Trouble making friends? Sticker collecting works surprisingly well

Good friends stick together.

A short while back, we showed you how the sticker craze has been sweeping Japan with a look at how difficult it is to buy some of the finest stickers around. The last time Japan caught sticker fever of this caliber was around 20 years ago, during the Heisei era, and now many of those young girls who kept sticker books have grown up into mothers of their own young girls. As a result, they too can’t help but get back into the sticker-collecting game.

Our writer Haruka Takagi is one such second-timer and has gone all in on finding the cutest stickers around for her increasingly fat books of adhesive decorations. Actually, during the first sticker fad, she was growing up in the countryside and didn’t have many friends or much money to really enjoy sticker collecting.

Now, as an adult, she has the luxury of disposable income — enough for stickers at least. However, she still has a shortage in the friends department. It just isn’t as easy making new friends as adults, what with our busy schedules and crippling anxiety.

But as luck would have it, one day, when Haruka was perusing the sticker section of a store, she met another woman about the same age. They talked for a bit and learned their children’s birthdays were only a day apart. Thinking this was a sign, Haruka decided to take things to the next level and asked, “Do you have a sticker book?”

▼ Dramatization of what it’s like at the sticker racks

The other woman didn’t have one on her, but said she did keep some at home. So, they exchanged texting info and agreed to meet up sometime later on to exchange stickers. After some back-and-forth texting, the two eventually decided on a date to meet.

The night before, Haruka’s heart was racing as she wondered to herself, “I wonder what kind of stickers she has? I should bring my best stickers so she won’t be disappointed. But what if I come on too strong with my stickers, and she thinks I’m arrogant?”

She suddenly felt like she was about to go on a first date. No, it felt even more nerve-racking, like she was about to enter an arranged marriage. She carefully curated her sticker book, making sure to include ones that were rare but that she was also willing to part with. In the end, she filled out two books for her date with destiny.

The next day, Haruka met her new friend at a restaurant for lunch. Things were awkward at first, but both of their kids started running around and screaming, which led to them talking about parenting stuff to break the ice. It was then that Haruka realized this wasn’t just her first sticker friend, it was her first mom friend too.

After about an hour of chatting, the kids finally started to calm down. That was when Haruka decided to bring out her sticker books. She had never done this before, so she wasn’t sure how to initiate things. Luckily, the other woman took the first step and asked, “Can I take a look inside?”

Haruka solemnly handed her the book and said, “I look forward to trading with you.” She then took one of the woman’s books. All of her first-date anxiety returned. This was the moment that could make or break their relationship.

When the woman opened up the book, she gasped: “That’s so cute! You have a Tamagotchi?! I love Esther Bunny!”

The level of her reaction made Haruka feel a little embarrassed, but also relieved. She realized that looking through someone’s sticker book is a way of seeing what that person likes. It’s like peering into their mind.

Then, Haruka took a peek into her new friend’s mind and was surprised by what she saw as well. This woman also had some rare stickers, such as Sanrio, Disney, Bon Bon Drop animals, and Uruchuru Pop Seal brand stickers. She immediately wanted to start asking for them, but held back and just let out a reserved, “Wow!”

This was a sticker exchange, but they just needed to build up to the actual trading. The woman opened with a “Can I have this?” to which Haruka replied, “Go ahead, and take the bigger one.” The woman came back again with, “Oh, then I should also give you a Sanrio one.”

Haruka would tense up when she felt she was making a big ask, but was immediately relieved when the trade was approved. It made her feel better about the quality of her own stickers. Soon after, their exchanges were accompanied by stories about why they chose a certain character or how they were able to buy rare stickers.

It wasn’t merely bartering with sticky pieces of plastic. They were sharing parts of their own lives with each other and truly having fun in the process. None of it felt forced or contrived either. The conversation just flowed naturally the whole time.

After a while, the other woman admitted that she was also really nervous about the trade and was worried her stickers weren’t good enough. It made Haruka happy that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way and that she found someone with the same passion for stickers that she had.

Before they knew it, two hours had passed, and it was time to wrap up the exchange. Haruka ended up with 12 new stickers in total, including Sanrio animal ones. She kept them all on their own separate page so she could look back on this day fondly.

Our writer couldn’t be happier with how this sticker exchange turned out, but realized some of it had to do with luck. These kinds of meet-ups could easily go south if the two people involved don’t have roughly the same level of enthusiasm for stickers. Adults would probably be able to at least maneuver around that kind of awkwardness, but for kids, it can be a lot harder. Another important thing is to never bring stickers to an exchange that you or your kids are not willing to part with.

Follow those two golden rules, and you should have a very nice time trading stickers with old friends and new ones too.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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