倉敷本町郵便局 (Kurashiki Honmachi Post Office) - Kurashiki, Okayama

It was the week of my wedding anniversary. My husband and I decided to go on a 2-day, 1-night trip to Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. As a fan of old towns and old buildings, Kurashiki had been on my bucket list for a long time. Of course, it was also a perfect opportunity to get some more fukeiin. I've already gotten some postcards ready to be sent, and this time I double-checked before leaving the house! (If you want to know what happened last time,  check my previous post.)

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My husband and I usually travel by car, but since it was the day after the big snowfall in the Chugoku Region, we decided it was better to ditch the car and take the regular train instead. It was a good thing, since my husband could read his favorite manga series instead of driving. From the train window, I could see the remnants of yesterday's snow here and there. On the train, I checked Google Maps for post offices with fukeiin within walking distance from the stations along the line for future reference. Surprisingly, there were many more post offices I could reach in around one hour of travel than I had previously thought. It's amazing how lowering my mind barrier about going out has led me to discover more destinations. We arrived in Kurashiki right before lunchtime after approximately a two-hour ride. 

Upon arrival, we went to the tourist information center to ask a few questions and pick up some postcards before heading to the 倉敷美観地区 (Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter). The area was once the political and commercial center of Kurashiki and is now preserved as a historical district. Many of the traditional 蔵 (storehouse) buildings in the area have been converted into museums, shops, and cafes. The urge to explore the area immediately was overwhelming. But first, lunch.

My husband and I are the kind of travelers who have a rough plan of where to go and what to see, but still leave plenty of room for adjustment and, of course, serendipity. We saw a sign that said "lunch limited to 50 people" and decided to line up. If this many people line up and it's not a newly opened place, surely it can't be bad. 

The place, called 常右衛門食堂 (Tsuneemon Shokudo), is a bit hidden from the main street, and you'll have to go through a small path to get there. Apparently, it's famous for its カニクリームコロッケ (crab creamy croquette). After waiting for around half an hour, we finally got our turn. Feeling hungry, I ordered crab croquette with chicken nanban, while my husband had crab croquette with omurice. Both were super delicious! And their serving was so generous that I could not finish all the side dishes. My mouth got watery as I typed. No wonder people lined up for this.

After lunch, we headed to 倉敷館 Kurashikikan Hall, the iconic landmark of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area. Situated along the Kurashiki River, Kurashikikan is a western-style wooden building built in 1917. Previously the Kurashiki Town Hall, it now serves as both a tourist information center and a free rest area. Right outside the hall, there was a first-generation Japan Post mailbox. It's still in use, and you can post your postcards and letters from there. However, I didn't since I needed to go to the post office counter to get fukeiin.

Kurashiki Honmachi Post Office is situated along the main street of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area, surrounded by old white-walled storehouse buildings. The post office building itself is pretty bland, though, lol. I wish they could've blended in with the surroundings a bit more, like those convenience stores and Starbucks in historical areas in Japan. As usual, I took the obligatory picture in front of the mailbox as proof of sending and went inside. 

At the post office, I got myself a Kurashiki stamp frame series titled 「日本遺産フェスティバルin倉敷」 (Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki). I thought of making some maxi cards with the stamps, but unfortunately, none of the stamps and fukeiin match (why oh why). Sadly, they also ran out of the Gotochi postcards. I requested fukeiin for these four postcards to Indonesia, Finland, Austria, and China, and also sent a blank postcard with fukeiin to myself. 

Our Kurashiki travel continued, and I went to a couple more post offices, but that's a story for another time.

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A few days later, my postcard with the fukeiin arrived. The scenery is somewhat similar to the one in the picture I took outside the post office. The row of white-walled kura buildings will forever remind me of my trip to Kurashiki.

From the Japan Post official website: "Image of the oldest warehouses in Kurashiki." 
The fukeiin was launched on March 1st, 1977.

Eh, I wish the official description had said more, but this fukeiin was released in 1977, so I guess they didn't bother writing a more detailed description back then. Bummer.

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

Cheers,

Mulic