JAPAN - HAPPY NEW YEAR

2014 - Year of the Horse

The horse is the seventh symbol in the Japanese Zodiac. In the past, horses and people lived and worked side by side, and their mighty bodies and their power made them the symbol of “life”. This sign represents “liveliness” and “openness”. Horses are cheerful, sociable, and decisive. They are also versatile and excel in many fields, but tend to get bored easily and leave things unfinished. They exhibit a vain streak and are big spenders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Received from: cixo, naomi703, Megumaru

 

 

Beautiful Japanese stamps.
 

JAPAN - LIGHTHOUSES

Ashizuri Lighthouse

 

Cape Ashizuri is the southernmost point of the island of Shikoku, Japan. The cape is a part of the Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park and the cliffs here featuring a sparkling white lighthouse are a popular sightseeing point. The small town of Ashizuri lies just north of the cape, at the intersection of two highways. The cape is only a few kilometers away and easily reached on foot along a seaside walking path.  The Ashizuri lighthouse was built in 1914.

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: CraftyTokyoMama

JAPAN - KEIKO SENA

Keiko Sena was born in Tokyo in 1932. Her apprenticeship in creating children's picture books with Takeo Takei,an early pioneer of Japanese children's literature. She has written over 35 books and her most popular series is the I Don't Want. Miss Sena lives in Zushi in Kanagawa, Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: sktour

JAPAN - CASTLES, TEMPLES

Kiyomizu-dera temple

Kiyomizu-dera is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. The temple was founded in 798, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633, during a ordered by the Tokugawa Iemitsu. There is not a single nail used in the entire structure. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps. 

Received from: Hiroshi

Iga Ueno Castle

Iga Ueno Castle, also known as Ueno Castle and Hakuho Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Construction on Iga Ueno Castle began in 1585 by the command of Takigawa Katsutoshi. In 1935, the tenshu of Iga Ueno Castle was re-constructed out of wood. It houses a museum which holds a collection of artifacts relating to the area's history. Most other parts of the castle lie in ruins, though the towering honmaru walls still stand.

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: graodecafe

Nagoya castle

Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, central Japan. During the Edo period, Nagoya Castle was the center of one of the most important castle towns in Japan—Nagoya-juku— and it included the most important stops along the Minoji, which linked the Tōkaidō with the Nakasendō. The castle complex is made up of several enceintes, which are divided by the outer moat (Soto-bori) and inner moat (Uchi-bori). Each enceinte is protected by walls with turrets strategically located at each corner. Access from one enceinte to the next was controlled by guarded gates that were accessible by bridges. The castle is a good example of the type built on flat lands.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Megumaru

Toshodaiji Temple

Tōshōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Ritsu sect in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Classic Golden Hall, also known as the kondō, has a single story, hipped tiled roof with a seven bay wide facade. It is considered the archetype of "classical style." It was founded by a Chinese Buddhist monk named Jianzhen during the Nara period in the year 759. Tōshōdai-ji is one of the places in Nara that UNESCO has designated as World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara".

 

 

 

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Nozomi

Katsura Rikyu

The Katsura Imperial Villa, or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan. Its gardens are a masterpiece of Japanese gardening, and the buildings are even more important, one of the greatest achievements of Japanese architecture. The palace includes a shoin ("drawing room"), tea houses, and a strolling garden. It provides an invaluable window into the villas of princes of the Edo period.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps and postmark.

