[News] Site Updates, Files, Questions, and More

Hi everyone! Thanks for your patience through this past year of no updates… I probably should have guessed that having a baby would be time consuming, but I never thought I wouldn’t even be able to get one new post up! Thankfully, things are finally calming down, she’s sleeping better, and I feel motivated to start posting again. So I’m hoping by next month to make a few posts here and there, then starting the beginning of next year revamping the website and posting more regularly again.

So here’s what’s going on right now:

• I switched every single (I think…) picture on this blog over to imageshack. If you notice a post with either a broken link, or still linking back to photobucket, please shoot me a comment so I can fix it!

• Today I’ll be updating the complete list of cards, so the new 2017 cards should be added to “The Collection” by tonight or tomorrow.

• Updating posts with new information and linking written posts will also happen within the next few days.

Next, while the 2017 sets are still being sold, the official File for 2017 hasn’t come out yet. The website just says they should be sold from “this fall”, so I’m checking and I’ll update with a new post when the binders are back on sale again.

Finally, a question. I’ve got a ton of duplicate cards, and a pretty good network that allows me to get new cards regularly as well. Would anyone be interested in either a Gotochi Shopping Service, or just a regular old store website where I sell gotochi? I know buying them is not as fun as trading for them, but for those overseas looking to complete their collection, it might be a good option to find cards. If you’d be interested in that, I’d love to see some comments telling me what you’d like to see, and about how much you’d be willing to pay for them. I feel this way I can help others get gotochi, not just tell all about them 🙂

Thanks for sticking with me guys!

[News] 2017 Cards Announced!

Great news! Today the 2017 cards were announced! They will be sold from August 17th here in Japan, and there are 2 important changes to note this year:

Point 1: The area the cards are sold has been expanded, so each prefecture is assigned to a smaller region, and within that region you can get all the cards of that region no matter what prefecture you’re in. For example, the Tohoku Region includes Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, and Fukushima, and at all large post offices in that area, you can find ALL 6 prefectures’ cards!

Point 2: For a limited time (about a month), mini cards will be sold in a pack with their big cards, so instead of having to buy 5 cards to get 1 mini, you can just buy 1 card to get the mini!

I’m still slogging through changing all the photos, so I wont update the list right away. Please check the official website for a preview of all the new cards: click here!

[News] Photo Hosting Issues

Hi all! I’m sorry there’s been no updates on my end for a long time. I was actually planning to get back into the swing of things when…. Photobucket, the site I PAY to use to host all the photos on here (and my other blogs) has pulled the rug out from under their customers feet and banned third party hosting (so the images you see on this blog for instance) unless you pay a ridiculous amount for the privilege of using their website. I’m not willing to pay $400 a year just to do that when there are plenty of alternates, so I will be moving all the images (one by one by one) to a new hosting website, and going through every single post to update.

According to the official Postacollect website we will get some news about the Gotochi cards in mid-August. My goal is to have the site fully transferred over by then in case they announce the new 2017 cards. Meanwhile, please expect some trouble with the pictures until then. And if you notice anything besides not seeing the pictures (like I uploaded the wrong picture to a post, broken links etc.) please feel free to let me know!

Thanks for sticking with me. Let’s look forward to collecting together!

[Site News] Updates

… or lack thereof.

Sorry everyone, I’ve currently got a 6-week old who is taking up 110% of my time and attention, and I just don’t have a chance to write or post right now. I’m hoping this will slowly change, and I want to assure everyone I haven’t forgotten about this blog, nor am I abandoning it! It’s just usually between “do I write a blog post, or do I do laundry, or do I take a nap?” and the laundry usually wins, with the nap coming in second.

So tl;dr, I wont be updating for awhile, but hope to get back into it as I get more time back. Please be patient!

Tochigi #5: Mashiko Pottery (益子焼)

My sincerest apologies for the long wait for a new post. I’m afraid that I wont be much better at updating from here on out, but I shall try not to let too much longer go between posts!

Tochigi’s 5th postcard depicts the kilns of Mashiko, a small town famous for its pottery. I’ve never been, but recently Japan Guide published a piece on Mashiko in their Chotto Zeitaku series, which I thought would be fun to share with you. Since the article does a fabulous job of explaining the pottery and the town itself, I will let it speak for itself. Without further ado, please click here for more on Mashiko and the pottery experience!

Tochigi #8: Kegon Falls (華厳ノ滝)

Nikko is one of Tochigi Prefectures most famous locations for good reason… the splendid shrines and temples, the cooler temperatures even in summer, and gorgeous fall colors make it a popular place for both Japanese and foreign tourists to visit. I’ve already done a post on the Irohazaka, or the colorful winding road that leads from the shrines and temples of Nikko up to Oku-Nikko, home of nature and Kegon no Taki, the Kegon Waterfall.

