Let me talk about the letters I received from Japan. I received two letters and both of them were gifts, sent from Japan for snail mail enthusiasts through the Postcrossing forum. Both contain no messages but still, I love anything from Japan, so I admire them. By the way, not all objects inside the first letter are from Japan.
This is the first letter I received from Japan. It was sent by Mayumi. I sent her a postcard with a thank you message in return for this letter. Shall we see what's inside?
I've numbered them so it would be comprehendible.
1. These pieces of paper are a part of a German calendar. "Februar" meaning February and "Montag" meaning Monday.
2. This is just decorative papers.
3. These 2 are self-adhesive papers used for writing addresses.
4. Just normal stickers used for decorating postcards or letters.
5. A beautiful postcard showing a family on a picnic.
6. These are strips of vintage British bus tickets from the 1950s. This is the favourite part of my letter.
All of this was inside a Japanese bag. This one --
She stuck 2 stamps on the letter worth 120 yen and 100 yen.
The 120-yen stamp shows a Kalavinka (Karyōbinga in Japanese). It is a fantastical immortal creature in Buddhism, possessing a human head and a bird's torso, with a long flowing tail. It is said to sing while still unhatched within its eggshell.
The 100-yen stamp commemorates the centenary of admission of Japan to the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which was formed in 1874. Japan is one of its principal members. The stamp shows the Japanese postal flag in the early Meiji era and the emblem of UPU joined with one another and a map of the globe.
The postmark printed over the stamps reads "Yonago". Yonago is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan. It forms a commercial centre of the western part of this prefecture.
Now, let's move on to the next letter.
This letter was sent by Akane. I sent her a postcard in return too. This letter was bulkier than the last one. The form attached over the envelope is a CN22 form. It is mandatory to stick it over the envelope if you want to send it to any country by registered post. It is also called a Customs declaration form. It is completed by you in order to declare to Customs authorities the content of your package.
Let's see what's inside --
All of these are stickers. I can use them to decorate the postcards or letters which I'll be sending. There were all sorts of stickers. You name it. I have it. I think they are really cute and beautiful. If you want, click the picture and have a better look at it.
These are letter papers of different themes which I can use instead of a boring white paper. It looks good too. Aren't they beautiful?
These are small, colourful and cute envelopes which I can send to my penpals. Some of them are not meant to be sent as such. But I can put them inside another letter and send them to anyone like Akane sent them to me. I like the Pokemon and the bear-themed envelope beside it.
If you look at the top left corner of this letter, you'll find this --
Kintetsu Yokkaichi Ekimae literally means "Kintetsu Yokkaichi Station. It is a major railway station in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshu, Japan. Yokkaichi is also the city where Akane is from, which I found out by entering the pin code written on the letter.
Yokkaichi was one of the first cities bombed by the United States during World War II when the city was attacked by an aircraft from the Doolittle raid (Tokyo raid).
Kintetsu is the abbreviation of Kinki Nippon tetsudo, a Japanese railway corporation. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding the Japan Railways Group.
These two letters were really kawaii (cute). As you might know, Japan is also popular for its kawaii culture. It is really evident in these letters.
Labels: Japan, Letter, Stationery
