Saturday 21 January 2017

Sunrise/Sunset

January 20, 2017

The topic of today's Blog Link Up is Sunrise and Sunset.  There are no Gotochi cards dedicated to the sun of course as it is not a Japanese preserve!  However, there are a few cards that have what looks like a sunrise or a sunset in the background, and it is two of those that I will feature today!

I received this postcard from a friend who used to live in Hyogo Prefecture, on Awaji Island just off the mainland.  I believe that on occasion, she even used this bridge.  This is Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world. Wikipedia has a rather informative article about it here.  


This not very attractive bird (in my humble opinion) is the Japanese Crested Ibis, or Toki in Japanese. It is very endangered in Japan, and in fact became extinct.  However, there has been a concerted effort to re-introduce the toki to Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. Although I have visited Sado Island twice, I'm afraid that I did not see a toki, nor did I visit the Preservation Center.  The Wikipedia article needs to be updated, but you can see more information about this odd bird here.

Thank you for visiting my not-quite-on-topic look at sunrises and sunsets.  I hope that you have enjoyed your time here.  Please visit the other members of the Blog Link Party to see their take on this topic. 

14 comments:

violet s said...

I thought, possibly, this Ibis or Toki would look better in a photograph... but having looked more closely, I think I share your humble opinion of this strange looking bird.
Gotochi cards are also a strange attraction, I think.

Helen said...

I did find a few pictures of the Toki on Google that were nice, but I was responding to the pink underneath I think. The actual bird is a tad odd. Still, this isn't the most attractive Gotochi Card.

I actually rather like the Gotochi Cards and the way that they promote parts of Japanese culture.

Thanks for visiting today!

Mail Adventures said...

However,I think that it the bird makes a great postcard...

Helen said...

I'm glad you like it Eva! Thanks for visiting :-)

Joy said...

I love the perfect shape and design of the bridge card, that has to be one of my favourites. Ibis have a lot of mythology attached to them, I wonder if that is the same in Japan.

Helen said...

I like the bridge card too. You are right about the shape, didn't realize it before.

I asked my husband about the mythology of the Toki, he has no idea! I'm not sure if there is any then! There might be, he just doesn't know!

Thanks for visiting :-)

Crafty Tokyo Mama said...

Both cards represent sunrise/sunset quite well. As a fan of both bridges and birds, these are really great cards!

Helen said...

Thank you! I thought you might like the bridge one (wink, wink), I'm glad to hear that you like the Toki one too.

I appreciate your visit :-)

Heleen said...

Here another fan of birds and bridges. Also I think these cards represent the theme perfect. The bridge card might be designed better, both the composition and the drawn image, than the bird card. But I like this toki / ibis bird, too! Thank you for sharing both!

Helen said...

Thank you Heleen! I'm glad that you liked them. I think the Toki card might have been an early Gotochi card and they have begun to think more artistically about them...that's my opinion anyway!!

♥ Willa @ Postage Journal♥ said...

I am always a fan of Gotochi card and I love your take on today's theme.
Thanks for visiting my my entry. :)

Helen said...

Thanks Willa! I"m glad you liked my cards! Thank you for visiting me :-)

Maria said...

Hi Helen, I think the first postcard with the suspension bridge is fantastic! I'm now curious of the ibis bird presence in Cambodia (my third home country) as there's a quite famous bus company there named Giant Ibis. I am glad to know you enjoyed the sunsets in Chao Phraya River like I do :D

Helen said...

Thank you Maria. The Toki seems to be all over Asia, but in Japan they died out. There are a few on Sado Island, but they have been re-introduced from China I believe. I'm not sure how they are doing, I haven't heard any news about them for a while. (And yes, they used to talk about the Toki on the National News!)

I'm glad that you liked my cards today!