風景印めぐり日記 ~Fukeiin Diaries~

Got some great news today. My meeting was postponed to another day, so I got a full day off! Hurray! A perfect opportunity to go a little out of my way to get some fukeiin. On this day, I planned to visit two post offices along the Kure Line. I had a few choices in mind, but I would let timings and train schedules decide my fate. Yay to serendipity! *** Saka-cho Hiroshima First things first, I've got to be honest with you all. This was my first time on the Kure Line. I had assumed that the Kure Line operation would be the same as the Sanyo Line, but I was wrong. There are two types of regular trains on the Kure Line: the local train, which stops at every station, and the Akiji Liner, a rapid service that connects Hiroshima and Kure Station in just 30 minutes. The post offices I planned to visit were mostly near local train stations, and between 10:00 and 16:00, the local train only comes once every hour. My plan was already in jeopardy, but I would adapt and prevail! Finally, I ...

Usually, I go to post offices to get fukeiin on weekdays, but this day was an exception. I was going to a zine event in Hiroshima, and coincidentally, there was a post office near the venue that not only offered fukeiin but was also open on weekends! How lucky! However, on that day, I also had an online meeting I couldn't miss, so I had to go, do everything, and be back home in under 3 hours. Mission accepted! Zine Above Hiroshima Event Tacoboze-san's booth On this day, I went to a zine event called Zine Above Hiroshima, held on the rooftop of Sogo Hiroshima. I came to know about this event from a postcard illustrator and also a Postcrosser whom I follow. Although it's a zine event, the creators usually also showcase and sell other stuff, including postcards. It's a golden opportunity to get postcards from local creators, ones that usually are not available at mainstream stores.  While there, I also talked to the creators about my postcard hobby. They were excited tha...

Kumano Nishi Post Office After I finished sending some postcards at the Kumano post office , we headed to our next and final post office of the day. On this day, my husband and I had already been to two post offices: Hachihonmatsu and Kumano . Since we've come all the way to Kumano-cho, it would be a waste not to visit another post office in the area that offers fukeiin. Next stop: Kumano Nishi post office!  You can reach the Kumano Nishi post office by taking a bus from Yano Station (Kure Line) and getting off at the Kita-kenei Jutaku-mae (北県営住宅前) bus stop. From there, it's a 2-minute walk (around 140 m). The bus comes 1-2 times every hour. You can also take a bus from Hiroshima Station and change at the Shiritsu Kogyo Koko-mae (市立工業高校前) bus stop, but I don't recommend it since you might have to wait a long time during the transfer.  From the Kumano post office, it's actually quite easy to reach the Kumano Nishi post office. You can either walk for around 1.1 km (aro...

After I finished sending some postcards at Hachihonmatsu Post Office (you can read about it here ), we headed to our next destination. Since my husband was driving that day, I chose an area that was difficult for me to reach by public transport alone. I chose Kumano-cho, as the town was not served by any trains. This was my first time in Kumano-cho, and I didn't know much about it beyond its brushes. New area unlocked! About Kumano-cho, Hiroshima Kumano-cho is located in a small field basin surrounded by mountains. It's surrounded by Hiroshima-shi, Kure-shi, and Higashihiroshima-shi. At present,  among its population of over 24,500, 2,500 people are craftsmen called "Fude-shi" engaged in Fude manufacturing.  The Fude Center building has a giant brush lol The history of Kumano-cho dates back to the Edo Period in the late 18th century. People in Kumano had a hard time making a living just from farming, partly because  there wasn't much flat land for agriculture. Th...

Everyone, I have an announcement. I'm officially a HIT Hiroshima Tourism Ambassador. The HIT Hiroshima Tourism Ambassador program is a program by the Hiroshima Tourism Association to attract more visitors to Hiroshima. Ambassadors are then expected to share what they love about Hiroshima or to discover new places and attractions that might attract tourists. It's voluntary, so ambassadors don't get remuneration from the prefectural government, but we do get perks, such as the opportunity to get free products or early access to new programs, workshops, or tours. Oh, we also get a cool certificate and HIT Hiroshima Tourism Ambassador business cards lol.  On the form, they asked the applicants to write the charms of Hiroshima that they find most appealing. I wrote, "I wanted to share about Hiroshima fukeiin with people around the world." Each fukeiin depicts places or things that represent that particular area, so it's a good way to promote tourism. Moreover, it ...

