風景印めぐり日記 ~Fukeiin Diaries~

Let me be honest with you. I'm prone to seasonal depression. Coming from a warmer country, I had no idea that the lack of sunlight and outside stimulation could affect my psyche this much. The cold weather made me want to stay inside the whole day, and it didn't help that my work is mostly remote (WFH). Staying inside my house all day brought me comfort, and it used to be hard to convince myself to go outside and do something (like, why should I go outside in the cold when I can do the same at home in my pajamas, right?). So yeah, this fukeiin journey is also a way for me to combat seasonal depression .  *** It was sunny outside, past lunchtime. I had a half-day off and some postcards ready to be posted. I checked my fukeiin post office list, narrowed my options to two, and walked to the train station. My destination would be decided by which train came first. Sometimes it feels nice not to take control of everything and let the universe decide for you. The first train came. K...

Recently, I started collecting 風景印 fukeiin, or pictorial postmarks. After finding out about fukeiin, I researched which designs are available, where I could get them, and how to get there. Many of the post offices that provide fukeiin are only open on weekdays, and I would need to go to the counter to request it. Of course, I could just send a fukeiin request to any post office that I want, have them stamp them for me, and then send the postcards to the addresses written there. In fact, that would make it much easier to complete the collection. However, I believe that the journey and the experience of getting each fukeiin are just as important and meaningful as the fukeiin themselves. That means I will have to go there by myself, and it raises the difficulty by a few levels.  Many people outside Japan believe they can travel around the country without a car because of the country's vast train network. In urban areas such as Tokyo or Osaka, that may be the case, but in the count...