Western Horseman: July 1954 Cover

Postcard US-4002384 to Japan shows the July 1954 Western Horseman magazine cover. It captures that tense, explosive split-second after the chute gates open and the cowboy says "Turn 'im out!" This photo was shot by Clarence Coil, a frequent contributor to the magazine during the 1950s.

Cacti and Desert Flora of the Great Southwest

Again, May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity. Postcard US-3971360 to Japan shows various cacti and desert flora of the Great Southwest.

USPS issued the Sonoran Desert sheet in Tucson, Arizona on April 6, 1999 that contained ten 33¢ stamps. It was the first of twelve self-adhesive stamp sheets Nature of America that USPS released annually between 1999 and 2010.

Peach Aviation Unveils "SAMURAI Aircraft"

Postcard JP-789171 from Japan shows a silhouette of a Japanese Samurai under the tree.

Meanwhile, in order to offer visitors to Japan a taste of Japanese culture and tradition as soon as they are on board, Peach Aviation has developed a "SAMURAI aircraft" featuring seiza-style sitting on tatami mats and the captain dressing up as a samurai. However, the seats are limited, and the promotion is only valid for today on April 1, 2016.

Vista of Capitol through Cherry Blossoms

Outgoing postcard US-3372297 to Japan was a reproduction of vintage linen postcard Vista of Capitol through Cherry Blossoms, Washington, D. C. by D.C. Reynolds Co in the 1930s. It shows the famed cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin with the U.S. Capitol Building in the background. It has one of the USPS Gifts of Friendship stamps featuring the U.S. Capitol building surrounded by white and pink dogwood trees.

According to a USPS news release, "in a ceremony at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of 3,020 flowering cherry trees gifted to the nation’s capital from the city of Tokyo. As a show of gratitude for this generous gift, former President William Howard Taft arranged for the United States to send 50 flowering dogwood trees to Japan in 1915. This reciprocal gift featured a species of tree native to the eastern United States and Canada."

Spring Time at Bellagio

A departure from the Theme Dutch featuring a giant windmill and live butterflies in the past few years, Spring time at the Bellagio’s Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in 2015 celebrates Japanese culture with more than 82,000 flowers including tulips, daffodils and snapdragons among bonsai trees. Modeled after the Golden Temple in Kyoto, a 26-foot or 8-meter tall Japanese temple in a gold veneer with rice paper Shoji screens is the center piece of the display. Shown on the outgoing postcard US-3373301 to Japan is an 18-foot or 5.5-meter tall cherry blossom tree featuring 300 acrylic leaves and blossoms, with many oil-paper umbrellas hanging from the sky. The Spring Celebration, a collaboration with master gardener Kanji Nomura from Nagoya, Japan, runs from March 20 to May 11, 2015.

Today in history: the German zeppelin Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed instantly while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937; a jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selects Maya Ying Lin's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from 1,421 other entries on May 6, 1981.

Cherry Blossoms About to Reach Peak Bloom in D.C.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the gift of 3020 cherry trees from Tokyo, Japan to the city of Washington D.C.  First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park on March 27, 1912. This weekend, the cherry blossoms are projected to hit peak bloom while the Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade and the 55th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival will attract a large crowd.

Earlier today, USPS and Japan Post jointly issued the Gifts of Friendship Forever stamps on April 10, 2015, featuring cherry blossom trees and flowering dogwood trees, celebrating the enduring bond between U.S. and Japan on the centennial of the thank-you gift of flowering dogwood trees from the United States to Japan in 1915.

Outgoing postcard US-3263842 to Japan shows the Washington Monument with cherry blossoms in the foreground. It has one of the Gifts of Friendship stamps in the front featuring the Lincoln Memorial with vibrant cherry trees.

