Pictorial Postmarks: Japan

IN KYUSHU

Obtained at the southernmost post office of Japan, 大泊郵便局.

[Date of cancellation: 7 February 2023.]

This cancel depicts the souternmost point of Japan, Cape Sata and an observatory.

IN OKINAWA

Obtained at a post office in Naha, 牧志郵便局.

[Date of cancellation: 17 March 2023.]

Besides the flower erythrina and Shisa previously mentionned, this cancel also incorporates the Shureimon (守礼門), which is one of Shuri Castle's main gates.

Note, this cancel has been replaced by a newer design in May 2023.



This gate survived the 2019 fire incident.

IN OKINAWA

Obtained at a post office in Naha, 首里北郵便局.

[Date of cancellation: 13 April 2023.]

This cancel depicts the main hall of Shuri Castle that was destroyed by fire in 2019, a stone dragon pillar, and the family crest of the royal family of Ryukyu Kingdom Sho.

The main object of depiction in these two stamps and the pictorial cancel is Osaka Castle.


[Date of cancellation: 6 February 2023.]

This is one of the very few historical sites of Japan and the only Japanese castle I have been to that offers English translation throughout the whole visit. Needless to say, it's immensely popular amongst Westerners.



The interior has been entirely modernised to equipe with elevators and escalators. Only the exterior has retained its ancient look.

Always enjoy your pictorial postmark threads. Very informative.

Unlike the other pictorial postmarks (called '風景印', 'fukei-in' lit. 'landscape cancel') I shared earlier that are available at Japanese post offices for a long period of time, this pictorial postmark (called '小型印', 'kogata-in', lit. 'small cancel') depicting Doraemon in crew costume is only available for one year, between 1 December 2022 and 30 November 2023. 

It was offered to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of the Doraemon Tram on the Manyo Line, which started operating on 8 September 2012.


[Date of cancellation: 8 September 2023.]

Today, steam locomotives have been largely superseded by electric and diesel locomotives, but in Japan, some steam locomotives still continue to run during certain time of the year on tourist lines, to give passengers a nostalgic feel. 'SL Banetsu Monogatari' (SLばんえつ物語) is one of them operating in Tohoku region, between Niigata and Fukushima prefectures of Japan. This commemorative kogata-in is valid between the train's operating period between 29 July and 3 December 2023.



If you look closely, you can see in the cancel the model of the locomotive: C57 180.

This cancel shows Children's Peace Monument and the A-Bombed Dome:


[Date of cancellation: 21 September 2023.]

On the top of the bullet-shaped monument stands Sadako Sasaki with a crane wireframe. Sasaki is a victim of atomic bombing who popularised the practice of folding 1000 orignami cranes in the prayer for a world without nuclear weapon. On the side of the monument stand a symbolic boy and a girl.

This cancel offered at a Nagoya post office shows Nagoya Civic Hall, Nagoya Expressway, and Nagoya TV Tower.



The name of the post office includes the word 'peace' (平和).

This cancel offered at an Inazawa post office (Aichi prefecture) shows the Niomon gate at the Chofukuji Temple, Sugatani River, and cherry blossoms.



The name of the post office includes the word 'peace' (平和).

Another pictorial cancel related to Miyajima Shrine in Hiroshima prefecture. It mainly shows the famous Giant Torii.

This is the pictorial cancel of an Osaka post office showing the shinto shrine Sumiyoshi Taisha:



[Date of cancellation: 16 March 2023.]

dorincard --

For Chinese languages, there are different types of input methods that can be roughly grouped into (1) phonetics-based and (2) morphology-based (plus a few laying in between the two). On my desktop, I used a set of phonetic alphabets that today are only used in Taiwan to input the pronunciation of the character I want, then choose from a list of homophones the right one I intend to use. There are enough of keys on a regular Canadian keyboard for these phonetic alphabets. On my smartphone, because iOS has removed for some years the keyboard arrangement I am used to type in Mandarin, so I have to use handwritten input method instead (this one os more morphology-based). The phonetic system used in Taiwan is called Zhuyin; it has been commemorated by a series of stamps recently issued.

Japanese language comes with 4 notation systems: two of which are phonetic (hiragana and katakana), one is logographic (kanji), and the last uses roman alphabets. I think native Japanese people are more used to key in in kana, but I am used to roman alphabets. For instance, if I want to type the kanjis 沖縄 that means Okinawa, I have to press on the keys O-K-I-N-A-W-A, then the system will convert the spelling into kanji automatically (I can choose to stay with kana if I want).

This is one of the Gundam pictorial postmarks that commemorate the second anniversary of Gundam Manhole Project. 


[Date of cancellation: 5 November 2023.]

2 postmarks -- one depicting the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam (above), the other the MSM-07 Z'Gok (below) -- are being offered at Gundam's creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's hometown Odawara, Japan. They are available for a limited duration of one year.



The date of cancellation is 5 November, Tomino's birthday.