Linda
Member 
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426 
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:08:18 GMT
By biking across Japan, I realised that Japan Post offers a lot of pictorial cancellations, called「風景印」(fuu-kei-in), that are exclusive to particular post offices. I would say about 1/3 or even 1/2 of post offices across Japan offer pictorial cancellations. They can be obtained by presenting piece of paper on which a stamp of minimal value (today this value is 63 yen) is fixed. There is an official repository of these postmarks on Japan Post's website, but the list is far from being complete. I can often find online image of a cancel that is not included, despite being still in use. I like to refer to these personal websites to look for pictorial cancels: divisions.jp/www.pulanari-postmarks.com/index.htmlJapan Post's explanation about the design of a given cancel tends to be more detailed, wherease the personal websites just list the elements that appear in the cancels. There are also some personal blogs here and there about getting a particular fuu-kei-in, but they are not as complete / official as these two sources. You need to search for「風景印 (space) X」where X is the element you want to be pictured in the cancel. For instance, 「風景印 東京タワー」will give you many results including this site that I like. (Searching in Japanese will yield the largest number of relevant results.) |
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:09:42 GMT
Let me begin to share Japan's pictorial cancels that I have collected or helped others collect during my journey. IN HOKKAIDOObtained at the northernmost post office of Japan in Cape Soya, 宗谷岬郵便局.  
[Date of cancellation: 20 October 2022.] This cancels depicts the monument that marks the northernmost point of Japan and a monument of 間宮林蔵, an explorer who mapped out areas of northeast Asia then unknown to Japanese.  |
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:10:33 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in central Kushiro, 釧路中央郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 1 November 2022.] This cancel depicts Kushiro Marsh, red-crowned crane, and the Nusamai Bridge in Kushiro. On the left is the regular Japanese cancel of this post office that is applied to mails sent within Japan.   This western-styled bridge has 4 women-shaped sculptures representing the 4 seasons at the 4 guardtrails of the bridge. I believe the one pictured in the cancel represents winter. Kushiro is reputed for sunset viewing. The stamps I used in getting this cancel is taken from a set of stamps, 'Kushiro: World's 3 Major Sunset Town', showing sunset sceneries in and around Kushiro. 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:11:25 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at the easternmost post office of Japan in Cape Nosappu, 珸瑤瑁郵便局.  
[Date of cancellation: 28 November 2022.] This cancel depicts the earliest sunrise in Japan seen at Cape Nosappu Lighthouse, plus the specality of the area: konbu (昆布), an edible kelp. 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:12:14 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Obihiro, 帯広郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 5 December 2022.] This cancel depicts Ban'ei, a kind of Japanese horse racing that is nowaday only regularly held in Obihiro, and in the background the Tokachi Ohashi Bridge that is a main attraction in the area. Notice that this cancel is in the shape of a horse shoe; this is called a「変形印」(literally, 'deformed cancel') in Japan. Ban'ei (競走) is a special form of Japanese horse racing during which draft horses pull heavy sleds up sand ramps. These horses are bred for executing heavy agricultural labour, therefore have a very distint, strong, physical appearance, than other 'regular' horses bred for speed. Today, regular ban'ei races are only held at the Obihiro racecourse. This is one of the sand ramps the competing horses have to pull over in the Obihiro racecourse: 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:12:51 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Muroran, 東室蘭郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 14 November 2022.] It's a bit blurry, but the centre of the cancel depicts Muroran Port in the shape of a ship, and in the background is Mount Sokuryo, on the top of which transmition towers (for TV, radio, etc.) stand together with an observatory. Notice that the stamp on the right also depicts Mount Sokuryo that began to be lighted up 1988, and the stamp on the left uses a historical photo of the opening of Muroran Port.  Here is a clearer picture of the cancel, found online. 