Along with Fukuroda Waterfall in Ibaraki Prefecture (also a postcard), and Nachi Falls in Wakayama Prefecture, Kegon Waterfall is considered one of the three most beautiful waterfalls of Japan. Its almost 100 meter falls can be seen from a free viewing platform or a paid viewing platform, and in all seasons. In winter, the waterfall often freezes solid!

I visited Kegon no Taki many years ago during the cherry blossom season. Unfortunately, spring is actually probably the most unattractive season in the area, as the snow has already melted, but the trees haven’t turned green yet. At that elevation, there weren’t any cherry trees, so everything just looked bare and brown. But you could see the waterfall really clearly! I’d love to go back one year for fall colors, but since everyone else in Japan tends to have that same plan, it can be the most crowded season then as well. Maybe summer, like it is pictured in the postcard, is best!

Kegon no Taki

Hokkaido #8: Odori Park (大通公園)

Odori Park is a large strip of green park in Sapporo, Hokkaido which separates the city and provides a nice, relaxing area in the city center. In the winter, the Sapporo snow festival takes place in this park, while in other seasons various flowers bloom and other events are held. At the head of the park stands the Sapporo TV Tower, which has an observation deck for good views over Sapporo.

When I visited, I was more interested in seeing the Clock Tower and the old red-brick Prefectural Building that I didn’t spend much time here. Also, they were setting up for some kind of event while I was there, so I just took the one picture of the clock tower and moved on! Sapporo is on my “must visit again” list, so one year maybe I’ll get the chance to retake this picture with the 2016 postcard!

My one Odori Park picture

Miyazaki #8: Aoshima Shrine (青島神社)

Tomorrow the new postcards are released into post offices across Japan, so to kick off that exciting event, here’s some information about Miyazaki’s newest postcard, featuring the amazing Aoshima Shrine. The shrine is located on the tiny sand- and tree-covered island of Aoshima, and is surrounded by a unique geological feature called the “Devil’s Washboard” which can be seen at low-tide. It’s definitely worth a trip!

Heading out to the island, the bridge is relatively new. These days, anyone can visit at anytime, but 100 years ago or so, the island was considered sacred, so normal people could only visit 2 weeks out of the year!

Around the back in the middle of a small grove of trees is the main shrine area.

Through a small path through the trees lined with ema…

You reach the tiny shrine in the true middle of the island. It’s so peaceful!

At low tide, you can see the interesting devil’s washboard rocks. They really look man-made up close, but they are a completely natural phenomenon!

Cool, huh?

The postcard shot… well, close enough!

During the We Love Japan Tour 2015, my southern blogger partner Emma visited this shrine, so I recommend checking out her blog post to read all about it, and its connections to the very first Emperor of Japan, Jimmu.

Don’t forget to pick up your new Miyazaki card tomorrow, and stay tuned for more posts about the new cards!

[News] 2016 Postcards Released!

Hi everyone, great news!

Today, the 8th set of Postacollect Gotochi postcards has been released on the Postacollect website! I had almost given up hope… can you tell by how long its been since I updated? Read the press release on the official website here (to switch languages, please see the upper right corner of the website). Postcards go on sale starting July 16th at post offices across the country.

Also, new postcard collection binder will be released for sale on the official website starting from July 19th at 7:00PM Japan Standard Time in pink and grey as usual, so if you also collect the binders, don’t forget that date! Here is the information for those.

Finally, another piece of exciting news… the retired postcards are coming back into production due to customer request! Isn’t that exciting? Well, I spent a lot of money on the retired cards but… oh well. This is great for those who haven’t yet finished collecting them all! You can check which cards were retired here, and they will all be re-released along with the new set.

Let’s enjoy collecting postcards, and stay tuned for new posts coming soon!

Nagano #5: Oyaki (おやき)

Sometimes I go through my old pictures and realize I have postcard pictures I haven’t ever gotten around to posting. You’d think I would be on top of this stuff!

Here’s Nagano’s fifth postcard, representing oyaki, a popular regional dumpling made from a buckwheat (soba) dough and stuffed with various vegetable or other fillings, then fried. A friend went to Nagano and brought us back some different flavors of oyaki, so while I’ve never actually had oyaki IN Nagano, I got the chance to try it and took some pictures.

Two flavors of oyaki

They are best hot, so we friend them really quickly

Hey not bad!

I’m sure they are even more tasty when you get them fresh with tea in Nagano, but they make a great snack regardless!