Cover from Obama, Japan

Obama is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2018, the city had an estimated population of 29,435 in 12,057 households and the population density of 240 persons per km². The total area of the city was 233.09 square kilometers. Obama gained publicity in the United States and elsewhere in 2008, as it shared its name with senator Barack Obama, who was running for, and later became President of the United States.

It's interesting to see date on special postmarks. Japan use few calendars, and here you can see its a first year on new era, cause Japanese emperor abdicated and left his throne to his son. With every new emperor, counting of years start from one! But for regular postmarks, they use modern Gregorian calendar.


Thank you, Li Ming!

Cover from Japan

This is another cover from Japan, sent from Mukojima in Tokyo, on 5th October 2018, with two special cancellations dedicated to trains and regular postmark. It's interesting to see Japanese year on special cancellations, which is now in The Heisei period. The Heisei period started on , 11 of January 1989 after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when his son, Akihito, acceded to the throne as the 125th Emperor. The Heisei period will likely end on 30 April 2019 (Heisei 31), the date on which Emperor Akihito is expected to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne. On regular postmark you can see regular solar year date 2018.

Two stamps are used on cover:
Mount Myoko Across Lake Nojiri, issued on 15.3.1965.
Jules Rimet Cup, from set (FIFA World Cup Historical Posters & Jules Rimet Cup), issued on 31.5.2010.




Thank you Li Ming!

Japan: Registered cover sent from Okinawa

My friend Li Ming sent me also registered cover from Japan, from Shiraho on Okinawa Islands. There's a nice First day postmark, but i don't know what's the occasion. He used seven different stamps on this cover:

Prefectural Stamps - Okinawa, issued on 21.6.2000.
World Performing Arts Festival 2000, issued on 28.6.2000.
Letter Writing Day, issued on 23.7.1987.
Letter Writing Day, issued on 23.7.1986.
International Year of the Elderly, issued on 1.10.1999.
World Aeromodel Championships, Kasaoka, issued on 25.9.1995.
The 10th Anniversary of Accession of Emperor Akihito, issued on 12.11.1999.


Thank you Li Ming!

Japan: Maiko girls

Maiko is an apprentice geiko (not exactly same as geisha) in Kyoto, western Japan. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen or the koto (traditional Japanese instruments) for visitors during feasts. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geiko after learning how to dance the traditional kyomai dances, play the shamisen, and learning Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins.

This very old stamps are:
Narrow Road to a Far Province by Basho Matsuo (from set of four), issued on 13.02.1989.
Seto Inland Sea National Park, issued on 20.08.1963.


Thank you Yuka!

Irises by Vincent van Gogh

Some of the best known works of all time were painted by the Dutch Post-Impressionist artist, Vincent Willem Van Gogh (1853 -1890). Irises is among the most recognized of his pieces.

On May 8, 1889, Vincent Van Gogh committed himself to the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Remy, France after many instances of hospitalization and self-mutilation. During his stay he painted some 130 paintings with the surrounding gardens and clinic becoming his main subjects for painting. Among these were the famous The Starry Night and Irises.

Irises is on the list of the most expensive paintings ever sold, selling for 54 million dollars in 1987. Currently Irises is on display at The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California.

Stamps:
Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata), issued on 02.02.2015.
The 90th Anniversary of Japanese Diet, issued on 29.11.1980.
Philatelic Week: Lakeside, S. Kuroda, issued on 20.04.1967.


Thank You Mari!

Japan: Thirty six Views of Mount Fuji

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji is a series of landscape prints by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai (1760–1849). The series depicts Mount Fuji from different locations and in various seasons and weather conditions. The original thirty-six prints were so popular that Hokusai expanded the series by ten. This card is View from Tago-no-ura at Ejiri Tōkaidō.

Stamp is Biccyu Matsuyama Castle, issued on 10.12.2014.

Thank You Harumi!

Japan: Samurai

Very, very nice postcard with a Samurai!

Samurai were the military nobility of medieval and early-modern Japan. The samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, and they followed a set of rules that later came to be known as the bushidō. From childhood, the Samurai were trained to self-discipline and sense of duty, together with the contempt for material goods and for the fear, the refusal of the pain and especially death.

Stamps:

Definitive Stamp for Condolences, issued on 2014-03-03
Sushi - Stamp for International Airmail Postcards, issued on 2014-10-30

Thank You very much Sylphis!

Japan: Narcissus Garden by Kusama

Narcissus Garden dates back to 1966, when Kusama first participated in the 33rd Venice Biennale. The work comprised hundreds of mirrored spheres outdoors in what she called a 'kinetic carpet'. As soon as the piece was installed, Kusama began selling each individual sphere for $2, until the Biennale organisers put an end to her enterprise. Perhaps one of Kusama's most notorious works, Narcissus Garden was as much about the promotion of the artist through the media as it was an opportunity to offer a critique of the mechanisation and commodification of the art market. Various versions of Narcissus Garden have been presented worldwide at venues Kunstverein Braunschweig, 2003 and as part of the Whitney Biennial in Central Park, New York in 2004 and now in Paris.

Stamp is The 70th Anniversary of the National Sports Festival (one of ten), issued on 2015-08-28

There was one more stamp on this postcard, my first from Ryukyu Islands!

This stamp is Memorial Day, Battle of Okinawa, issued on 1966-06-23. Ryuku Islands

The Ryukyu Islands are a chain of islands in the western Pacific Ocean, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. The largest of the islands is Okinawa Island. The Ryukyu Kingdom was formally annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1872, although the kingdom had been part of the feudal Satsuma Domain in Kyushu since 1609. During World War II, the islands came under the occupation of the United States military in 1945, and a civilian government was set up under American control in 1952. The islands reverted the control of Japan in 1972.


The first definitive stamps of the Ryukyu Islands were issued on July 1, 1948, and the first commemorative stamps were issued on February 12, 1951. The final Ryukyu Island stamp was a commemorative stamp issued on April 20, 1972, after which time stamps of Japan were valid.

Thank You very much Saori for this postcard and rare stamp!!

Japan: Capybara

Very nice postcard from Japan

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a large rodent of the genus Hydrochoerus of which the only other member is the lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius). The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. Close relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, chinchillas, and the coypu. Native to South America, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals.

Very nice stamp, Japanese railways (One of ten), Date of Issue: 11th October 2013

Thank You very much Minase!

Japan: Santa Claus

I did not expected to receive Santa Claus from Japan, but there he is :)

Postcard is sent from Osaka. Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. It is the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with nearly 19 million inhabitants.

Thanks Lucy

Japan: Sano

This nice postcard with traditional painting comes from Sano.

Sano is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

The city is known for its Outlet Mall and ramen. Sano also has become the headquarters of the Japanese Cricket Association and has hosted a number of cricket games between international teams.

As of February 1, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 124,000, with 48,737 households and a population density of 348.25 persons per km². The total area is 356.07 km2.

Thank You Tomoko