Japan’s sticker wars are reaching a breaking point, even for enthusiasts

Key points

• Our resident sticker-collecting writer shares why she’s saying “enough is enough” and is extricating herself from a sticky situation.
• Sticker collecting and trading as a hobby has been sweeping Japan among kids and adults alike for a while now, to the point that puffy stickers were sold out last year and people were shelling out ridiculous amounts of money to get their hands on them.
• Our Japanese-language reporter Haruka Takagi also got all in on the fun herself, even making new friends through this shared interest…until recently, that is.
• She suddenly stopped collecting them last month for one simple reason–she got tired of the hassle.
• Now, there are still plenty of stickers that she hasn’t gotten her hands on yet, such as those from the 3-D Bon Bon Drops brand, anything featuring her beloved pandas, Sanrio’s Pompompurin, and more that she’s seen on social media.