded messages.

▼ The train is called the “Red Arrow“, though, which is pretty cool.

Also up for grabs to visitors who scan at least one code from a station along the Seibu line is this three-part set of limited edition Seibu railway-Attack on Titan promotion goods, consisting of original stickers, files, and cardboard circular fans:

▼ The design of the clear file (kuriā fairu), which despite the name, is not necessarily transparent.

▼ Front and back of the map-fan. As well as being a limited-edition collector’s item, it can also be used as a map, or a fan.

What do you reckon, Rocketeers? Wanna ride the Red Arrow with Eren, Mikasa, Levi, and a bunch of other anime fans? Or has Attack on Titan finally taken its tie-in promotions too far? Let us know in the comments!
[ Read in Japanese ]