no time, no time!!

so many stamps calling out for my attention, but no time to give them the attention they deserve. Why didn't I spend more time with my collection when I was much younger, and had so much more time?

This picture is from a couple months back. I was sorting out duplicates, searching for things to send out to people in trade. If you know anyone who might like to trade used postage stamps with me, help us get in touch!

日本語 hints:
duplicates = extra copies

old French stamps

Just a short post today -

Here is a selection of old French stamps I received in trade for a set of (mostly) Japanese stamps. Of course the bright colors and interesting designs of modern stamps are interesting, but sometimes I prefer the simple - perhaps elegant? - designs of older stamps.

日本語 hints:

elegant - most people know this word, but be careful about pronunciation: elegant vs. arrogant. "Elegant" = 上品、優雅、and so on -- very positive. But "arrogant" has very negative connotations: 横柄、無礼 and so on. So be careful when saying something like "The French are elegant"!!

fami-resu

My family enjoyed the three-day holiday or long weekend very much.

One day we walked to a nearby "family restaurant" in the snow, which was quite nice. It may have been a little selfish, but I worked on stamps while there. On a prior visit, my daughter and I worked on our collections separately, but this time only I was doing the stamps. And though I should have talked with my daughter more, I have to admit that I made some big steps, bringing a small measure of order into my massive pile of Japanese postage stamps waiting to be put in albums.

日本語の hints:

ファミレス...I have no idea how to translate this. Short for family restaurant, of course (no one says "fami-resu" outside of Japan). But I have never used the phrase "family restaurant" in my life. We just give the name of a big chain, like "Denny's" or "iHOP" or "Perkins".

連休 Notice this can be "long weekend" or "3-day holiday", but the "day" is singular. We cannot say "3-days holiday", even though it seems natural since it is plural.

Too Many Stamps????

Maybe Japan issues more stamps than any other country. That is fine for me for now, because I am still in the stage of simply collecting everything, no specialization yet.

But the sheer number of stamps can be overwhelming. Especially the 記念 or anniversary stamps – they really seem endless. And sometimes the events they commemorate seem a bit…trivial.

Here are two of my favorites. The 9th Annual Congress on Edible Mushrooms??? The Kagoshima Int’l Conference on Volcanoes is a bit more understandable. But still, you have to wonder who makes the decision: Hey, let’s make a stamp for the 9th Annual Congress on Edible Mushrooms???

This is not a complaint – I love living in a country so full of stamps. But it is hard keeping up with the endless releases of new stamps.

日本語 hints
overwhelming = 圧倒的, too much
commemorate = 記念する
trivial = small and unimportant, maybe ささいな or ありふれた??
edible = can eat it, 毒性がなくて、食べられる
complaint = 不満、愚痴