About Tatemachi After leaving the Hiroshima Hatchobori post office (you can check the post here ), I headed to my next destination: Hiroshima Tatemachi Post Office . Tatemachi in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, is an area that has existed since the Edo period as part of the Hiroshima 城下町 (Castle Town). At present, Tatemachi is located next to Hatchobori, and the Hiroden Tatemachi station is just one stop away from Hatchobori Station. In fact, Hiroshima Tatemachi post office is only a 5-minute walk from Hiroshima Hatchobori post office, so it's super easy to visit both at once. As you can see from the picture, it's located right in downtown Hiroshima. Hiroshima Tatemachi Post Office Upon reaching the post office, as usual, I took the obligatory postcard pic in front of the mailbox. At this post office, I would be sending 4 postcards to Mexico, Taiwan, Italy, and Germany. Entering the post office, I bought a blank postcard to write my own address on and some 特集切手 (seasonal stamps) for use o...

Another sunny day. I had 8 postcards ready to send and a half-day off. It's fukeiin time! The time was past noon, and I had only a couple of hours to complete my mission. I had searched for two post offices near each other and plotted my route in advance.  Thanks to this fukeiin journey, my trip-planning skills have improved so much in just one month. You can even hire me to plan your Japan trip itinerary! Just kidding, I don't have enough knowledge of mainstream tourist spots (I know quite a few hidden gems, though). Anyway, this time I'll be going to the Hatchobori area. Hiroshima Hatchobori 八丁堀 Hatchobori is one of the busiest districts of Hiroshima. The name 'Hatchobori' comes from the length of the outer moat that once surrounded Hiroshima Castle. The moat was filled in during the Meiji Period, but some monuments marking the moat's outer wall and the place where it used to be still remain. I passed by one of them near the Hatchobori Station. But before go...

It was an exciting day (but also a bit nervous) for me because for the first time, I would go to get fukeiin with a non-postcard-exchanging friend! 😂 I planned this half-day trip a few days in advance, offering a few area options for my friend to choose from. In the end, we decided to go to Ujina, where neither of us had gone before. The weather was sunny, a good day to explore a new area.  About Ujina Ujina is a district and port area in Minami-ku, Hiroshima. It serves as a major passenger terminal offering regular ferry services to nearby islands in Hiroshima Bay (Etajima, Miyajima, and Ninoshima) as well as Matsuyama in Shikoku. Some international cruises also stop there. You can reach Ujina seaside by taking the Hiroden streetcar to Ujina and getting off at Kaigandori. After getting off at Kaigandori station, I used Google Maps to guide us to a cozy cafe with a sea view that I had found on Google. I knew we were definitely walking closer towards the sea, but the surrounding b...

I went to Waki Post Office on the same day I went to Asuka Post Office . It's about a 20-minute drive from Asuka Post Office, so if you have access to a car, it's a good idea to visit both, since there is no public transport connecting them. For my story on Asuka Post Office fukeiin, read here .  About Waki 和木 (Waki) is an area in Daiwa Town, Mihara. The area is well-known for Hakuryuko (lit. 'White Dragon Lake'), a lake created by the multipurpose Mukunashi Dam. The name came from a local legend about the Mukunashi River. From the Mihara City official website: "Long ago, in the clear-flowing Mukunashi River, there was a pool called 'Banne-buchi (Nirvana Pool).'  (omitted) In the midst of turbulent times, the two lovers' wishes were in vain as they were thrown into the pool. ... It is said that the black dragon transformed into a magnificent white dragon and ascended to heaven. The Daiwa area, rich in nature and human kindness, is home to heartwarming...