西高屋駅前郵便局 (Nishi Takaya Ekimae Post Office) Fukeiin - Higashihiroshima-shi, Hiroshima

Dozens of fukeiin are launched and canceled annually, so as a fukeiin collector, I regularly check the Japan Post official website for new ones. First-day fukeiin is something I've always wanted, and fortunately, one of the fukeiins launched on this day was from a post office easy to reach: Nishi Takaya Ekimae.

Cafe Most

I've passed Nishi-Takaya Station a few times before, but it was my first time alighting. The station building was renovated recently, so everything felt new. I hadn't had lunch yet, so I was looking for a place where I could have lunch and a cup of coffee. A quick Google search pointed me towards a place called Cafe Most.

Cafe Most is located on a small street behind the main road. If you're going there on foot from the Nishi Takaya Station, the map might show you a questionable route, but you'll get there, lol. The cafe building is a renovated old house. I like the vibes already.

Entering the cafe, the owner informed me that lunch service was already over (I was too late, T_T), but I could still enjoy the cafe. I ordered their dessert of the day and iced café au lait, and both were yummy. I was still bummed that I couldn't have their lunch set. Maybe next time. This time I'd fill my stomach with some onigiri from a nearby supermarket, lol.

Nishi Takaya Ekimae Post Office

Despite the name, the Nishi Takaya Ekimae post office was NOT located right in front of the station. You'll still need to walk another 250 meters (about 4 minutes) west. Compared to other post offices I've visited, the building looked kind of cute. I saw some people at the post office, and I thought they were there to get the first-day fukeiin like me, but it turned out they were from a skincare company offering anti-aging stuff, lol. 

On this day, I planned to send four postcards from this post office: one to Japan, one to Indonesia, one to Portugal, and one to Germany. As usual, I took an obligatory picture at the postbox before going inside. I bought a plain postcard to write my own address on and requested the officer to put fukeiin on all the postcards and post them. them. 

Attakaya

Back at Nishi Takaya Station, I found a public facility not usually available at train stations: a reading and study room. It's called 東広島市高屋情報ラウンジあったかや (Higashihiroshima City Takaya Information Lounge "Attakaya"), and it's free to enter. Inside, there were shelves of books, desks, and chairs for reading and studying. It was the spring school holiday, but many students came to the lounge to study. I checked the shelves and grabbed a coffee table book to enjoy. All the seats with tables were taken, but the armchair I sat on was comfy too. 

After finishing the book, I pulled out my Kindle and read some manga. I spent more than an hour at the lounge before finally heading home.

Nishi Takaya Ekimae Post Office Fukeiin

A few days later, my postcard with the fukeiin arrived. It has the image of a torii gate, some birds, and the text "Shiratori Jinja." 

From the Japan Post official site: The fukeiin depicts a torii gate and swans of Shiratori Jinja, where a legend involving white birds remains. The fukeiin was launched on March 23rd, 2026.

I checked Shiratori Jinja on Google to see if it was near the station, but it turns out it's on a hill a few km away, so I didn't go there. 

According to the legend, when Yamato Takeru died in Ise Province, a white bird flew out of the coffin containing his remains. The bird flew over the provinces of Yamato, Kawachi, and Sanuki before finally disappearing on the mountains of Takaya in Aki Province (present-day Hiroshima). Yamato Takeru is the deity worshipped at Shiratori Jinja. The shrine was built atop a late 4th-century kofun. The kofun had been excavated, and you can see some of the artifacts found there at the Kofun Corner at the Higashihiroshima City Library. 

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

Cheers,

Mulic