Received from: Chieusa

JAPAN - TOMIHIRO HOSHINO

Tomihiro Hoshino

Tomihiro Hoshino was a 24-year-old gymnastics teacher when he injured his neck demonstrating a double somersault to his junior high school students. Since then he has been completely paralyzed from the neck down. In a split second, he went from an active life, enjoying gymnastics and mountain climbing, to lying motionless in Gunma Orthopedic Hospital, where he remained for the next nine years. The next big turning point in Hoshino' life came in 1972, two years after his accident. One of Hoshino's fellow patients was being transferred to a different hospital and asked all the people in the ward to sign his canvas beach hat as a momento. Paralyzed, Tomihiro was at a complete loss how to sign the hat, until, with the help of his mother, he managed to hold a pen in his mouth and painstakingly write "Tomo." Hoshino began to write poems and paint flowers, gradually developing his unusual technique. He continued to paint until he had amassed enough work to hold a show. His first exhibition opened in his hometown of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, four months before he was finally able to leave the hospital. He has produced hundreds of works, many of which have been published in illustrated books of poems and essays.

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Cockie

JAPANESE MANGA

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. The series follows the adventures of the protagonist Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which can summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls for their own desires.

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: carmenchen

JAPAN - CITYVIEWS

Tokyo

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world.  The project was completed on 29 February 2012, with the tower opening to the public on 22 May 2012. There are observatories at 350 m (1,150 ft), with a capacity of up to 2000 people, and 450 m (1,480 ft), with a capacity of 900 people. The upper observatory features a spiral, glass-covered skywalk in which visitors ascend the last 5 meters to the highest point at the upper platform. A section of glass flooring gives visitors a direct downward view of the streets below.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: ricola

Kyoto

Kyoto is a city in the central part of the island of Honshu. Kyoto is considered a beautiful city, from lakeside Biwako in the north-east, to the confluence at National Rt. 81. With temples, parks, bustling business districts, markets, from regal estates to the tightly-packed neighborhoods, Kyoto is one of the oldest and most famous Asian metropolises. In this picture you can see the city view from Hiei Mountain. 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Kapisane

BIG WILD ANIMALS

Europian bison

The European bison, also known as wisent or the European wood bison, is a Eurasian species of bison. It is the heaviest surviving wild land animal in Europe. European bison were hunted to extinction in the wild, with the last wild animals being shot in the Białowieża Forest in Eastern Poland in 1919 and in the Western Caucasus in 1927, but have since been reintroduced from captivity into several countries in Europe, all descendants of the Białowieża or lowland European bison. They are now forest-dwelling.

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: obernikhin

Deer

Deer are widely distributed, with indigenous representatives in all continents except Antarctica and Australia, though Africa has only one native species, the Red Deer, confined to the Atlas Mountains in the northwest of the continent. However, Fallow Deer have been introduced to South Africa. Deer live in a variety of biomes ranging from tundra to the tropical rainforest. While often associated with forests, many deer are ecotone species that live in transitional areas between forests and thickets (for cover) and prairie and savanna (open space). The majority of large deer species inhabit temperate mixed deciduous forest, mountain mixed coniferous forest, tropical seasonal/dry forest, and savanna habitats around the world.

 

A beautiful stamp. 

Received from: shica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Kaate

Alpine Ibex

The Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. In its habitat region, the species is known as bouquetin (French), Steinbock (German), stambecco (Italian), and kozorog (Slovenian). Being an excellent climber, its habitat is the rocky region along the snowline above alpine forests, where it occupies steep, rough terrain at elevations of 1,800 to 3,300 metres (5,900 to 10,800 ft). Alpine ibexes are strictly herbivorous, with over half of their diet consisting of grasses, and the remainder being a mixture of moss, flowers, leaves, and twigs.

The need to drink every few days in the summer causes the animals to seek permanent residence close to a dependable water source during this season. Alpine ibexes will hide in the rocks of the steep cliffs when pursued by predators. The climbing ability of the Alpine ibex is such that it has been observed standing on the sheer face of a dam, where it licks the stonework to obtain mineral salts.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: Lionheart2010

Another postcards with beautiful stamps.