12 Months in Japan

Postcard JP-621600 from Japan shows each of the 12 months in a year and its associated custom and activity. I also found a web page that explains the names of months in Japan. Japanese people have a custom of sending New Year's Day postcards (年賀状) to update and greet their friends and relatives whom they could not meet with often in the past year. The Japanese Post Office (日本郵便) guarantees the delivery of the New Year's Day postcards on January 1 if they are posted before the deadline. Coincidentally, this card found its way to my mailbox on December 31, 2014.

Yakushi-ji, Nara, Japan

Postcard JP-616307 from Japan shows Yakushi-ji (薬師寺) in Nara, one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan. The temple was established in 680 C.E. (the Common Era) and was name after Yakushi Nyorai (藥師琉璃光如來), "the Medicine Buddha", who was one of first Buddhist Deities to arrive in Japan from China. Yakushi-ji is one of the eight places that are collectively recognized as the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara" World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998.

Culture Day in Japan

Culture Day (文化の日) is a national holiday celebrated annually in Japan on November 3. There are many festivities where art exhibitions, parades, and recognition ceremonies for distinguished artists and scholars are held to promote art and culture. 

Postcard JP-597442 shows an illustration of Momijidani Park (紅葉谷公園), one of the most famous maple leaves valley parks located at the foot of Mt. Misen, along Momijidani River, in Miyajima, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima. In the middle of November, fall foliage will be in full bloom in the park. 

Penguin One

Postcard US-3014308 to Japan shows one of Southwest Airlines' specialty planes, Penguin One, taking off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. It is the latest co-branded 737 jets under the partnership with SeaWorld since 1988. The current SeaWorld fleet includes Shamu Two, entering service on May 30, 1990; and Shamu Three, on September 7, 1990. The first jet Shamu One, introduced on May 23, 1988, has since retired.

However, animal rights activists have protested Southwest Airlines' relationship with SeaWorld for its treatment of the killer whales and other sea mammals in captive. Under the pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other animal rights groups, Southwest announced on July 31, 2014 that it would concluded its 26-year partnership with SeaWorld by the end of the year. Penguin One, just introduced to the fleet last year on June 20, 2013, will be painted back to the traditional Southwest color scheme along with Shamu Two and Shamu Three.

鉄道の日

"鉄道の日" is the annual Railway Festival in Japan on October 14 to commemorate the opening of Japan's first railway between Shimbashi Station (新橋駅), Tokyo and Sakuragichō Station (桜木町駅), Yokohama on October 14, 1872. In 2014, the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) issued a three-day unlimited-ride pass to celebrate the occasion.

Postcard JP-591605 from Japan shows the Super Sōya, express train service between Sapporo and Wakkanai in Hokkaido, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) which is one of the six regional operators in the JR Group for the passenger services.

It's the Journey that Counts

Postcard US-2692599 to Japan shows a 16-foot or 4.9-meter horse, centerpiece of the "Year of the Horse" art installation at The Palazzo's Waterfall Atrium and Gardens, commemorating Chinese New Year that begins on January 31, 2014. Having since concluded on February 16, 2014, there were eight hand-sculpted and hand-painted horses throughout the display. The photo was taken on January 20, 2014.

However, after I sent the card in for the first-day-of-issue postmark, it was returned to me on April 11, 2014 without cancellation. I had addressed the card to Japan with adequate international postage and asked it to be released for mailing.

I added an apology on the card for not being able to secure a first-day-of-issue postmark and re-posted it on the same day on April 11, 2014. A message came on September 1, 2014: "The postcard US-2692599 you sent to marie1112 in Japan was registered by Postcrossing. The account of the receiver was closed and for this reason the postcard was automatically registered."

I am not sure why this card did not get the first-day-of-issue postmark, and I don't know if the card reached the receiver before she closed her account. But, I tried.

50 Years since the Beatlemania in Las Vegas

Fifty years ago today, the Beatles played two concerts at the Las Vegas Convention Center on August 20, 1964. It was their first and only visit to Las Vegas.

