Venus Slipper Orchids from China

A set of 2001 Orchid stamps from Suzhou, China. These are Paphiopedilum or Venus slipper orchids. Clockwise from top left: Paphiopedilum dianthum, Paphiopedilum markianum, Paphiopedilum appletonianum and Paphiopedilum malipoense. These plants are highly desired by orchid collectors. 

 

Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan

A pair of covers with Japan Post's Expo 2025 postmarks on them. They have two temporary post offices in operation at the Expo site with one designated East and the other West. The 2025 World Expo is being held between the 13th of April and 13th of October on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, a short distance from Universal Studios Japan.

Rabbits as Pets in Germany, FDC

Apparently there are laws in Germany that regulate the keeping of rabbits as pets. It's a very pro-bunny country from what I've been reading. Anyhow, I like the postmark with the little bunnies. Very cute. At first I thought this was an Easter stamp but I was wrong.

Once again, postal employees in Canada are on strike to demand better working conditions and wages and job security and stuff like that from a company that has lost $3 billion dollars since 2018. I don't see a way in which this ends well for either side. The strike is currently limited to a ban on overtime hours which will delay the mail but should not halt it. 

Resolute Bay, Canada

Resolute Bay is a small remote settlement on Cornwallis Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It sits on the southern edge of the high arctic where the climate is very dry and very cold, with an average annual temperature of -15C. The town was originally the site of a weather station and air base but in the early 1950s, Inuit from Northern Quebec were forcibly relocated to Resolute Bay to promote Canadian sovereignty over the region. Today the settlement has a population of just under 200.

Doraemon Post, Takaoka Japan

Takaoka in Toyama prefecture is the home of Doraemon creator Fujiko F. Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto). In the main train station is a Doraemon shaped postbox and all mail dropped off there gets stamped with a Doraemon postmark. The postmark gets redesigned from year to year. This year is the 11th anniversary of "Doraemon Post".

  

Digital Quran, Algeria

This stamp from Algeria commemorates a digital platform called Maqraa that assists with Quarnic education. It is a subscription based service that was created in 2020 during COVID and can be access by a mobile application.

Philately Week FDC, Osaka Japan

On this cover from Osaka are the 2025 Philately Week stamp issues from Japan Post. Each is postmarked with matching first-day postmarks. On the left is "jo-no-mai" painted in 1936 by Shoen Uemura. The painting depicts a young woman performing the slow and graceful jo no mai dance during a Noh play. And on the right is "Maiko in a Garden" painted in 1924 by Bakusen Tsuchida, depicting a Maiko dancer seated in a Japanese garden.