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:13:21 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Muroran, 室蘭母恋郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 28 November 2022.] This cancel, with the matching stamp, depicts the lighthouse at Cape Chikyu and Charatsunai beach.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:14:03 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Muroran, 室蘭郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 28 November 2022.] This whale-shaped cancel depitcts the Hakucho Bridge and seagull. It is also a「変形印」(deformed cancel). 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:15:38 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Hakodate, 函館港町郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 7 December 2022.] The pictorial cancel shows the Goryokaku Tower, the Port of Hakodate, and radio towers on the top of Mount Hakkodate. On the left is the regular cancel of this post office uses for mails sent within Japan (therefore all inscription in Japanese). The stamps I used were issued on the 150th anniversary of the opening of Port of Hakodate to foreigners. The Goryokaku Tower is an observation deck next to the star-shaped, Western-style citadel, Goryokaku. I didn't get up to the observatory. On the ground level one couldn't see the star-shape of the citadel.     The last image pictures a popular shooting location for Japanese drama; it's on the top of a hill in Hakodate. One can see the harbour in the foothill. I really don't know why it's famous though.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:16:35 GMT
Below shows pictorial cancels I obtained for other collectors, who sent me the images after they got my mail. IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Hakodate, 函館中央郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 21 March 2023.] Sadly, this cancel didn't come up very clearly ... If you click on the post office's name, you will see a clearer picture of the cancel. It features the Goryokaku Tower and the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse, which is turned into a commercial complex today. The cancel also makes reference to the star-shaped citadel ( see this post), Mount Hakodate and Hakodate's world-famous night scene.   |
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:18:00 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Hakodate, 函館堀川郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 23 March 2023.] This cancel shows the city's tramway, a statue of the poet Takuboku Ishikawa who had worked and was burried in Hakodate, and the Mount Hakodate in the background. This is Ishikawa's family grave. It sits nicely on a steep hill overseeing the ocean:  
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:18:35 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Biei, 美瑛郵便局.
[Date of cancellation: 10 June 2024.] It shows a cottonwood, the 'patchwork hills' that attracts countless visitors to Biei, and the Mount Tokachi in the background. The following photos was taken at Shikisai-no-oka (which literaly means, Four Seasons' Colours Hill) in October, when entrance was free. I can't imagine how much more beautiful this place can be in the spring and summer time!  
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:19:24 GMT
IN HOKKAIDOObtained at a post office in Kitahiroshima, 北広島中央六郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 22 March 2023.] I didn't actually visit Kitahiroshima City, located in between Chitose (where the airport is) and Sapporo. But I got this cancel for a pianist who requested a cancel related to music. It shows the concert hall in Kitahiroshima, 'ezorisu' (a kind of squirrel native to Hokkaido), and asparagus.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:20:26 GMT
IN TOHOKUObtained at a post office in Morioka, 盛岡ホットライン肴町郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 15 November 2022.] This cancel shows portrays of poet Takuboku Ishikawa (left), native of Morioka, and poet/novelist Kenji Miyazawa (right), native of Hanamaki who spent many years studying and teaching in Morioka. The architecture depicted here is the musem commemorating both of them today, which was formerly a bank.  Kenji Miyazawa was born in the centre of today’s Hanamaki (花巻), Iwate prefecture, and spent many years studying and teaching in Morioka (盛岡, 40 km north of Hanamaki), hence traces of him are omnipresent in both cities. In this museum in Morioka, Miyazawa is jointely commemorated with another literary figure who died at the age of 26, Takuboku Ishikawa (石川啄木, who was buried and commemorated in Hakodate), a native of Morioka. I don’t pretend to know why a museum should commemorate both of them; my guess is that they are of roughly the same period, and that Ishikawa, who is 10 years older than Miyazawa, has great influence on the latter. Takuboku Ishikawa and Kenji Miyazawa are subjects of depiction in the pictorial cancel shown with my stamp of Miyazawa.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:20:51 GMT
