Russia - Art

January 31, 2017

This next card comes from St. Petersburg and was sent by Alana.  She wrote a nice note and put some cute goat stickers all over the back of the card!

The east wall
The Florentine mosaic of Taste

Alana wrote,

"Hello!  Greetings from Russia.  My name's Alana. I live in St. Petersburg. I have 2 cats and German Shepherd-his name's Ramses, like Egyptian pharaoh.  Yeah, I love Egyptian history.

I also want to start playing the ukulele.

Best wishes and good luck in new year,

Alana"

China

January 31, 2017

This card came from China with a friendly message on the back from Chen Jie.  She also wrote something in kanji that I cannot translate.

She wrote,

"Hi, Helen. I'm Chen jie, a girl from China.  I hope you will like the post card.
Hope you a good day! 😊 "

This card looks like it should be a manga card, but there isn't any information on the back.  

It reminds me a bit of Sherlock!

This stamp is from the Beijing Olympics. I think it is quite beautiful in its simplicity.

Japan - Gotochi Card

January 30, 2017

This beautiful card came to me from Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture and was sent by Erika.  She wrote the card and put a nice stamp and a friendly note on the back, so I really liked it.

Erika wrote,
"Hello Helen 😃
My name is Erika. I live with two budgies inYokohama.  My budgie's name are Anzu and Yuzu.  They can speak some words.  This card is "Minato Mirai 21". I often go there to shop.  I hope that you like this card too.

Erika."

The interesting thing is that I have been to Yokohama a couple of times, the last being about 3 years ago, just before a terrible snowstorm hit the area.  I ended up being stuck in a city near Yokohama for an extra day as all of the trains were stopped.  I went to Minato Mirai 21 and did a little shopping and eating there.  It was a very interesting area to visit.

Minato Mirai 21

 I rarely see this stamp as I don't usually buy stamps in this amount. It is rather pretty!

Black and White - Actress and Writer

January 23, 2017

This great card came from Germany with a lovely note on the back from the sender.  She didn't write her name on the card but her note was friendly and chatty which I loved.

She wrote,

"Hello Helen,

Many greetings from the Bremen town musicians in the north of Germany, where I live together with my family, 2 dogs and 6 cats.  

My favorite films are French comedies, because my husband comes from the Provence.

Don't forget to smile today!  

We have now a lot of snow and sunny weather.  Our dogs love snow, the cats not!"

I really like this card.  It seems so "normal" in a way.  I know Marilyn Monroe was married to Arthur Miller, but it really is a frozen moment of time, not sure if it was posed first or not.  

Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, New York City, 1957

I think the big blueish stamp is a new one.  I don't think that I have seen it before.  I hope to get a less stamped version of it sometime!

Russia - Actress

January 23, 2017

This beautiful card came from Russia recently.  It was sent by Tatyana and she wrote a nice note and the back and used a great stamp.  Come along and read more....

Tatyana wrote,

"Hello from Russia!  My name is Tatyana, I live in Rostov.on.Don. on the south of Russia.  A couple of days ago I returned from Georgia (not state but country). There I celebrated New Year with my husband and our common friend.  Georgia is awesome country with awesome food and awesome wine!)
Happy Postcrossing!

Grace Kelly

Here's another look at the Postcrossing stamp and I think the castle stamp looks different from usual.  Maybe just me!

France

January 16, 2017 Received//January 18, 2017 Registered

I had sort of an oops when this card arrived.  I was having a very bad day and looked at the card which was written in French.  The writing looked exactly like one I had received a few weeks before, so for some reason I just assumed the previous sender had sent me a friendship card because I had written to him in French.

Two days later when I was trying to scan the card I realized that it was a REAL Postcrossing and registered it right away with an apology to the sender.  By the way, I am 98% sure that it was the previous sender as the first account was closed and the wording on this card was almost the same.

Anyway, here's the card's message and the translation...thanks to Google!

 This is a really quite cool stamp.  I haven't seen it before.  Wikipedia says that Léo Ferré was a poet, composer and performer.

Black and White Cards

January 28, 2017

Today's Blog Party Link-Up topic is anything I want.  So, today, I am putting aside my collection of Gotochi Cards and showing off a few of my favourite cards in one of my favourite topics.

Because I keep this blog strictly for postcards, you may not know that I am a complete Movie-aholic. I see between 30-50 films a year at the theatre and I write a movie column for a women's group that I belong to.  On Facebook, I also have a page related to movie tidbits and information. If you are interested, you can find me here.

