New Member From Japan.

Hello, everyone.

I run a small export company in Sapporo, Japan.
We have contracts with several large welfare and charity organizations in Japan, and we sort used stamps collected by these organizations by age and sell them on ebay and other sites.

I joined this forum to find out what the collectors of Japanese stamps want.
I will do my best to provide useful information to collectors of Japanese stamps.#12288;If you have any questions about Japanese stamps and Japanese culture, please feel free to talk to me^^

Hi Goemon, welcome to the forum! You didn't mention what kinds of stamps you collect personally. I have a small collection of Japanese definitive sets starting from after WW2. Would like to do more but prices became insane several years ago so I (temporarily?) moved on into other philatelic areas.

I would like to ask a couple of silly questions about Japanese culture. First, I have a collection of about 35-40 Japanese puzzle boxes that I display around my home. Do Japanese people also collect these, and how popular are they?

Second, Teppanyaki grills in the USA often add potatoes to the mix of vegetables served. Is this authentic? How important are potatoes to Japanese cuisine?

Lastly, does Japan have street-level stamp shops in some of the larger cities? How do Japanese collectors typically acquire stamps, especially collectors with more advanced collections?

geomom.f.japan

Collecting for the enjoyment of collecting, whatever that might be, is the name of the game. Don't hesitate to ask questions especially if you need basic information and especially more advanced sources of information for any possible topic. You should be able to find folks on this board a little further along on their collecting journey glad to share experiences. Russ

Welcome!

Dale

Welcome to a very good stamp forum!

I collect Japanese stamps and have collected them for maybe 40 years now. But I've pretty much cut off my collections of Japan around the year 2000-2005 or so because around that time the Japanese postal ministry began issuing not only its "prefectural issues" which I kind of like (even if there are far too many of them), but also began issuing an absolute flood of cartoon, anime, and children's stamps.

They've reduced the number of stamps that depict Japanese nature, history, culture, and so on. The only culture now featured on many Japanese stamps is colorful little dolls and cartoon characters which I suppose is what Japanese mailers like. But it's tiresome and I find it not very appealing to collect those sorts of stamps over and over again. Consequently, I ended my "standing order" account with the Japanese postal service some years ago.

What I might do, though, is collect selectively. Collecting stamps that are about culture, art, history, natural scenes, and so on might allow me to continue my collection into the present even if there are far fewer of them than before.

Not sure this helps you much, but you may find a lot of collectors of Japan feel the same way and prefer not to collect endless anime and cartoon characters that make up many modern Japanese stamp issues.

Welcome to the forum, Goemon! Glad to see you here - I'm your favorite buyer from Iowa, by the way. Helpful group here, don't be afraid to ask questions.

Drew is right that a lot of "traditional" collectors are turned off by stamps featuring cartoon characters as many prefer stamps that feature more of the traditional culture of any given nation. Many collectors were initially drawn to collecting because the stamps of that country taught them something about the country's culture and history. However, there's nothing particularly Japanese about Mickey Mouse, for example. But the cartoon stamps attract a different type of buyer. It's hard to say with certainty whether Japan Post gains or loses customers (collectors of mint stamps) by issuing one type of stamp or another. One person's dislikes are another person's likes.

As Goemon can attest, Japan still issues many stamps featuring traditional Japanese culture, and most of them are well designed and beautiful. However, if one's goal is to collect all stamps from Japan rather than just certain ones, there's no doubt you'll end up with a lot of pop culture stamps, like them or not. Although Hello Kitty isn't what one would consider traditional Japanese culture, it is part of their culture today, so such stamps are appropriate in their own way. After all, stamps aren't just a window into the past of a country, they're also a window into the present culture, good or bad.

Youkoso!

I'm unlike a lot of people here in that I do enjoy the pop culture stamps, but I'm a fan of pop culture in general and Japanese pop culture in particular. I especially like it when pop culture and traditional Japanese culture meet, so I have a weakness for things like this New Year's card with the Peanuts characters in traditional costume:

I'm sorry for the late reply.
I didn't expect to get so many welcome messages for me.
My English skills are poor and my grammar and usage may be wrong. I hope you can understand my intention from the context.