Received from: tinkara

JAPAN - NATURE

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan located on Honshu Island at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Yuki55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: kazu3

Mt Kengamine in the evening glow

Kengamine is tallest point in Mount Norikura which is a potentially active volcano located on the borders of Gifu and Nagano prefectures in Japan. It is part of the Hida Mountains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Kapisane

Sprigs of verbena

Thrust in my cap - such will be my fancy attire. It was written by Japanese poet, Basho Matsuo, in the book of "Oku no Hosomichi", which means that "the Narrow Road to the Deep North and the Narrow Road to the Interior"
Thanks Cockie for translation of the Japanese text.

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: sayo

Island south of the Ohsumi Peninsula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: nikka-nikka

FLOWERS AND BERRIES

Tulips

Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can grow as short as 4 inches (10 cm) or as high as 28 inches (71 cm). The tulip's large flowers usually bloom on scapes or subscapose stems that lack bracts. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear multiple flowers on their scapes. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue. Although tulips are often associated with the Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the flower began in the Ottoman Empire.

A nice stamp.

Received from: rispa

 

Lily

Lilies form an important group of flowering garden plants and are important in culture and literature in much of the world. A few species are sometimes grown or harvested for the edible bulbs. The species in genus Lilium are true lilies. Many other plants have "lily" in their common names, some of which are quite unrelated to true lilies. Lilies are leafy stemmed herbs. They form naked or tunic-less scaly underground bulbs which are their overwintering organs. Mostspecies are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though their range extends into the northern subtropics.

A nice stamp.

Received from: pooh12411

Comparing with each other's height

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: mii00017

The Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada, located near Victoria on Vancouver Island. The gardens receive more than a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to their international renown. Each year over 50,000 additional bulbs are imported from Holland to add to the spectacular spring display. All 50 acres of gardens are open year-round, and night illuminated early May through September.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: linny4570

Poppy

A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime. Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet colour signifies a promise of resurrection after death. Ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to relieve pain. Modern science tells us why this worked: poppy seeds contain both morphine and codeine, excellent pain-relieving drugs that are still used today. The girl's given name Poppy is taken from the flower.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Ponamka

 

 

Cloudberries

The ripe fruits are golden-yellow, soft and juicy, and are rich in vitamin C. When eaten fresh, cloudberries have a distinctive tart taste. When over-ripe, they have a creamy texture somewhat like yogurt and a sweetened flavour. They are often made into jams, juices, tarts, and liqueurs. In Finland, the berries are eaten with "leipäjuusto" (a local cheese; the name translates to "bread-cheese"), and lots of cream and sugar. In Sweden, cloudberries or cloudberry jam, are used as topping for ice cream, pancakes and waffles. In Norway, they are often mixed with whipped cream and sugar to be served as a dessert called "multekrem" (Cloudberry cream), as a jam or even as an ingredient on home made ice cream. They may also be added to cakes that often contain marzipan.

In Canada, cloudberries are used to flavour a special beer. Canadians also use them for jam, but not on the same scale as Scandinavians. In Alaska, the berries are mixed with seal oil, reindeer or caribou fat (which is diced up and made fluffy with the seal oil) and sugar to make "Eskimo Ice Cream" or Agutak. The recipes vary by region. Along the Yukon and Kuskokwim river areas, white fish (pike, whitefish) along with shortening and sugar is used. Due to its high vitamin C content, the berry is valued both by Nordic seafarers and by the Inuit as protection against scurvy. Its benzoic acid content acts as a natural preservative. Tea made from cloudberry leaves was used in ancient Scandinavian herbal medicine to cure urinary tract infections.

A nice stamp.

Received from: onneli78

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1000 species of woody plants in the heath family. Most species have showy flowers. Rhododendron is a genus characterized by shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees. They may be either evergreen or deciduous. In some species, the undersides of the leaves are covered with scales (lepidote) or hairs (indumentum). Some of the best known species are noted for their many clusters of large flowers. There are alpine species with small flowers and small leaves, and tropical species such as section Vireya that often grow as epiphytes. Species in this genus may be part of the heath complex in oak-heath forests in eastern North America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: smoggyfrog