What is EkiTag? Pokémon for Train Lovers

EkiTag is an innovative app that allows you to collect digital station stamps across the country. By simply using your phone’s NFC function at participating railway stations, you can “check in” and unlock beautifully designed digital art unique to that location. It’s essentially Pokémon for travelers, encouraging you to explore, discover hidden gems, and document your journey through the Japanese rail system.

I recently sat down with my Bon Bon Show co-host Aaron to discuss this phenomenon in detail. You can listen to our full breakdown on Episode 18 of the Bon Bon Show, where we dive into how the app taps into the local “stamp rally” tradition through events, promotions, and crossovers. Currently, my collection is mostly centered around Tokyo, but I fully plan to “catch ’em all” as I travel further afield. If you enjoy gamifying your travels, will you join me on this EkiTag quest? Check out a sample of EkiTags I have collected so far below.

My Gunpla Kits

Over the years, I have documented several of my own builds and additions to my collection here on the blog. Whether you are a veteran builder or just curious about getting started, here is a look back at some of the Gunpla and Gundam-related projects featured on Jamaipanese.com:

• Gunpla Diorama Base Complete
  Taking things to the next level by building a custom home for my kits! This base adds some serious “wow” factor and makes any Mobile Suit look like it’s right in the middle of a battlefield.
• HG Mobile Suit Gundam Demi Trainer
  Building the quirky student-bot from The Witch from Mercury. It’s got a cool, chunky industrial look that’s a total blast to put together.
• Chibi Gundam Aerial
  Proof that tiny is mighty! This “chibi” Aerial is super cute but still manages to pack in all the iconic details of its bigger sibling.
• RX-78-2 Gundam Gold Injection Color Model Kit
  The classic “Grandpa” Gundam gets a flashy makeover! This kit uses a special gold plastic that makes the original hero suit shine like a trophy.
• Gundam Wing Leo Model Kit
  Showing some love for the ultimate “grunt” suit. The Leo might be basic, but its simple design makes it a fun, quick build for any Gundam Wing fan. YouTube build here.

• Chibi Unicorn Gundam
  The complex Unicorn Gundam gets shrunk down! This SD (Super Deformed) version is a great way to see this legendary machine in a fun, squashed-down style.
• Unicorn Gundam Finally Complete
  Victory at last! Check out the final shots of this intense build—it was a challenge, but seeing the finished product makes it all worth it.
• Planet Cubicle Exploration Update
  A quick tour of my workspace “command center.” It’s amazing how a few well-placed kits can turn a boring desk into a personal sci-fi paradise.
• Gundam Astray Gold Frame Chibi Figure
  Checking out the Astray Gold Frame in a pocket-sized format. That black and gold combo never fails to look absolutely sharp!
• Gundam Wing Heavy Arms – Master Grade
  his model is from the Gundam Wing Endless Waltz movie just before the suit got some major upgrades.

• Gundam Astraea Type F Figure
  A look at the bright red Astraea Type F. It’s got an aggressive “prototype” vibe that makes it stand out from the typical blue and white heroes.
• SD Gundam 00 Exia Figure
  The Exia is ready for its close-up! This tiny version of the Gundam 00 star is perfect for adding a bit of Celestial Being flair to any shelf.
• Gundam Wing – Heavy Arms Kai Figure
  Heavy Arms is my favourite suit from the series piloted by the coolest pilot Trowa Barton. I acquired the remodeled and upgraded Heavy Arms Custom used in the Endless Waltz movie.
• GN-X III A-Laws Gundam 00 Figure
  Checking out the “bad guy” suits! This GN-X III figure shows off the sleek, alien-like tech used by the A-Laws in the second season of 00.

Hugh Williams: The Everyman Hero

In an era of super-soldiers and literal gods, Hugh Williams is a breath of fresh air. He isn’t a marine or a superhero; he’s a simple man doing an extraordinary job. He is an engineer arriving with a team on the moon to investigate an issue, and then BOOM! Things get crazy. This groundedness makes his relationship with Diana feel earned. Their bond is wholesome, building slowly through small interactions as the story develops until it eventually becomes a real tearjerker (no spoilers). Seeing a “regular guy” protect a mysterious girl robot android lifeform like Diana reminded me of the dynamic between Sekiro and Kuro a protector bound by duty but fueled by something much more human.

A Masterclass in Gaming Level Design

Open-world games seem to get all the praise these days, but Pragmata reminded me why I love contained, linear experiences. The world is tightly connected and expertly hand-crafted. There’s a deliberate feel to every corridor and chamber (like Metroid Dread) that you just don’t get in sprawling, procedurally generated maps.

