📮 World Postcard Day

📅 2026 September 25 🏷️ Postcrossing

October 1st is World Postcard Day! If I know you (i.e. we’ve talked at least once before in the past) and you would like a postcard from my collection of postcards, please contact me either via Discord (renkotsuban), Signal (renkotsuban.45), or e-mail (renkon@nicegear.games) with your mailing address and I’ll send one over! I cannot promise that you’ll get a postcard by October 1st, tho I will try to send them out by then. If you tell me your address after Oct 1st it’s fine, I’ll still send you one

You don’t need to send me a postcard back (though I would really love one!!) but the one rule is please do not share my mailing address, and I promise to of course never share your address with anyone else. If you are worried about sharing your mailing address with me, a person on the Internet, that is totally valid! Zero pressure to ask me for a postcard, and indeed, you can simply check out the scans below and pick out your own a “digital” card

Fox & Tanuki

First one is art by Michi Nenoi of Satoyama Note! They had these print-on-demand postcards available one year, and you could get them from the conbini ticket machine (I think, Daikon got it for me). You may recognize them from their gorgeous cover of the Indiepocalypse Presents: Indie Tsushin issue! Please check out their art if you can!

Postcard featuring Fox and Tanuki from the Satoyama Note series. They are wearing kimono and peeking through a bush and laughing happily. Surrounding them are different toys and decorations usually associated with the New Year

Kyōto

Next is a series of postcards I bought in Kyōto… I think. These locations are all in Kyōto, anyway. I went there in 2009 I think so I’ve been holding onto these for… oh man, 17 years. I really need to visit again. The artist for these postcards is 高 博士 (Taka Hakase?).

Postcard with illustration of the Kamo River, and people relaxing on wooden walkways over the water. There is a rickshaw with passengers inside, and in the background are white walls of either a castle or temple
Postcard with illustration of the pagoda of Kiyomizu-dera and market street leading up to it
Postcard with illustration of a long open alleyway lined with wooden gates of an old neighborhood in Kyoto, with hills covered in autumn leaves in the background, and a rickshaw being pulled at the end of the alley
Postcard with illustration of Kiyomizu-dera at the edge of a sea of trees. The sun is setting and the sky is glowing yellow, pink, and blue, and the forest below looks like fantastic cotton candy
Postcard with illustration of an enormous red torii gate towering over the road leading up to the shrine. People are walking along the pathway and there is a rickshaw being pulled in the corner
Postcard with illustration of Ginkakuji Temple in Kyoto, framed by the hillside that is erupting in yellows and reds from the autumn leaves

Northern Culture Museum, Niigata Prefecture

Next up: I got these postcards from the Northern Culture Museum in Niigata, which means I must have bought these when I was still living there sometime in 2008-2012. I really miss Niigata a lot… There is no photographer credited on these postcards, unfortunately.

Postcard with an aerial photo of the mansion/museum. The mansion complex is composed of several long tiled-roof buildings framed with trees from the gardens
Postcard of a photo of the front gate to the mansion/museum. It is large and wooden with a heavy tile roof, and beyond it you can see azalea bushes and the front of the mansion/museum
Postcard with a photo of an irori, a hearth sunken into the floor with a kettle hanging from a pole that dangles down from the ceiling over the fire. Surrounding the hearth is a raised seating area with tatami. The walkway is slick wood and the room is enclosed with sliding paper and wood screens
Postcard with photo of a large tatami room opening up to the outdoor veranda facing the garden. The trees are yellow and red from the autumn, and the room is gorgeous and imposing
Postcard of a photograph of the wisteria trellis in the gardens. Many purple wisteria flowers are hanging down from the large wooden trellis, under which are wooden benches. The ground is covered in purple petals. In the background is the rest of the garden and the mansion/museum
Postcard with a photograph of the garden in winter. The trees and bushes are caked in snow, and the water in the pond appears to be frozen
Postcard with a photograph of the garden in spring with the azalea bushes blooming bright pink. Around the bushes are stepping stones embedded into the mossy ground, a pond full of koi, and in the background a path lined with trees
Postcard with photograph of the triangular tea house, a large standalone building meant to hold tea ceremonies. The photograph is taken at the corner of the building with a wide-angle to make it appear extremely pointed, like the corner of the roof may burst out of the photo and poke you in the eye

Kenroku-en, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

Next are these gorgeous pencil illustration postcards from Kenroku-en, one of the Big Three major Japanese gardens in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. We went there for our honeymoon so these are from 2011. Man… I love Kanazawa so much… another place I need to revisit soon.