Hello shermae, Nice to meet you.

I aim to collect all the stamps one at a time, giving priority to those that are newer in age.
This is like a hobby, but also a business for me and my friends.

My company employs some of my friends who are physically challenged.
They earn money by sorting and selling the kilo boxes that I buy from welfare organizations.
(The Japanese economy is also deteriorating due to the covid19 pandemic, and there are fewer ways for people with disabilities to earn an income.)
Also, the money I pay to the charity is used to provide vaccines to developing countries. This is very meaningful to me and something I am proud of.


Puzzle box?
Do you mean "YOSEGI"?
If you like, please send the image to my e-mail address.#12288;I may be able to help you with your collection.

Potatoes are also loved in Japan.
Hokkaido, where I live, is a potato producing area. My friend is also a farmer who grows potatoes and onions.
There are so many varieties.
For example, the "DANSYAKU" variety of potatoes is so soft that it melts when cooked, making it ideal for mashed potatoes and croquettes.
The "MAYQUEEN" variety does not melt when cooked. They are used in stews and curries because they have a rich sweetness.
These are just a few. There are many more varieties to choose from.
Depending on the dish we are making, we buy the best potatoes for it.
The most popular potato dish in Japan is "nikujyaga" ( meat and potatoes ).
Japanese typical food, it has meat and potatoes stewed with soy sauce.

There are few street stores that sell stamps. There are only a few left in Tokyo and other major cities.
Many stamp collectors buy stamps through Internet auctions such as Yahoo Auctions or from stamp dealers who specialize in mail order sales.




Hello hoosierboy, Nice to meet you.
Thanks for the very kind help.
This is my first time to join such a community.
I'm a little confused. Your offer has relieved my tension.
Thank you for your continued support.



Hello StatesmanStamper, Nice to meet you.
Thank you for welcoming me.



Hello DrewM, Nice to meet you.

I understand Your frustration.
This trend has been even more pronounced since the privatization of Japan Post.#12288;The reason for this is simple: stamps featuring manga and anime characters are more controversial and will probably sell more.
In fact, I sell used stamps, and the reality is that the demand for stamps featuring these characters is higher than for older stamps.

We still have a lot of old stamps in our possession.
(All featuring landscapes, temples, Japanese flowers, and traditional culture.)

I wonder where collectors of "good old stamps" like you buy stamps?
I have always wanted to do business with a collector like you.



Hello TheArtfulHinger, Nice to meet you.

I have my closest friend in Iowa. Are you that Mr.Steve?

Your observations are very accurate.
Stamps featuring popular characters such as these are far more popular than stamps with traditional designs, just as the Pokémon stamp sheets that will be released on July 7 are being heavily pre-ordered.



Hello erilaz, Nice to meet you.

You are interested in stamps and goods with pop culture motifs.
Many of my clients are just like you.
I have learned once again that there are many different types of collectors of Japanese stamps.
This is a very meaningful and valuable forum.

Greetings geomon

I, too, collect some Japanese stamps. I really like the New Year issues and have a good number of them, though the early souvenir sheets are a bit pricey so I am missing a bunch of them. But I have most singles through the 1990s ... Have not decided where to cut off the collection.

I really like the post-WWII national parks but only have a handful - again because so many are pricey.

Lately, I have started gathering early sports stamps.

Welcome to the forum!

Hello centerstage98, Nice to meet you.

I am honored to know a Japanese stamp collector like you.
Are the national park stamps you are collecting used? Or unused sheets?

Yes, Takeshi, that is me! Am happy to see you here. I don't come here all that often these days, but it's a great place to learn and to chat with other collectors. Lots of interesting info here about all aspects of collecting.

One forum here you might want to check out is the "Topical Stamp Collecting" forum where people post pictures of different stamps that feature different topics that people collect - something I've mentioned to you in our communications. There are hundreds of different topics that people collect and you'll see many stamps of Japan pictured in the various threads posted there. Some topics are very popular, such as those depicting things from popular culture, other topics only have a small number of people who collect them.

Greetings again ...
I have a sampling of National Parks singles and used. But I have not focused on them lately.