The pacing here is impeccable. Much like my experience with Monster Hunter Stories 3, the game doesn’t overwhelm you at the start. Instead, it slowly fleshes out its systems—weapons, lore, music, and even your base or “Shelter”, at a rate that keeps you hooked without feeling like you’re “ticking boxes.” Most of the lore is tucked away in notes and recordings, rewarding those who take the time to look around, although admittedly I wish the story was told using more cinematics, but the spectacle of that final boss fight made up for it a little.

While the story and gameplay might not be “revolutionary” in a technical sense, they don’t need to be. The execution is what matters. The hacking mechanic involving Diana adds a layer of depth that kept the combat from feeling repetitive. Pro-tip: Use the overdrive ability often! It’s the key to mastering the game’s rhythm.

The “Responsible Gamer” Verdict

As someone who balances gaming with work and life responsibilities, I really appreciated how Pragmata respects the player’s time. The “return to shelter” mechanic makes it easy to jump in for a session, make progress, and jump out without feeling lost. Technically, the game is a dream on PC. It runs incredibly well, featuring a wide array of settings and toggles that allow you to tune the experience to your hardware, in my case a very averagely specced gaming laptop.

Pragmata: Final(ish) Thoughts

Pragmata pulls inspiration from many places: the atmosphere and corporate greed of Aliens, the “parental” journey of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the precision of 2D Metroid and the fantastical nature of Guardian of the Sacred Spirit. But at its heart, it is a story about a man and a little girl against the world (or the moon?). If you appreciate well-designed, linear adventures with a lot of heart, Pragmata is a journey worth taking. Find me unlocking all the things in Pragmata and other games while streaming on Twitch @Jamaiplays.

Free Japanese Book Club in Shinjuku

Every Saturday afternoon, Japanese learners gather at the Shinjuku Multicultural Plaza to dive into stories. The sessions usually run from 3:15 PM to 4:30 PM, and best of all, the club is completely free with no sign-up required. It is a very welcoming environment where NPO staff are on hand to help you find the right level; as long as you know a little Hiragana, you can jump right in. Reading these “graded readers” is a satisfying way to build vocabulary and improve reading speed without the pressure of a formal classroom. Great for my JLPT N3 prep. If you are in the Tokyo area and looking for a community-driven way to sharpen your skills, I highly recommend checking out a session with the Tadoku Book Club (website here).

Have you tried extensive reading yet? Let me know your favorite Japanese book recommendations in the comments!

JLPT N3 attack

I’ll be honest with you guys, I haven’t been studying as seriously as I should have lately. Life in Tokyo gets busy, and sometimes the textbooks gather a bit of dust. However, I am now in super-focus mode. The JLPT N3 test fee is 7,500 yen, and since it’s held all over Japan, there are no excuses left.

When it comes to the sections, I’m feeling good about listening. Between daily life and gaming, my ears are tuned in. But, as usual, grammar is proving to be incredibly difficult. It’s the final boss I need to defeat to level up my Japanese.

Join the Challenge

Are you planning to take the test at any level this July? Let’s do our best together! Whether you are aiming for N5 or N1, the grind is real. Thanks for the support on the vlog, and stay tuned for more study updates! 一緒に頑張りましょう！

Much like my JAL Wing Collection hunt, these are “gacha” style blind boxes where you never know what you’ll get among the six random options. While all the designs—from the swimming Blue Pikmin to the Rock Pikmin—look incredible, I had my eyes on the most chaotic one of the bunch. As luck would have it, I pulled Type 6: The Dandori Challenge!

Capturing the Chaos of Pikmin 4

In Pikmin 4, Dandori is all about efficiency and organization under pressure. This terrarium perfectly captures that frantic energy, featuring the Beagle and several Pikmin types (including the Glow Pikmin!) working together. The level of detail Re-ment managed to cram into this tiny clear bottle is impressive; it’s a perfect splash of cheerful colours for my new desk setup.

Unboxing the Pikmin Terrarium Collection

I unboxed the Pikmin Terrarium during a live stream on Twitch @Jamaiplays, so come through if you want a closer look at future unboxings, gaming, and more! Have you started your own Pikmin terrarium army yet? Let me know in the comments!

80 Hours In: The Gameplay Loop and Verdict

I have played almost 80 hours, and I think I am about to take on the final boss. I have done dozens of quests, explored the game, and had so much fun with the mechanics, characters, and story. There is something about Stories 3 that gives off a classic JRPG vibe; it’s not grindy. I am not “forcing myself to tick a box” like many modern games; it’s just fun to take part in the gameplay loop with EVERY single monster usable and not an elite handful like in so many other similar games. The story is serviceable, but this is no Expedition 33. The pacing is impeccable, but as the story progresses, it becomes more intense, challenging you to apply the mechanics you’ve learned over the previous 50 hours. My only concern was whether it would be worth the full price, and I now believe it is. Pick it up if you like Monster Hunter, creature collection, or JRPGs. If you like all three, then Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a must-buy.