I can’t read the character in the hanko of the artist name, the one after 三. Their name is not printed on the back so I don’t know who drew these, grr… if you can read the hanko or recognize the art style, please let me know!!

Postcard with pencil illustration of Kanazawa Castle
Postcard with pencil illustration of a water fountain in the middle of a pond in Kenraku-en
Postcard with pencil illustration of the waterfall Midori-taki trickling over rocks into the pond below, framed with trees, in Kenraku-en
Postcard with pencil illustration of Kasumi-gai-ke, a large pond in Kenraku-en, with pine trees and other plants on the far banks and tree branches overhanging above
Postcard with pencil illustration of Kotoji Tōrō, a stone lantern on top of an arch straddling the water. Beside it is the shore with many trees and plants, and it looks out across Kasumi-ga-ike in the middle of the park
Postcard with pencil illustration of Kaisekitō, a tall stone lantern with several “windows” for the flames to poke out, standing on the edge of the water. In the background is Yūgaotei, a small rest house being enveloped by towering trees from the garden
Postcard with pencil illustration of Hanami-bashi, a wooden bridge over a small stream lined with violets and grass
Postcard with pencil illustration of Gankō-bashi, several stone steps bridging a pond. In the background are huge pine trees being held up by wooden poles, and a stone lantern standing over the water

Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

I went back to Hawai’i in I think, 2010? Maybe 2011? Daikon had to work so he couldn’t come with me, so I went to Longs Drugs and bought a bunch of postcard books and wrote to him every day. The ones that I sent to him are in an album somewhere, so these are the extras that I never sent.

Postcard with photo of Aloha Tower on the edge of Honolulu Bay, surrounded by skyscrapers and an enormous cruise ship. The sky is pink-purple from the sunset, and the clock face of the tower is lit up.
Postcard with photo of North Shore, the beach on the northern Windward side of O'ahu. There are two tracks of footprints in the white sand. To the left is the blue-green ocean gently lapping at the shore, and to the right are the line of coconut trees and other plants to guard against the sea winds
Postcard with photo of an aerial view of the USS Arizona Memorial, a white building memorializing the remains of the ship that was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The US flag is superimposed in the top left corner
Postcard with photo of Waikīkī at sunset. In the foreground are black silhouetted coconut trees, and in the background is the golden purple-pink skies of the sun setting over the ocean
Postcard with photograph of ʻIolani Palace, a grand white building surrounded by palm trees and a manicured green lawn
Postcard with photo of Waikīkī Beach. In the foreground are the tops of coconut trees, surrounded by clear blue waters. In the background there is a white sandbar also lined with coconut trees, and beachgoers and sailboats scattered in the back

Hida-Takayama, Gifu Prefecture

Next up are a bunch of postcards I bought when we went to Hida-Takayama in Gifu Prefecture in 2013. This was one of my favorite places of all time, just this cool old town that was super chill and relaxing. It’s also really near Shirakawa-go, a town that has these traditional thatched roof houses. No photo credits on any of these, unfortunately.

