Fireworks

I don't think it's very hot in Tokyo this year and here we have many fireworks events. As you know, there're several Japanese stamps depicting fireworks and I love them. We also have new fireworks stamps this year and I'd like to show the used EXPRESS example here.

Furusato stamps Local festival 8th series "Tenjin Matsuri" ( one of two se-tenants) issued on June 15th, 2012.

Post; Aug. 3rd 2012 / Numazu-Nishi 

Arrival; Aug. 4th 2012 /  Akasaka

 

2012 Japan New definitives High face value 350Yen and 500Yen issued on July 2nd, 2012

A friend of mine sent me these FDC covers to me. The machine cancellation is not usual for the registered letters. Thank you Mr.F and I'll give you some nice international cover later on.

Letter Pack Light vol.2

I sent a new letter pack light to the destination of general delivery just because I want a cancellation of the destination post office. I like this example because there are two kinds of cancellation and both of them are very clear and beautiful at right position. It seems it took two days to deliver (June. 30 -> July 2) , however it is just because July 1st is Sunday. 

By the way, today Japan Post issued two new definitives, 350 yen and 500 yen. As only half hundred post office sell these new stamps in Japan, I have no chance to get them in the morning and I've finally got it in the afternoon at Kyobashi Post Office near Ginza. I made some FDC, so I'll show them later days.

2012 Japan Prefectural Issues Scenery of the Trip 15 TOKYO

It's natural for Japan Post to release minit-sheet including 10 different stamps recently. I think this trend started in Venezuela in the late 20th century and was seen only in those countries, however can be seen all over the world including Japan.There're no longer many philatelists who collect all the new issues of their own country.
I think that recently more and more stamp collectors only buy new postage stamps which they like. Here are examples of my favorite as I like panda.
The first is EMS cover addressed to Sweden. MITAKA-EKIMAE 23.IV.12. I made a business trip by chance, so I made it. EMS costs a lot but it is fun to attache a full sheet .


Next is an example using Printing Parcel called "Yu-Mail". (The price of 500g-1kg weight is 340 yen)(Toshima / 24 / 4.24)


The last one is registered FDC with special postamark of Ueno Post Office, the post office near the Ueno-zoo, where pandas depicting in these stamps this time live.  This cover came from a musicican and I think it is good for non-philatelists to use this special postmark for their promotion.

Japan 2012 Philatelic Wweek

I made a first day cover of Japan 2012 Philatelic week!

When I was a child I'm involved in making FDC, I also sometimes had writing the cachet by myself, (I still have some of them....) Well, basically FDC is evaluated less than I pay, I soon quit making FDC unless I found nice new issue stamps.
Japanese Philatelic Week stamps are recently some of boaring stamps, I promise, however one of the three stamps of this year depicted the paintings in posession of Suntory Museum which locates in the same area of our office, so I decided to make FDC after a long period of absence.
I've been to the Museum shop the day before the issue where I found large post card depicted the painting. When we send this kind of large post card, if the destination is domestic the postage costs same as the envelope, while it is oversead destination, the postage is that of post card.
It's rather complex but I know making FDC which is really posted through the postal system is much interesting than that of only the cover with postmarks. So I made an EXPRESS cover to domestic destination with the cancellation of the arrival postmarks and an EXPRESS cover to Sweden (2nd devision of the international mail) with some barcode of International mail.

The Local Form Cards issued by Japan Post, Used one and mini-card

I don't  aim to complete-collect the Local Form cards issued by Japan Post  because they are something like many post cards without printed stamps and cost too much.
However, I sent some philatelic cover when I go to the local parts of Japan.
This example was made last month when I've been to Kyoto and the destination is Germany. It costs 110 yen for envelope + 410 yen for Express. JP charges the envelope fee for the deformed postcards.

To exhibit this post card, I have difficulty showing what is depicted, this post card is in fact showing Amano-Hashidate, beautiful scenery of Kyoto.
Mr. Osawa , a friend of mine, thematic collector as well as From cards collector advised me to show the mini-card which you can get one per five purchase of a form-card.
I don't know the existence until his advice.

Buy five and get a mini-card on the left. Please compare the size of the form card on the ritht. In fact I can get this mini-card for free in certain post office.

Postscript: Regarding Ken's comment yesterday, we've already scanned all the Japanese stamps but the release-date has not been fixed just because we'd like to  release it as high level as possible with some information about manufacturing, watermarks and so on. Ken, thank you for the message!