Interestingly, in spite of the Beatles' surging fame oversea, the establishments on the Las Vegas Strip back then could care less about a band that was perceived to be popular with teenagers. So the city did not extend the red carpet welcome. However, the kids knew better than the casino bosses and their parents, recognizing something new and exciting; the shows were sold out. The rest was history. Some audience to the shows would later become prominent figures themselves. For example, Shelley Berkley was elected as a U.S. congresswoman, representing Nevada's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2013.

Now, we even have a Cirque du Soleil show Love, a theatrical production since 2006, which combines the music of the Beatles with a circus-based stage performance played at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Postcard US-2293200 to Japan shows the cover of With The Beatles, the second studio album by the Beatles released on November 22, 1963. The cover photograph was taken by the fashion photographer Robert Freeman. It held the top music chart spot for 21 weeks and served as a prelude of the British invasion that led to the Beatles' first live US television performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by 73 million viewers or 34%  of the U.S. population in February, 1964, and a 30-concert tour of 23 cities, including the stop in Las Vegas, in August, 1964.

Casey Tibbs

Postcard US-2869228 to Japan shows the June 1956 cover, one of Western Horseman's most popular ever, featuring legendary world champion saddle bronc rider Casey Tibbs of Fort Pierre, South Dakota. This shot of Tibbs, in his trademark bib shirt, was taken during the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs. The magazine sells for 35 cents per copy.

Sunset over Kinko-wan Bay and Mount Sakurajima in Japan

Postcard JP-562080 from Japan was a jumbo picture card measured at 16cm x 25cm, showing a beautiful sunset view at Kinko-wan Bay and Mount Sakurajima in Japan. Sakurajima (桜島), meaning "Cherry Island", is an active composite volcano (stratovolcano) and a former island in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption caused the former island to be connected with the Osumi Peninsula, according to Wikipedia.

The postcard came with four Japanese Furusato (hometown) stamps: two showing Mount Tanigawa in Gunma Prefecture (above); the other two showing Mount Fuji, a World Heritage Site, on the border of Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures (below).

Moon Over the East Temple in Kyoto

Postcard JP-531477 from Japan shows the East Temple (東寺)  in Kyoto, Japan. It is famous for the five-story pagoda with layered tower, dated from 796, as the tallest wooden tower in Japan at 54.8 meters. The pagoda has been a symbol of Kyoto. It is part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto" World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO.

Vintage Easter Bunny

Postcard US-2698997 to Japan shows a Victorian Easter postcard, created by golden_oldies, with some charming bunnies and Easter eggs. Easter is a festival and holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead three days after his crucifixion by Romans at Calvary. Easter occurs between March 22 and April 25. In 2014, it is celebrated on April 20.

My Neighbor Totoro

Postcard NL-2367054 from the Netherlands shows a scene from My Neighbor Totoro (龍貓), a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film that tells the story of a professor's two young daughters Satsuko and Mei, who move to the country to be near their ailing mother in postwar rural Japan. They have adventures with the friendly forest spirits. The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Film in 1988.

Austin, Texas

Postcard US-2628163 to Japan shows a fun map of Austin, the capital of Texas, designed by FunGraphix.  It is the 11th-largest city in the U.S. and the fourth-largest city in the state of Texas, and home to the University of Texas at Austin.

Austin hosts South by Southwest (SXSW), a cluster of festivals of film, interactive media, and music, and technical conferences every year in spring. It will run from March 7 to March 16 in 2014.

Shimokita Peninsula, Japan

Postcard JP-492787 came from the Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島),  located in the remote northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honshū, separated from Hokkaido from the Tsugaru Strait. Shaped like an axe pointing to the west, the peninsula has a thin "handle" in the east connecting to the mountainous "blade" to the mainland.

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The whole Shimokita area was designated as a quasi-national park (下北半島国定公園 Shimokita-hantō Kokutei Kōen) on July 22, 1968. All Quasi-National Parks in Japan are managed by the local prefectural governments. The card shows many swans, migrated from Siberia for the winter, at Ominato Bay inside Mutsu Bay.