Postcard with photograph of the town of Hida-Takayama. Traditional dark wooden shops line a narrow street, and in the foreground is a large trellis overflowing with purple wisteria
Postcard with photograph of a hearth in the Kusakabe Mingeikan museum (a traditional old house). Wood and paper sliding doors separate the various tatami rooms, and in the foreground is the hearth with a large metal pot hanging from a rope that hangs down from the ceiling. Around the hearth are three blue zabuton cushions
Postcard with photograph of a huge red and gold festival float being carried over a red bridge. The crowds are wearing jackets so it must be during the cold season, and on the side they are holding round paper lanterns. In the background is the river and willow trees
Postcard with photograph of Hida Kokubun Temple. In the foreground is a bush of purple hydrangeas next to a bronze statue of a Buddhist figure. Behind that is the bell tower with the huge bronze temple bell, then the open courtyard, and behind that the wooden pagoda
Postcard with photograph of the morning market in Hida-Takayama. Many food and flower stalls are set up on low tables under canvas awnings, and people are buying and selling various produce
Postcard with photo of the large wooden gate leading to a daimyo's house in Hida-Takayama. The gate has a heavy imposing roof, and through the gate you can see the front of the lord's house with visitors ascending the entrance
Postcard with photo of a shop in Hida-Takayama. There is a metal statue of a person (or possibly demon?) standing over a wooden lantern. Behind them are three wooden wheels leaning against the sliding doors of the shop
Postcard with photograph of Mt. Norikura looming over the city of Takayama in the winter. The houses and mountains are brushed white with snow, and the sun is setting which casts everything with a pink-purple glow
Postcard with a photo of a red bridge crossing the Miyagawa River in spring, surrounded on both sides by huge clouds of pink sakura blossoms and light green willow trees
Postcard with photograph of traditional thatched roof houses on the edge of a pond. The hills behind the houses are yellow and red from the autumn leaves, and there appear to be white geese or possibly swans on the water
Postcard with a photograph of a festival at night. Crowds of people surround two large towering dashi, festival floats, which are decorated in red and gold phoenixes and other mystical creatures, and adorned with paper lanterns
Postcard with photograph of the castle town of Hida-Takayama at dusk, with the lanterns burning a hazy yellow through the foggy air. The street is lined with traditional wooden shops and large pine trees

Minato Mirai, Yokohama

Next are postcards I got from Minato Mirai in Yokohama. I probably got these when we first moved to Kanagawa, so 2012? 2013? I still love Yokohama but recently haven’t had much of a reason to go there, since it’s close enough to be overfamiliar yet too far to wanna leave Shōnan… I don’t know why I got so many postcards that look the same I think some of these might be from a pack (the ones that say Yokohama Minato Mirai 21) but the other two are not, so, who knows, haha.

Postcard with photograph of Yokohama Minato Mirai. The skyscrapers are silhouetted against the sunset sky and lit up, and behind it is the shadow of Mt. Fuji. There are some ferries or ships lit up in the foreground of Tokyo Bay
Postcard with photo of Yokohama Minato Mirai at night. The buildings are brightly lit up, as is the Cosmo World Ferris wheel. The lights are being reflected off of the glassy waters of Tokyo Bay
Postcard with a photo of Yokohama Minato Mirai, again with the skyscrapers lit up at sunset and standing against a sunset orange sky with the shadow of Mt. Fuji looming behind. A ship is cutting through the waters of the bay and leaving a huge trail in its wake
Postcard with photograph of Yokohama Minato Mirai, again with Mt. Fuji in the background and silhouetted against an orange sunset sky. The skyscrapers are lit up more prominently and in green
Postcard with photograph of Yokohama Minato Mirai at sunset. The skyscrapers standing against the orange sky are silhouetted and lit up with green and red, and in the background is the looming shadow of Mt. Fuji. Photo by S. Taguchi

Utagawa Hiroshige ukiyo-e

Next are these postcards that come in sets of three, and you lay them next to each other and it creates one of Utagawa Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e triptychs. I got these at Fujisawa-shuku, this little museum that commemorates Fujisawa’s stop along the old Tōkaidō road. I’m not sure when we got these, but probably only a few years ago at most.

Here’s the first scene, 相州江の島弁財天参詣道中記 (Sōshū Enoshima Benzaiten Sankei Dōchuuki, travel record of visiting the Benzaiten shrine on Enoshima Island in Sagami Province). You can see the full work here, on this super charming Enoshima Manic fan page.

