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| Pumpkin, vampire, ghost, cat and witch |
Although I do not celebrate All Hallow's Evening, I would like to share this postcard with all of you who enjoy this celebration. Happy Hallowe'en!
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| Forest from 1975 (left) and Hello Kitty summer greetings (right) |
These are the stamps I showed
last time as part of my Hello Kitty collection.
Postcard from: Yubari, Hokkaido, Japan.
Received: October 2012.
Language: English.
Envelope: no.
Stamps: one 20 yen forest stamp issued in 1975 and one 50 yen Hello Kitty from 2012 summer greetings series.
Thank you very much, Erisa-san!
Here in Westerland, Hello Kitty is a cute and pink character that little girls like to collect and to play with it. Therefore, I am looked at as a childish weirdo who hasn't grown up yet... because I like it so much that I buy all kind of merchandising. However, in her country of origin, Japan, Hello Kitty can be found everywhere. She is a symbol of kawaii design by Sanrio and targets all ages.
Hello Kitty clothes, accesories, stationery, home appliances and yes, seasonal stamps, are made and sold everyday. Here is my current collection of Japanese stamps depicting this little cute female cat (and her boyfriend!):
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| Hello Kitty in Kinkakuji (left) Dear Daniel in Kurumabiki (centre) & Hello Kitty in Fujimusume (right) |
♪ Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel acting kabuki from 2011 Greetings: summer season.
I think I have shown this set
here before, but anyway, I don't mind seeing it again. It came on the most careful wrapped letter ever along with another Kitty dressed in
kimono to embellish even more the airmail stick.
♪ Dressed in Chinese qipao and holding a fan for the commemoration of Expo 2010 Shanghai (held from May to October 2010).
Snoopy and Charlie Brown have been featured in Japanese stamps too (2010 Greetings: Snoopy - letter version). Isn't their postal service cool?
♪ A shaped stamp with Hello Kitty wearing sunflowers for the 2012 Greetings: summer season. ♥
An old forest stamp from 1975 completed the postage this time. Wonderful combination!
* Source:
Philately in Japan.
Am I really that childish for liking them so much? Don't think so. ♪
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| Tō-ji |
This breathtaking sunset view is Kyōōgokoku-ji, the five storied pagoda of Kyoto, also known as Tō-ji ("East temple"). It is one of the
historic monuments of ancient Kyoto that were declared
World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. They are part of the Japanese history from the times when Kyoto was the capital of the country. The temple is located in the ward of Minami.
As a note side, I love Japanese Western handwriting. It has an unique air! I would show it here if it weren't so unpolite towards the sender.
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| Bee (left) & modern art painting Dancers (right) |
What do people think about when they hear Kyoto? Geishas, of course. It wouldn't be a proper Kyoto card if it hadn't some geishas on it. Besides the stamp of a modern art painting of women wearing kimono, there is a little cute sticker of a geisha apprentice alongside my address. ♪
The stamp on the left depicts a bee (I love Japanese culture of respecting and admiring the nature in all its aspects) and the one on the right is a painting called
Dancers and issued in 1980 as part of the series
Japanese Modern Art.
Postcard from: Kyoto, Japan.
Received: May 2012.
Language: English.
Envelope: no.
Stamps: one bee 20 yen and one modern art painting 50 yen.
Thank you so much, Reiko!
{JP-269068}
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| Japanese stamps are always beautifully created |
A letter from my Japanese penpal. She writes lovely letters with the most beautiful handwriting and always uses different letter sets. So far I have received 5 letters and she never repeated! Also the stamps she uses are really cool. This time, two of them are a set featuring a history battle -- my guess as I cannot understand Japanese.
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| A ribbon and mashi tape on the back of the envelope. Lovely! |
She also decorates letters with the most interesting stuff you could ever imagine. Today the envelope was white with some fade flowers in a corner. Very elegant and feminine. As the back looked very plane, she decorated it with washi tape and a tiny ribbon. Yay!
Letter from: Tahara-city, Aichi, Japan.
Received: November 2011.
Language: English.
Stamps: one ¥10 stamp with a bug and two ¥50 with a history battle (please correct me if I am wrong).
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| Especially for me :-) |
This is probably the most beautiful decorated letter I have ever received. It is a cherry gingham little paper box covered with plastic. A note with the address and "by air mail" stickers are attached to the paper box. The stamps and "small packet" label are on the plastic box. Seriously cute. ♥
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| From left to right: lady, samurai, lady |
♪ Left: HELLO KITTY in KINKAKUJI
♪ Centre: DEAR DAINEL in KURUMABIKI
♪ Right: HELLO KITTY in FUJIMUSUME
* Source:
Philately in Japan.
Letter from: Shizuoka, Japan.
Received: July 2011.
Language: English.
Stamps: three ¥50 stamps featuring Sanrio character Hello Kitty dressed in different Japanese traditonal clothes from the Greetings - Summer 2011 series.
