Piney

I was born in the USA but have lived near Mt. Fuji, in Japan's green tea countryside, for nearly 40 years. A few years back, I rediscovered how much I enjoyed collecting postcards when I found my old childhood postcard albums sitting in a closet. Those old albums, chronicling long ago road trips with their vintage postcards, filled me with nostalgia and reawakened my interest in my old hobby. But, I was just in time to discover that postcards are becoming a thing of the past and many places no longer sell them.

There are no shops selling postcards in my town. The limited and ever changing selection of postcards available, even in the nearby cities, can be very frustrating. Frequently, I see postcards here in Japan of the Eiffel Tower or blond haired people on a random city street in Europe! Why?! I don't want to send those to a Postcrosser to represent Japan! But, on the other hand, it's very difficult to find postcards that represent the lifestyle, people, and cities in modern Japan. Regardless, my new hobby seems to be searching out interesting postcards wherever I go. I try to match the wishes that I see on the profiles here to the best of my ability. Also, I try to mail with nice stamps. When I do find postcards that I like, then I usually buy 2 -- one to send and one to keep for myself. But, sometimes I buy based on common requests I see here on Postcrossing. I had never seen nor heard of Gotochi postcards until I joined Postcrossing as my small post office doesn't sell them! I can’t find Japanese anime character postcards anyplace that I look either.

Of course, you have total freedom to decide what to send to me. I'm thankful that you are taking the time to select, write, and mail your postcard to a complete stranger. I love seeing the beautiful stamps on the postcards in my mailbox too. There are so many wonderful postcards so it is really hard to say exactly what kind I like best. I’m always seeing more examples of things that I love or learning new things because of the postcards. I don't like multi-view very much due to the difficulty of seeing the small images and I don't usually like black & white either. But, don't let that stop you from sending that type as whatever you send is your choice.

My preferences in no special order:

Nostalgic – Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco
Humanized animals
Rabbits
Cats
Sheep
Squirrels
Bears
Wildlife
Quirky, dark humor, exaggeration
Seasonal
Holidays -- Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc.
Festivals
Traditional dress
Modern fashions or trends
Your cultural heritage
Angels
Fairies
Dolls
Botanical print
Flowers
Scenic
Countryside
UNESCO
Nature
National Parks
Forests
Mountains
Camping
Hiking
Stupid or funny tourists
USA State maps-type

My dream is that one day future generations will open my postcard albums and love your postcard as much as I do!