海田中店郵便局 (Kaita Nakamise Post Office) - Kaita, Hiroshima

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. Kaita Nakamise Post Office, it is.

Kaita-cho (Kaita Town) was one of the postal towns along the Saigoku Kaido (Early Modern Sanyo Road). Saigoku Kaido was an important road linking Kyoto and Shimonoseki (the tip of Honshu Island, located in Yamaguchi Prefecture). Even now, you can still see some Edo-era buildings in the area.

I've passed by Kaitaichi Station so many times before, but it was my first time getting off. A whole new neighborhood to explore. Relying on Google Maps, I headed towards the Kaita Nakamise Post Office. It was about a 10-minute walk from the station. I found it in the middle of a residential neighborhood, beside a local Shinto shrine. They were renovating the building's exterior, so you might miss it unless you notice the post office mark. 

As I reached into my bag to pull out the postcards I planned to send, I saw that only one was there; the others were missing. I realized that I must have left them inside the scanner at home. How stupid of me! Going all the way here only to forget the things I was supposed to bring?! My first reaction was to blame myself for my own carelessness. Realizing that blaming myself would not change anything, I took a deep breath and reminded myself, "At least you had this one with you. It's not a waste of time. You can send the rest later. There is no rush." 

The postcard I had with me was non-standard in shape. It was my first time sending such a card. For a regular-sized postcard, the rate is fixed at 100 yen, regardless of the country you're sending it to. However, for non-standard cards, the rate varies by destination, so make sure you're applying the correct stamps. I submitted the postcard and asked for a fukeiin. Naturally, I sent one to myself as well.

The officer kindly explained that as long as I put at least 50 yen worth of stamps on the postcard, I didn't actually have to send it to myself with fukeiin. Heck, it didn't even have to be a postcard at all! Later on, I checked online, and some people had a dedicated album or journal for fuukeiin. They put the stamps on the page and asked the post office to stamp the fukeiin directly on the album. To learn more about how to get fukeiin, check out my guide here. I pondered having a dedicated album or journal for fukeiin, too, but decided I'd rather relish the anticipation of my postcard from fukeiin. 

Under the stress of forgetting the postcards, I totally forgot to take a picture in front of the mailbox. Oh well. To stop wallowing and improve my mood, I looked for a nearby cafe. I found a rather cozy and chic cafe near the station called Brique Rouge. I wondered when the last time I entered a cafe alone was. Sometimes I saw people posting about going to cafes alone, reading a book, or doing some journaling on Instagram. I'd be like, "How nice," and think of doing the same, but the idea of actually going outside by myself to go to a cafe alone was too much, and I'd tell myself, "Nah," and make myself a coffee at home. It was not that kind of day.

I entered the cafe and ordered a latte and a vanilla roll cake. Everything in their dessert lineup looked so delicious, and I had a hard time deciding. The individual tables were all full with friends and couples, so I parked myself at the corner of a large communal table. I took out my Kindle and read some manga while enjoying my latte and cake. With every page, sip, and bite, I felt my self-blaming and stress dissipating, replaced by gratitude. I could only enjoy this moment because I decided to go out to get fukeiin today. I spent a good hour at the cafe and went home.

***

A few days later, my postcard with the fukeiin arrived. It had sunflowers and an old building (I love old buildings!). I didn't realize that the old building featured in fukeiin was only a 2-minute walk from the post office and was open to the public! Argh! I should go back to the area and check it out one day.

From the Japan Post official website: "The pictorial postmark depicts the former Chiba family residence, a historic building in Kaita, which flourished as a post town on the old Saigoku Kaido road, and the flower of Kaita town, the sunflower." 

The fukeiin was launched on September 28th, 2016.

I'll see you all on my next fuukeiin adventure!
Cheers, 
Mulic