Summer Greetings from Shizuoka, Japan

Stamps from the annual Summer Greetings series from Japan Post. Soft-serve ice cream on the right and warabi mochi on the left. These are from a sheet of ten 85 yen stamps that all feature popular summer snack foods. The other sheet in the set has ten 110 yen stamps featuring fruit items that are popular in the summer, like the pineapple pictured in the first-day postmark.

Summer Festivals in the Touhoku Region, Japan

The stamps on this cover from Shizuoka are from 1999 and feature two summer festivals held annually in Japan's Touhoku region. The Sendai Tanabata Festival is on the left and the Soma Nomaoi Festival is on the right. Sendai's Tanabata Festival is one of Japan's largest star festivals that celebrates the reuniting of two celestial lovers: Orihime and Hikoboshi. The city's streets are decorated with large paper ornaments (kazari) with long colourful streamers. Soma's Nomaoi Festival is an annual event in which hundreds of horseback riders dressed as samurai compete in traditional events and battles. It has been an annual tradition for over 1000 years.

Animal Illustrations by Kuwagata Keisai, Japan

The stamps on this cover from Osaka are from a 2019 set that features illustrations by ukiyo-e artist Kuwagata Keisai that are part of his 1797 "Abbreviated Drawing Styles for Birds and Animals" collection. On the right is an owl and on the left, a quail.

World Veterinary Association Congress 2026, Japan FDC

The 41st World Veterinary Association Congress was held in Tokyo between the 21st and 24th of April of 2026. The World Veterinary Association mission is to provide global leadership for the veterinary profession and promote animal health and welfare. Their first congress was held in 1863.

Fujiyoshida Cherry Blossoms, Japan

I was reading about this place in Japan that had cancelled their cherry blossom festival because of over tourism. There is viewing platform in a park that offers this amazing view of Mt Fuji and in the spring when the cherry blossoms are out it is an extremely popular destination. 

There is a post office in Fujiyoshida with a landscape postmark that depicts this view. It's an older postmark but apparently it's still in use. I found this old Fuji postcard so I stamped it and sent if off to the post office in Fujiyoshida to see what came back. 

Tokyo Skytree

I finally received the last postcard I sent myself from Tokyo. This one I sent from the 350m observation deck of the Skytree. It is the tallest broadcast and observation tower in the world. All mail dropped off in the special mailbox on the observation deck goes to the nearby Mukojima Post Office where they apply a special postmark. The postmark shows the Skytree as seen from the Sakurabashi pedestrian bridge with the Sakurabashi monument in the foreground.

Quite a few post offices around the Skytree have postmarks that feature the tower which makes sense since you can see it from quite far away. We wandered past a couple of those post offices during our travels.

 

The postmark on the card above came from the main Asakusa Post Office. It features the Kaminari Gate of nearby Sensoji Temple and the Skytree in the background. The outline of the postmark is in the shape of a Japanese paper lantern known as a Chochin. The other handstamps on this card I found at the Asakusa tourist office across the street from Kaminari Gate.

And here's another postmark with the Skytree on this card featuring Kaminari Gate. I had this postmark applied at the Honjo-Azumabashi Post Office which is between the Skytree and the Azuma bridge that crosses the Sumida river. You can see the bridge in the postmark as well as the Asahi Brewery headquarters. I believe the frame that outlines the postmark is in the shape of a cherry blossom. And the Skytree eki stamp came from the stamping station next to the postbox at the Skytree.

Spring Greetings FDC from Shizuoka, Japan

A pair of stamps from this year's Spring Greetings issue from Japan Post, first-day postmarked in Shizuoka. I believe that's an otter holding a fish in the first day postmark.

Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Japan

I sent this to myself last month from the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Japan. In the postmark is a view of the atomic bomb dome as seen through the peace memorial. The dome is a surviving structure from the atomic bomb blast that devastated the city in 1945. The blast was nearly over top of the building and somehow it was not toppled. Also in the postmark is a maple leaf, because there are lots of maple trees in the area. And the reconstructed Hiroshima Castle.

In the Peace Museum, across from the gift shop where they sell postcards and stamps, is a special mailbox. All mail sent from there receives the special peace memorial landscape postmark.

Japanese Minerals, Takamatsu Japan

The Japanese city of Takamatsu is the capital of the Kagawa prefecture: Japan's smallest prefecture. It is a port city that sits on the north-east coast of Shikoku island which is the smallest of Japans four main islands. The stamps on the cover and the enclosed card are from a 2022 set that showcased popular gem stones and minerals. Peridot and tourmaline on the cover and rhodochrosite on the card.

Year of the Horse, Okayama Japan

From the Japanese city of Okayama in the Okayama prefecture comes this tidy little cover with one of the two Lunar New Year lottery stamps that was issued by Japan Post in December of 2025. Next to it is a Monsters Inc stamp from a 2013 set featuring Disney characters riding in hot air balloons. 