Postcard showing left of three panels of Sōshū Enoshima Benzaiten Sankei Dōchuuki. A ferry is carrying huge crowds of people all heading to Enoshima to visit Benzaiten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods. In the background are the hills and rivers of Sagami Province, now Kanagawa Prefecture, with labels showing the old town names
Postcard showing the center of three panels. The people in the ferry boats are holding parasols and wearing kimono, and the ferrymen are pushing the boats with long poles like gondolas. In the very back is the white peak of Mt. Fuji
Postcard showing the right of three panels. People are boarding the ferries and there is a bit of chaos showing these commonfolk trying to get in the boats to go to the island

And this the second Utagawa Hiroshige ukiyo-e triptych I got. This one depicts 相州江の島詣の図七里が浜景色 (Sōshū Enoshima Mainozu Shichirigahama Keshiki, scene from Shichirigahama Beach of pilgrims on their way to Enoshima in Sagami Province) which you can see in its entirety here. If you are interested in seeing more ukiyo-e in Shōnan, I highly recommend checking out the Fujisawa Ukiyo-e Museum.

Postcard with first of three scenes from Sōshū Enoshima Mainozu Shichirigahama Keshiki. Two ladies wearing kimono and holding parasols are relaxing on the beach while two working men are digging for shellfish and wiping the sweat off their brow. In the background is Sagami Bay and Enoshima Island
Postcard with center scene. A child is playing in the sand, and two women are nearby. One of the women is collecting seashells in a basket, and the other is wearing a large sunhat and holding a walking stick. In the background is the white peak of Mt. Fuji, and the waves of Sagami Bay
Postcard with the right of three scenes. A woman is riding on the back of a large black ox, and walking alongside is a boy and a woman. In the background is Sagami Bay, the beach showing other people working and playing, and in the distance are the rolling hills of the Shonan coastline

Hiratsuka Hachimangū

Next is this Year of the Snake postcard we got last year from Hiratsuka Hachimangū. Don’t be fooled by the horses and think it’s from this year (Year of the Horse), they’re there because Hiratsuka Hachimangu has a few incredibly cute sacred horses who basically act as the shrine’s mascots.

Colorful painting of two white horses frolicking, and a white snake curling around them and grinning

Mishima-taisha, Shizuoka Prefecture

I think we got this postcard last year. This one is from Mishima-taisha in Shizuoka, on one of our many trips over to Numazu (our new favorite vacation spot, thanks to recommendations by PRINCESS INTERNET CAFé, haha). I really love dioramas, more places should have dioramas of their premises…

Postcard with a diorama of Mishima-taisha, a Shinto shrine in Shizuoka Prefecture. In the foreground is a body of water with two islands connected with red bridges, leading straight up to the torii gate and then main buildings of the shrine. There are crowds of people crossing the bridges and heading up to the shrine, and the buildings are bright red and wooden

Shirakaba at Chigasaki Art Museum

And the last two! At least for now, until I go looking for my other postcard books that are Somewhere in this apartment.

I got these last year from Chigasaki Art Museum for the Shirakaba exhibition, about the introduction of Western art styles to Japan following the opening of the country. These two postcards feature the covers of two art magazines (Shirakaba, White Birch, and Yūjō, Friendship) designed by Kishida Ryusei.

Postcard by Kishida Ryusuke of the cover of Shirakaba from Year 10 Month 3 (1919). Illustration depicts a person (possibly a child) standing in a field with one arm outstretched. Above them are surreal clouds and trees with puffy leaves. The entire piece is drawn in sparing red and blue ink against a browning aged paper
Postcard by Kishida Ryusuke of the cover of Yūjō (Friendship). Illustration is black with the artwork in negative space (i.e. everything is painted in black except for the subjects, which are then detailed in light gray and red lines). It depicts a child wearing a dress or robe seated on a red cushion or rug. They are holding aloft a red and white flower. The title of the magazine runs down the spin (in the center) in red. The front cover (on the left) is the title in red surrounded by white and red flowers and surrounded by a curly border

Now that you’ve seen the postcards in my collection… wouldn’t you like to get one of these in the mail? Please let me know!!