We all now know that trainspotting is a legitimate and acceptable hobby in Japan where, on any given day, it’s not unlikely to see the hobbyists in the wild, snapping pictures of incoming trains. The railway fans or, more pejoratively, densha otaku, exist in a variety of sub-genres that range from “toritetsu” (obsessed with taking pictures) and “ototetsu” (obsessed with recording sounds) to “ekibentetsu” (obsessed with station box lunches). But now there’s another way to show your love: through the near-extinct method of snail mail.
Yuruliku Design, who are known for making stationary sexy again, have designed a set of train postcards (368 yen) using 4 of the major train lines in Tokyo. The illustrations are adorable and I love how they’re actually shaped like trains, rather than your typical 3” x 5”. And for those who find nostalgia in the pre-redesigned trains, the flipside of each postcard reveals the old design.
This post is part of week-long series on trains in Japan. The complete series can be found here.