IN TOHOKUObtained at a post office in Hanamaki, 花巻藤沢町郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 20 December 2022.] 3 elements are incorporated into this pictorial cancel of Hanamaki: (a) The gigantic mural depicting Night on the Galactic Railroad by Miyazawa in Hanamaki, which uses pigments that absorbes ultra-violet light to shine at night. (b) An image of Amida Nyorai (阿弥陀如来), the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. (c) A flower: kobushi magnolia. 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:21:17 GMT
IN TOHOKUObtained at a post office in Hanamaki, 花巻二枚橋郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 6 December 2022.] My cancel was not very visible on this wooden postcard, so here is an image found online:  Miyazawa once held an academic position in agricultural science when he was teaching in Morioka. At one point due to illness and hoping to develop a closer connexion to the life of peasants, he retired to an impoverished region of Hanamaki to work on a farm. There, he established a private school (私塾) called 羅須地人協会 to teach the locals about modern cultivation techniques improved by scientific methods. It took place at one of Miyazawa family's residential buildings depicted in this pictorial cancel. On the tablet (in the cancel) is inscribed an exerpt taken from Miyazawa's「農民芸術概論綱要」 (Introduction to Farmer's Art).
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:21:54 GMT
IN TOHOKUObtained at a post office in Sendai, 仙台八幡町郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 28 November 2022.] This cancel shows the main shrine of Osaki Hachimangu Shrine (大崎八幡宮), which was made into a National Treasure of Japan. There happened to be some event held at this shrine on the day of my visit. The piece of architecture was veiled by tent and other stuff.   Another reason for this shrine's popularity is that the figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (羽生結弦), who is native of Sendai, once paid it a visit. His volitive tablet is still hinged behind a glass window inside the shrine. Many of his fans have come here to pray for him. 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:23:34 GMT
IN KANTOObtained at a post office in Nikko, 日光郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 24 November 2022.]  This cancel shows a bunch of important cultural properties in Nikko: (a) Nikko Toshogu Yomeimon Gate  (b) Nikko Toshogu five-storied pagoda  (c) Shinkyo Bridge  (d) Nikko's Cedar Avenue. I passed through the Cedar Avenue in the dark, so I have no photo to show. But even in the dark, I could feel the imposing presence of the magnificent cedar trees. Nikko Toshogu is the shrine dedicated to the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This town is extremely popular amongst foreign nationals for reason unknown to me.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:24:12 GMT
IN KANTOObtained at a post office in Tokyo, 浅草郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 5 January 2023.] Obtained at a post office in Tokyo, 雷門郵便局.  These two cancels of Asakusa show the Kaminarimon gate of Senso-ji temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo, the five-storied pagoda, and Tokyo Sky Tree that is visible from Assakusa.    
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:24:53 GMT
IN KANTOObtained at a post office in Tokyo, 芝郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 16 December 2022.] This cancel that shows Tokyo Tower has been in use since 1959, the next year when the tower's construction was complete. It's the old symbol of Tokyo (the new one being Tokyo Sky Tree). 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:25:18 GMT
IN KANTOObtained at a post office in Tokyo, 六本木ヒルズ郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 19 December 2022.] The main subject of depiction in this cancel is Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, the 54-story skyscraper in which Mori Art Museum is located. I went there to see the exhibition of the manga artist Yoshihiro Togashi (冨樫義博) and got this cancel as a souvenir. I didn't photograph the skyscraper itself, because its exterior didn't stand out in Tokyo, but on the suspending corridor that surrounds the building, a lot of nice scenes can be captured:  
The shot of Tokyo Tower was capture on this corridor.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:25:38 GMT