Leveling Up My Japanese

I am also using it to study elementary-level Japanese! The Japanese level spoken by the characters is just above my level, so it stretches my brain just enough to expand it. I have already broken down a couple scenes from the game for YouTube videos, and it’s great that I can rewatch ANY CUTSCENE IN THE GAME at any time so this is something I really want to continue to do in the coming weeks (subscribe to my youtube channel) and months as I count down to JLPT N3 test in July 2023 (more on that later).

Recently I have been trying to start studying Japanese with video games again. Some would say I lack discipline, but I find studying with textbooks extremely boring. 6 or 7 years ago I started a YouTube series where I used cutscenes in video games to practice Japanese. I did one for the Witcher in Monster Hunter World, another I forgot about for Doraemon: Story of Seasons and another for Sekiro, then I got distracted and never continued, until today! I spent the last few days searching for video games with Japanese at or just above my level, and after trying Dynasty Warriors Origins and a couple others that were either too advanced or did not provide relevant vocabulary, I tried Monster Hunter Stories 3, at least the demo, and it was perfect! So here is the result of me hyperfocusing on a part of the intro for 12 hours and then spending another 12 hours writing this script and editing this video. You can access the vocabulary list here.

Working on a new logo—sneak peak

I am grateful for the experiences I have had thanks to this blog and the connections I have made. The timeline of this blog is an interesting one. I have been delaying this post trying to put together a timeline, but sifting through 20 years of content, or close to 1500 posts, is proving quite, um… “time-consuming. ” Look out for that post in the future. For now, cheers to 20 years of blogging at Jamaipanese.com!

Highlights

• Completing Grad School
• Launching the Bon Bon Show Podcast
• Collecting Temple/Shrine Stamps
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Good food and good friends

Lowlights

• Transitioning from Grad School back to work
• Job hunting (it sucks!)
• Financial instability

Most Valuable Lessons

• Show up for friends who show up for you.
• Try out new hobbies and interests.
• Play those games languishing in your Steam library

State of the Blog

In 2025, I wrote 31 blog posts—almost twice as many as in 2024. There were quite a few technical issues on the blog that, at one point, made me feel like I should just archive it and call it a day. In the end, however, Jamaipanese.com has been a part of me for 20 years. I couldn’t kill it off, so it lives! I will officially mark 20 years of blogging here in February 2026.

Grad School at Hiroshima University

I completed my Master’s degree at Hiroshima University. That achievement stretched me mentally in ways I cannot properly describe and was the biggest highlight of 2025 for me. Between writing a thesis, conducting research about Japan, attending academic conferences, and giving so many presentations—it was a lot. Cheers to the friends I met along the way and the growth I experienced throughout the journey.

Gaming Highlights

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 blasted its way into my top five video games of all time, sitting somewhere right below Super Metroid and Sekiro. What a wonderful game—a breath of fresh air filled with great characters, an interesting story, and don’t even get me started on the music. I am replaying it on my Twitch channel and have been uploading the videos to my YouTube gaming channel.

Quickfire 2025 Recap

From Rural Islands to the Tokyo Metropolis I moved to Tokyo from Hiroshima; I have now lived in three different prefectures in Japan, ranging from rural island life all the way to the metropolis of Tokyo.

The Goshuin Collection Grows My Goshuin (Temple/Shrine stamp) collection is growing! I got a new book (Goshuincho) from Hokkaido Shrine and I’m already filling it quite well. I spent a lot of time making a video about the collection in my first book; it ended up getting only a handful of views on YouTube, ROFL.

Kyoto was the place I visited the most this year. Once for a trip with grad school colleagues, again for a summer internship, and once more when my best friend’s wife came to Japan and I was able to be her chaperone. It was such a wonderful time, but the most recent visit with Sue was the most memorable because she took me to places I would have never visited on my own. It opened me up to new experiences. Thank you, Sue-chan!

Life in the Big City I did a three-month internship at an international NGO in Tokyo. It gave me a taste of what it could be like working in the big city: commuting, office culture, and more. I didn’t have a full-time job at the end of 2025 or here in early 2026, but I have high hopes for landing a gig soon!

2025 Year in Review – Onward to 2026!

2026 will be a year of transitioning: post-grad school life, being new to Tokyo, job hunting success, making new friends, and navigating new environments. I am pumped up and ready to goooooo!