What’s trending in Japan NOW?! 〜Sticker Trading〜
If you ask someone the question above, people would answer…..Sticker Trading.
Yes. I feel you. There are still many parts of Japanese culture that feel mysterious to Londoners. But if you are here, you’ll catch a glimpse of Japan’s uniquely enigmatic culture. Lucky you!
Watch this youtube.
The video above shows well-known celebrities doing nothing more than trading stickers. People enjoy collecting tiny “kawaii” stickers as much as possible.The most important thing of Sticker Trading is to give the others compliments. Rather than putting anything down, people focus on praising how cute they are, or how rare they might be. The keyword here is simple — “kawaii.”
Nowadays, people of all ages – from children to grandparents – seem to carry their own sticker albums. You can find tiny stickers that are carefully collected and displayed inside their albums. As you can probably tell, there is absolutely no practical use for them.
Yet some of the most popular stickers sell out instantly and are almost impossible to find in stores.
You can trade your sticker for your friend’s – but not without negotiation. Not every sticker is up for grabs. You need to figure out which one feels equal in value, talk it through, and once both sides agree, the trade is sealed. Rare stickers, larger ones, or those featuring popular characters are much harder to part with. These are often described as having a “high rate,” a way of signalling their higher value. In character-obsessed Japan, just about anything can become a sticker.
The most compelling aspect of this trend is its universality.
Across generations and positions— parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, CEOs and their staff — everyone participates in the same way. It reflects a distinctly Japanese sensibility: the idea that loving cute things is not something to outgrow, but something shared by all.
The recent resurgence of stickers, reminiscent of the late 1990s and early 2000s, is particularly telling. Both younger generations and those now in their thirties—who grew up with these objects and now have spending power—are drawn to 90s and 2000s culture, from Tamagotchi to collectible stickers.
I may be repeating myself, but stickers serve no practical purpose. In an age when almost everything can be done without seeing or interacting with others, sticker trading requires communication. It asks people to meet, to talk, and to see and touch the stickers themselves.