Haneda International Airport, Tokyo Japan

This is the last landscape postmark I obtained during my trip to Japan. I was flying out of Tokyo's Haneda airport and they just happen to have a post office there. The postmark was applied at the post office in terminal 1 and the eki stamp I found at an information desk in terminal 3. The postcard features a fukutanuki: a ceramic cartoon depiction of a racoon dog known as a tanuki. The statues are said to bring good luck and fortune and they are often placed outside of business establishments for that reason.

Kanazawa!

There are so many post offices here with landscape postmarks but I was only able to visit a few. This was my first time in Kanazawa and we had a wonderful time. Kanazawa sits on the west coast of Japan, on the opposite side of the main island relative to Tokyo. It's not a large city and there are not as many tourists here. It is similar to Kyoto with its traditional neighborhoods and architecture.

The postmark above was from a post office in the train station. It shows images of the Kotoji Lantern in Kenrokuen Garden and the statue Yutaro that stands over the mailbox at the back of the station. The eki stamp on the card came from the information center in the Nagamachi Samuari district.

On the above card is a postmark showing the entrance to the Kanazawa train station. It also appears on the larget eki stamp I found in the station.

And the postmark above was acquired at a post office near Omicho market. It is a large covered food market housing stalls selling fresh fish, meats and produce. It's a good place to go to sample local foods. Lots of seafood. Lots of sushi. The eki stamp on this card came from Kanazawa castle.

I was rather random in matching postmarks, stamps and cards. The staff at the post offices here are absolutely amazing. Friendly,  professional and patient. The postmarks are applied with much care. I wish I had more time to visit more of them.

Kyoto's Fushi-Inari Shrine

I bought this art card at a small shop on the way down from the top of Mount Inari in Kyoto and I had it postmarked at a post office near the train station outside the shrine's main gate. The shrine is famous for its red tori gates that line the pathway leading up the mountain. Although calling it a mountain is kind of generous. It is a big hill though.

Like most of the tourist attractions in Kyoto, Fushimi-Inari is crawling with tourists. Doesn't matter what time of year it is. It is nearly impossible to take photos without someone stepping into your shot. But I found most of the crowd faded once we started our way up the mountain. I figure the tour bus crowds simply don't have the time to make the climb and several others had already taken their instagram photos and had no need to continue. After a bit of stair climbing, at times it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Hiroshima's Itsukushima Island

Itsukushima island, also known as Miyajima meaning shrine island, is an island just a few minutes ferry ride from Hiroshima. On this island is the UNESCO world heritage Itsukushima Shrine with it's red tori gate that appears to float during high tide. Many deer and tourists roam the island. Lots of tourists.

The postmark which I obtained from the post office on the island, shows the tori gate as seen from the shrine which is built over the water. 

I rarely purchase postcards so it was a little surprising that there were not that many to be found. I expected the selection to be better considering it's Japan and a very popular tourist site. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

Tokyo Station

Made this while visiting Tokyo Station the other day. The postmark was applied at the central post office located near the station and it shows the old side of the station next to the post office building. The eki stamps on the card are from the station. The top stamp is the traditional Tokyo Station stamp and the bottom stamp features the E5 Hayabusa Shinkansen train.

Greetings from Shizuoka

First stamps from Japan Post for 2026 are these basic greeting stamps. It's an annual issue and this year the stamps feature a forest inspired design. 

The Bread Thief, Japan FDC

This first-day postmarked cover from the Japanese city of Shizuoka features stamps depicting scenes from the Japanese award-winning children's book series Pan Dorobō (The Bread Thief) written by Keiko Shibata. The set of 10 stamps is the ninth in the annual series "The World of Children's Picture Books".

Ōigawa Railway Postmark from Shimada, Japan

The postmark on this cover from the former town of Kanaya, now part of Shimada, depicts the Japanese Government Railway's C10 No. 8. It was built in 1930 and is the only surviving C10-type locomotive in service with Ōigawa Railway Company. The 40km Ōigawa railway line terminates at Kanaya station. The stamp on the left is a 1998 letter writing day stamp that features artwork by Itō Jakuchū, and the stamp on the right from 1993 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Agricultural Research Center.

Toyoda Beer 10th Anniversary, Japan

The postmark commemorates the 10th anniversary of the reintroduction of Toyoda Beer by the Ishikawa Brewery Company. It was one of the first beers brewed in Tokyo's Tama region in the 19th century. This new iteration of Toyoda beer is made from 100% locally grown barley.  The stamps are Year of the Tiger stamps from 2022.

Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Japan

In the red postmark is the 45m radio telescope at the Nobeyama Radio Observatory in Minamimaki in Nagano prefecture. The site is open to the public for self-guided tours around the grounds and there is a small museum and interpretive center there also. The stamps are from the 2024 letter writing day issue showing a typewritter on the right and a Gower Bell telephone on the left.