安宿郵便局 (Asuka Post Office) Fukeiin - Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima


On this day, my husband had a PTO, which means he could drive me to post offices that were otherwise difficult to reach by public transport. Yay! After assessing different routes and options, I decided we would go to the mountains and visit 2 post offices today: Asuka Post Office and Waki Post Office. Collecting fukeiin is a perfect opportunity to visit places I normally wouldn't. I made sure I brought all 8 postcards (4 for each post office) I planned to send that day before leaving the house. 


About Asuka 

安宿 (Asuka) is an area in Toyosaka, the northernmost municipality in Higashihiroshima. The place intrigued me because it has an unusual kanji reading (normally you'd read the kanji as "yasujuku"). Obviously, I had never been there before. As we went further into the mountains, there were fewer and fewer houses. Apart from the primary school and community center across the road, the post office was surrounded by fields and mountains.

Asuka Post Office


If you want, you can reach the post office by taking the bus from Saijo Station. There are only 3 buses each way each day, and the nearest bus stop is around a 40-minute walk away, though, so I don't really recommend it.
Since the wind was chilly outside and I wasn't wearing a warmer jacket, I took a picture at the mailbox and quickly went inside.

The post office lady greeted me warmly. Upon learning that I had come there for the fukeiin, she became visibly excited. She told me that the post office sometimes received fukeiin requests by mail (they do have cute fukeiin!), but very few people actually came to the post office themselves. I told her that I always tried to request the fukeiin directly from post offices. As I was writing the address for my own postcard and the package I was sending to a friend, the post office lady approached me. She gave me two aluminum badges featuring the local mascot character あすかっぱ (Asukappa). She told me she appreciated my coming all the way there for fukeiin. One badge was for me, and she told me to give the other to my friend, to whom I'm sending the package. I said my thanks, put the other badge inside the envelope for my friend, and put mine on my bag. Moments like this made me grateful that I started this fukeiin journey. I then posted the postcards I had prepared, my own postcard, and the package for my friend.

After leaving the post office, I realized that the postcards I took pictures of before entering were NOT the ones I actually posted. Argh! I had to remind myself that mistakes like this do happen, and what's more important is that the recipients get their postcard safely with the fukeiin. 


Kappa in Asuka

On the way to the next post office, I saw a peculiar kappa statue on the roadside and asked my husband to stop the car for a minute. There was a sign that said どんどん淵 (Dondonfuchi/Dondon Gorge) beside the kappa statue.

According to the Higashihiroshima Tourism official website, "Dondon-buchi, a gorge on the Mukunashi River, is named after the castle lord who took his own life long ago when under attack from a large enemy army. It is said that the place came to be called Dondon-buchi Gorge because a drum dropped from the castle into the depths of the valley, struck by the waterfall, and echoed all around, making a "dondon" sound. Perhaps out of respect for the castle lord, rumors began to circulate that kappa (monkeys) appear here, and the area is also said to be the home of the kappa legend. Nearby, you'll find a kappa statue and the Asuka Kappa Shrine, which continue to tell the story of this ancient legend. Why not take a stroll around the area and let your thoughts wander back to ancient times?"

Oh, wow. I didn't know that the local kappa legend was kinda dark. Asukappa is cute, though. On to the next post office: Waki post office!


Asuka Post Office Fukeiin

A few days later, my postcard with the fukeiin arrived. It's so cute! It depicts Asukappa with hydrangeas. Looking at the fukeiin I've collected so far, the ones launched in recent years are more likely to have irregular shapes and cuter designs. 

From the Japan Post Office official website: "Asuka Post Office took the lead in accepting entries (for its fukeiin) from the public for fukeiin design." This winning design features Asuka's local mascot character, Asukappa, Asuka's famous scenic spot, Dondonbuchi, and hydrangeas." The fukeiin was launched on September 6th, 2021.

Apparently, Dondonbuchi is located near the Kappa statue. Too bad it was too cold and windy that day. I would like to explore more of the area one day.

I'll see you all on my next fukeiin adventure!


Cheers,

Mulic



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