Envelop Counter

This device was sitting on a counter at a post office in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Customers who have a lot of envelopes can use it before they go to the counter to buy stamps. It's bright and shiny, but it looks a little old-fashioned, don't you think?

Mail Slots for the Holidays

In the days before New Year's, mail boxes provide a special slot for new year cards nengajou (long "o"). The slot on the left is for the cards. Notice one mail box has English on it and the other does not. The one with the English was in front of a bank. The other was in front of the post office. Mail boxes usually have a slot for international and national delivery. During the holidays, international mail is put in the "general" slot.

New Mail Motorbike

I posted a mail bike on December 27th. Here's a new one! This postman got a new bike (maybe for Christmas?) He was in an apartment building lobby delivering mail before the new year holidays when I snapped these pictures.

He came out as I snapped pictures. He smiled, but stayed out of my way for this last one. A lot of people don't want their picture taken. I got some of his leg there in the bottom righthand corner. I told him he had a cool bike. He smiled and jumped on. Mailmen have been really busy these days. This bike has three wheels. It looks like a more comfortable ride.

Basic New Year Cards

This is a basic New year's card. It was purchased at the post office. The front is blank. People draw pictures here or write messages. The address goes on the back (left picture).

Here is a close-up of the back of the New Year's card.

This card has the postage already on it. It is printed on the card. So, this is like the postage stamp. This card costs 50 yen to mail. 2007 will be the Year of the Boar or Pig. In Japan, "Boar" is used instead of "Pig". You may know that "Nippon" is the Japanese word for "Japan".

These boxes are at the top of the back of the card. This is where the postal code or zip code is written. The receiver's address and name are written a few spaces below this. It is written from top to bottom, right to left. (Maybe I'll post an example later). The sender's address and name are written to the left, top to bottom, right to left.

This is at the bottom of the back of the card. These are lottery numbers. The winners are printed in the newspapers on January 14th. There is a range of prizes. The Japanese written by the boar is otoshidama. That is the money that is given at New Year's. More about that later.

This is a card that Big Sister wrote for one of her friends. Many people asked her to send them a card. It is fun to receive New Year's greetings from your friends, but it is also nice to have lots of chances for the lottery. The post man's arrival is anticipated on the first three days of the New Year.

Kids Web Japan--New Year's card

Mail Boxes

This mail box was on the street near a hospital.

This one was in a shopping area. Those are garbage cans in the background. They are used by the shops.

This is another type of mailbox. It was on the sidewalk in front of a mansion, an apartment building.

World Heritage Site: Other Village Business in Ainokura

I have been wanting to take a picture of the postman in Tokyo. I keep missing him. It seems I always catch a glimpse of one as he is passing by. As we were having lunch, the postman of this village zoomed by. I ran out of the shop, but he made no other stops down the street. Wouldn't that have been a cool picture? A postman delivering mail to a thatched roof house. I went back in to finish my lunch. A little later, he zoomed past going the other way. We all looked at each other and laughed.




This is one of the hotels. Below is a closer look at the beds (futon) hanging out the door. They are airing them out. Laundry from the hotel is on the line outside, too.







Here is a house that has a small soft cream stand outside on its porch. See that big plastic soft cream on the porch? We sat on the benches there and had ice cream after lunch. Beds and laundry were hanging outside here, too.

Envelopes

When I first came to Japan I was surprised to see that envelops were not made with glue on them. It made sense to me after discovering the envelops I had brought from the States had all stuck together. The high humidity here makes it necessary to seal envelops with tape or with glue. The invention of glue sticks have made it easier. On the left of the envelop is a cross between a bottle of glue and a glue stick. It is much wetter than a glue stick. The drier glue sticks are available here as well.

Recently, I found a device in a department store that will make sealing envelops a whole lot easier. It's called dotliner. The word is printed on it in English. You run the flap of the envelop through the device as you press. A narrow strip of two sided tape is applied to the flap. The flap can then be folded over and sealed to the envelop.


The envelop with the red and blue stripes along the edges is for airmail. In recent years they started making them with a tape strip that is covered with a waxed paper. The paper protects against humidity and is easily removed to seal the envelop.