Year of the Rat

Three New Year cards I picked up in Japan in December. I like simple graphic design cards but there were many types, ranging from Mickey Mouse to sumie. Traditionally greetings & messages are written on the front of the card rather than on the back. There is ample white space allocated to the cardface for this purpose. The back is reserved for the recipient's address.

Snowflake

I received this lovely snowflake Christmas card from Jacqueline. She also added a rat stamp in the back signifying the Year of the Rat, which starts tomorrow!

Red Mail Boxes in Australia

These 2 photos of Australian mail boxes were sent by Yvonne Frindle. She took them on her way back from visiting her parents during Boxing Day. The bottom one is a lovely old-fashioned mail box, rare now except in certain places like Sydney. She sent the photo of a modern box above it as a comparison. Thank you Yvonne for these wonderful pictures!

Christmas Collage

I received this lovely Christmas collage from Anu Vatto of Finland. I love the piece of cinnamon she adhered next to Santa and all the kitties. She's a Postcrosser and she and I have exchanged a number of cards - handmade and otherwise.

Mail from Ryosuke Cohen

On Christmas Eve, I received an envelope from Ryosuke Cohen of Osaka, Japan, who has an ongoing mailart project called Brain Cell Fractal. I'm not a participant in this mailart exchange and so was surprised and delighted when I unfolded the large sheet of stamps and stickers. It was the best kind of Christmas surprise. I will send him stickers in 2008. Those interested in the Brain Cell Fractal project can visit Ryosuke Cohen's website at: http://www.h5.dion.ne.jp/~cohen/info/ryosukec.htm.

Little Multicolored Sock

Received this fabulous handknit sock card from Postcrosser "Hella" in Germany. Her hobby, like mine, is knitting socks!

Minimalist

Quite a minimalist mail box in Fukugawa.

Red Stars, Red Threads

A fabulous eco-card from Postcrosser Thomasina of Australia. The card is made of rice paper, crochet cotton, Australian film, TV & radio school compliments slip.

Little Red in Iki

Found this little red mail box just outside the ferry building on Iki Island, Kyushu. Iki is infamous for the slaughter of dolphins but for Japanese tourists, it's known for ancient burial mounds, WW2 bomb shelters, a rock outcropping shaped like an ape, sea urchins and some stone children facing the sea.

Fukugawa Mailbox

Fukugawa is a small town in Kyushu that offers boatrides along the river. The oarsman steers the boat along narrow canals and sings folk songs. It's the Japanese version of the Venetian gondoliers. The boat has a table running through the center and people sit on either side. I saw schoolgirls writing poems on board. Fukugawa is also famous for its grilled eel. The whole town smells of sweet soy and grilled fish. This mailbox was on a house by the the river.