Even before I joined Postcrossing, I collected Movie Postcards and I had a special appreciation for Black and White cards of Movie Actors and Actresses.  Every time I receive a black and white postcard with an actor or actress I am very happy.  I have learned about actors and actresses from other countries and from the past.  I wish there was more time to watch more movies, but then I'd probably have to give up my postcards.  Yikes!

Today I thought I would post a few of my favourite Black and White cards that I have received through Postcrossing. The first card is not an actress, but it does have the distinction of being the very first Postcrossing card that I received.  I came across it recently when I was filing away cards and I remember how thrilled I was to receive it.

Toshiko Akiyoshi - Jazz Musician

The incomparable Meryl Streep
Definitely not over-rated 

Margaret Rutherford
Actress famous for portraying Miss Marple
amongst other characters.

I am putting this card in for two reasons.  It makes me laugh and I really love it. It seems to capture so much of John Cleese.  Here in costume for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but taking a break between scenes to play football.  It looks almost like he's doing a Silly Walk too.

John Cleese

I could show you more of these postcards, and perhaps I will in the future.  For now, I hope that you have enjoyed a very brief look at some of my favourite black and white postcards.

Thank you for visiting me today. Please visit the other members of the Blog Party Link-Up to see how they are using their free topic.

Finland

January 18, 2017

This Valentine's Day themed card arrived recently and came with a friendly message and a gorgeous stamp.  Follow me and find out more!

Merja sent this from Finland and writes,

"Hello to you.  Cold winter greetings from Scandinavia, Europa.  Happy Postcrossing and A Happy New Year.

Friendly Merja"

This is truly a lovely stamp.  I've never seen it before but it really impresses me.  

Czech Republic

January 16, 2017

This artistic card came to me from the Czech Republic with a short friendly note from Petr.  He used one of the gorgeous Mucha stamps on the back, but I am not showing it today as I have displayed it before on this blog.

He wrote,
"Hi Helen,

Greetings from Pilsen.  My name is Petr.  I study a joiner.  My hobbies are paper models, sports and books.
Best wishes and happy postcrossing!
Petr"

Germany - Food

January 14, 2017

This delicious-looking card came to me from Gabriela in Germany.  She has an interesting message on the back of the card too, so please read on.

Gabriella writes,

"Hello Helen, nice to meet you!

I'm Gabriela, 51 y.o. and live in the small spa town Bad Reichenhall in south-east Germany, which is known for its saltworks and the old large cabin cable car, Predigtsuchl-bahn.

My hobbies are cooking, baking, making greeting cards, meeting friends and of course postcards and postcrossing.

Today it is very cold, we have only -8℃!

Take care and happy postcrossing,

Gabriela"

Hong Kong - Food

January 2, 2017

This rather attractive card came from Hong Kong, a place that I have visited a couple of times.  It was sent by a fairly new postcrosser, since she mentions that I am the fifth person she has sent a card to.  The picture on the front is interesting as is what she writes.

"Hi Helen.
Glad to pick you as my 5th Postcrosser. Reviewed your profile & found that you hv so many interests of postcard.  And finally I picked the yummy food for you.
As a Canadian..believe you will feel disgusting of this delicious-spicy chicken finger. Hahahahah.....

Tell you sth about myself.  I also hv family living in Canada. Toronto.  Japan is a lovely place that I've been traveled few times & last time I've been in Tokyo last May.  Nice to meet you here.  Leave me note how you like this postcard.
Christie"

Pickled Chicken Feet
As one of the most popular snacks, Pickled Chicken Feet is famous for its spicy
flavor and chewy texture, which makes it a perfect companion for
Chinese couch potato.

To be honest, I've never had pickled chicken feet.  I've seen chicken feet at dim sum in Canada, but I haven't eaten them.  I don't think they are disgusting, I'm just not sure that I want to eat them!

I've eaten a lot of things in Japan that many Canadians would look askew at.  I think it is a bit presumptuous to assume that I would think pickled chicken feet are disgusting, but perhaps she was just trying to get a rise out of me!

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. 

Taiwan Double-Shot

January 10, 2017

Something really interesting happened with these particular cards...I believe they were both sent by the same person...they arrived the same day so I think the sender must have pulled my name twice (in two different accounts) on the same day.  I think it must have been a little sad for her to get the same person in Japan twice in one day!