IN KANTOObtained at a post office in Tokyo, 銀座六郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 6 February 2023.] This cancel pictures the train model used for today's Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (東京メトロ銀座線), along with a street view of the district.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:26:22 GMT
IN KANSAIObtained at a post office in Nagoya, 名古屋東新町郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 6 February 2023.] This cancel shows the Nagoya Castle and one of the two golden shachi (鯱) on the roof of the castle. Shachi is a Japanese mythological creature living in the sea with a tiger head and a carp body who can summon clouds and control the rain. As such, it is commonly seen in traditional Japanese architecture as a talisman to prevent fire.  I didn't get to see Nagoya's golden shachi close-up. Here is one from Osaka castle: 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:26:46 GMT
IN KANSAIObtained at a post office in Kyoto, 京都清水郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 27 December 2022.] This cancel depicts the stage of Kiyomizu-dera, Kiyomizu ware and vase. Kiyomizu-dera is by far one of the most popukar buddhist temples in Japan. It's strategically located halfway up Kyoto's Higashiyama mountain peak, which offers stunning scenery throughout the four seasons. It's a popular location to view cherry blossoms in the spring, and coloured leaves in the fall. In front of its main hall is a veranda, called Kiyomizu Stage, that is suspended off a steep cliff and supported by 18 large pillars that are about 13-metre high. Originally, it was a place where Noh dance-drama was peformed to the Buddha. Today this traditional wooden structure is a popular touristic attraction that allows visitors to overview the city of Kyoto.      There is a proverb in Japan, 'to jump off the stage of Kiyomizu' (清水の舞台から飛び降りる) which roughly equals to 'to take the plunge' in English. It means to make a big decision.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:27:09 GMT
IN KANSAIObtained at a post office in Kyoto, 京都北白川郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 27 December 2022.] There are 3 symbols of Kyoto incorporated into this cancel: (a) Higashiyama Jisho-ji (commonly called Gingaku-ji), a Zen temple in Kyoto which by legend is said to have been conceived to emulate the gold-leaf coated Kinkaku-ji. I much prefer the humble Gingaku-ji ('gin' means silver in Japanese) over the sumptuous Kinkaku-ji.        (b) Shirakawa women dressed in kimono and holding a bouquet of flowers over their head. Today, these women can be seen at the annual Jidai Matsuri (時代祭, lit. 'Festival of the Ages'), which includes a historical reenactment parade dressed in historically authentic costumes (for an example of the procession involving Shirakawa women, please see this Youtube video). (c) The character '大' of the Daimonji (大文字) festival, during which five giant bonfires are lit on mountains surrounding Kyoto. 
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:27:36 GMT
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:28:03 GMT
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:28:34 GMT
IN KYUSHUObtained at a post office in Nagasaki, 長崎松山郵便局. 
[Date of cancellation: 22 December 2022.] This cancel and the matching stamp depict the Peace Statue in the Peace Park in Nagasaki, the second city that was destroyed by an atomic bomb in WWII.   
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:28:57 GMT
IN KYUSHUObtained at a post office in Nagasaki, 長崎北郵便局.  [Date of cancellation: 21 December 2022.]  Like the previous cancel, this cancel shows the Peace Statue in Nagasaki together with the Urakami Cathedral (浦上天主堂), which was destroyed by the bombing and was rebuilt in 1959.   It was close to the Feast of the Assumption of Mary when the atomic bomb fell merely 500m away from the Urakami Cathedral. The bomb killed everyone inside the church that was well attended. Only a broken wall remained standing at the current Nagasaki Peace Park.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Apr 21, 2023 14:29:19 GMT
IN KYUSHUObtained at a post office in Nagasaki, 長崎小曽根郵便局.  [Date of cancellation: 22 December 2022.] The subject of depiction in this cancel and the matching stamps is the Oura Church (大浦天主堂) in Nagasaki, which is said to be the oldest Christian church in Japan. Together with some 11 other sites related to Catholic persecution in Japan, this church was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photography is forbidden inside the church and at the gallery that exhibits the history of the Catholic persecution in the area of Nagasaki, which is the subject matter of Endo Shusaku's novel Silence, if anyone is interested.    
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