Flowers of the 47 prefectures (80 yen par value) Example sent to Germany EMS

As a matter of fact, I like the super modern stamps. I don't think no other country in the world ever issued such a tremendas math volume of postage stamps than in Japan these days.

But becuase so many stamps issued in one year, even philatelist lost love for the designs of each stamps and thus I don't hesitate to make them into used stamps or philatelic covers with cancellation. I don't think to get all of them, some times I forgot to make philatelic materials  but as there're PHILANIPPON2011 this July, I went to the post office every day and got many new commemorative stamps in my hand this summer.

What I feel interesting in making philatelic materials is make some special usage covers such as Express or Registered. Double weight and more is also interesting and parcels is very interesting these days. Like classic stamps, the destination to foreign country is always nice, I think. This August I tried to send EMS to myself staying in Germany and I got a nice example. Show you.

Top three rows of 2011 Japan Flowers of the 47 prefectures (80 yen par value) at 2400 yen. It is a fee for EMS to Germany weight 710gram, though it was below 700gram when calculated in the post office (so the fee is 2200 yen, too much 200yen) , sent on Aug. 25th, 2011 with the alphabetical roller cancellation of GAIENMAE post office (Minato-ku)I think it becomes a nice cover , though I usually don't ask the postman how to cancel.   

Japan 2011 Peter Rabbit Stamps part.2

Mr. Morio Suzuki, a friend of mine, philatelist says the cancellations used at Japanese post offices now are very fascinating, so I posted Peter rabbit covers at two post offices as you see.

from the left. Meguro (failed), Meguro bilingual machine cancellation, Ginza new type machine cancellation

I used to collect bilingual machine cancellation eagerly in 1990's, though I have no knowledge of my absent period of 20 years from philately.
They are going to go away, I mean becoming extinct. So it's a good time to start collecting again.

Even the new cancellation of Ginza post office has many varieties because of the repeated minor improvements.

I think we need to write more information in English to fascinate people for Japanese modern philately.

 

 

2011 Japan Peter Rabbit Stamps

Japan Post issued Peter Rabit stamps on Mar. 3rd 2011. It is welcomed to non-philatelists, though we philatelists have a difficulty to get all the stamps in used condition because the number issued is crazy 20.As it is next to impossible to get all of them without using stamps by myself, I using it addressed to me when I go travelling in Japan.

I got recently the post cards I used at Sendai on July 24th, the day Japanese Professional Baseball All Star Game in Sendai. All of them are tied with clear cancellations , so I'm very happy. As I post them at two different posts, there're two type of time information in cancellations , "12-18","18-24". I have also sent to the address in Europe, I'm willing to get them soon.

There're no hotel rooms in Sendai because of the reconstruction after the disaster, I went back to Tokyo at night.

JAPAN 2011 Rose in Versailles stamps to Paris

 

EKINAI 980 12 VI 11 12-18 JAPAN

This is the postcard with Japan 2011 Rose in Versailles stamps posted at Sendai Station Post Office.

Because this stamps are based on a Japanese comic Rose in Versailles (France Revolution) , I really want something with the destination of Paris. I made two copies, but as I thought the cancellation does not tie to the postcard. So I think it was good to have 10 yen definitive stamp tied to the postcard.

 

However, it is not so interesting to collect Super Modern covers because there are no arrival cancellations.

 

 

2011 Japan Postcards with East-Japan Earthquake donations addressed to Germany

Now I have nothing to do about PHILANIPPON2011 after a few day's cleaning.

I joined it as both of an exhibitor and a stand holder, I had much fun than ever, though I can not do anything else so far this year. So I had been thinking I start something new from this August and as one of them, I decided to start collecting Japanese stamps. I have already bought some good lots and made some interesting philatelic covers at the post office.

Shown is a post card issued this year with East Japan Earthquake Donations. I happened to go to Sendai, the disastered area this June, I sent a post card to Germany.

A friend of mine living in Sendai tells me people should not quit travelling to Sendai and coming more than usual to spend money and that makes the economy of disastered area better. So I'd like to find more time to go there and get stamps and some fruits as a gift there.

 

 

ANNOUNCE

So far this blog is mainly gives you the information about Stampedia such as renewal or newly listed countries. We started stampedia newsletter this July, so we're going to annouce those information at this newsletter and I'll write my blog about my collection from now on!