I'll post them in the order that I registered them and you can see what you think. The cards are friendly enough and that makes me happy as you all know!

"Konnichiwa [I romanized this]

Because you like beautiful view from my city, so I send you this one, hope you like it.  And I like to collect stamps & postcard all over the world, so if you can, please send a card for me.  I will grateful & treasure it, thank you. 😀

Best Wishes & Happy New Year 2017  Winnie"


I don't send reply cards as a general rule.  If someone has said something that touched me or has done a lot of work on their card I'll consider it, but when someone just asks like this...sorry....I don't ask people for reply cards.

The stamp is quite interesting too.  I think it is a kind of coral.

 The second card is short and sweet....

Hello Dear Helen :-D

Happy Postcrossing!!


& Happy New Year

      2017

Hope you Nice EveryDay

Winnie (Taiwan)

Transportation Cards

January 14, 2017

This edition of the Linky Blog Party is about Transportation.  There are many types of transportation available in Japan, but today I'll feature a few that are on Gotochi Cards.

Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture features some interesting boats called Hobikisen.  They revolutionized the local fishing trade, which before the invention of this boat was a group activity.  With the Hobikisen, fishing became an individual activity.  I don't have a lot of knowledge about this boat, but this link leads to a rather informative article from The Japan Times that might be of interest.

Lake Ashi in Kanagawa has Pirate Ships! These are tourist boats that cruise up and down the lake with Mt. Fuji in the background.  I have been unable to find any English history about them, but this website has some information about the tours and the cruises.

Saga City in Saga Prefecture is host to one of the largest Hot Air Balloon Festivals in the world.  This festival has grown from humble beginnings. Wikipedia has a short article on this Fiesta, and a link to the English website.  

Sad to say, but this is all that I have time for tonight.  I hope you have enjoyed the Gotochi Cards that I have posted tonight.  Please check out the other members of the Blog Linky Party to see more great postcards from all over the world.

Trains

January 7, 2017

I'm back, after a bit of a break.  New Year in Japan is A VERY BIG DEAL, although we celebrated in a very low key fashion here in my corner of the world.  I haven't received any postcrossing cards in a while which explains why I haven't posted much recently.

The topic of today's Blog Linky Party is Trains and Trams.  Many people in Japan are fascinated by trains, and here in Japan they are rather wonderful.  Despite being a big fan of movies like Murder on the Orient Express or Narrow Margin that take place in or on trains, I'm not terribly interested in trains except as a method of travelling.

I have two Gotochi cards for you today.  One of them was featured earlier when we looked at cards with Lighthouses on them, but I don't think I have shown off the other one.  There is at least one more  regular Gotochi card with a train on it, but I don't have it.

As I stated before, this card represents the Choshi Electric Railway Line, which is only 6.4 km long. A rather interesting fact about the company that runs this Railway Line is that to supplement their income, they started to sell senbei (a Japanese rice cracker) Interestingly, the senbei are so popular now that the company makes double the amount selling the crackers that they do on the railway line!

Wikipedia gives a good overview of the company and the history of the rail line, so do have a look at it if you are interested in learning more about this train line in Chiba.
   

The card below features the Enoden or the Enoshima Electric Railway.  This train line is another private train line that runs between Kamakura Station and Fujisawa Station.  I'm not completely sure, but I may have ridden on this train when I visited Kamakura one year, a very long time ago.  The train track is single, but some stations have double tracks which allows trains to run in both directions.  

The Japan Post Office has also created Gotochi cards for train lovers.  I have found examples of the cards for my readers and am listing them below.

These are special sets of Gotochi Cards.  I do not collect them personally, so have little information about them. 

Kyoto Railway Museum

Summer Trains

Nankai Electric Railway

JR East Bullet Train -Interestingly, this series features bullet trains that can be seen in Tohoku, the part of Japan that I live in.  However, my city is not on a Shinkansen Line, so I hardly ever ride these trains.  

Enoden and Hydrangea Cards

The POSTA COLLECT "News" page.  To find these cards that I have linked to, I had to scroll down quite far.  There may be more train cards of interest if you follow the links on the page.

Thank you for visiting my Trains Link up.  I hope you have enjoyed this look at Gotochi Cards and trains.  Please visit the other bloggers to see their take on Trains and Trams.  

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