Postcard: Echigo Yuzawa in Niigata, Japan

Although I'm not intentionally collecting them like I am with small paintings, I have a couple of postcards from my travels. This particular one was purchased at Echigo Yuzawa in Japan's Niigata prefecture, around 3 hours from Tokyo by bullet train. Towards the end of the calendar year and the beginning of the new year, the place turns into a winter wonderland. It's a pretty picturesque little town at the bottom of snowy mountains where the locals come for a quick ski getaway.

Before selfies, mobile phones and even film-operated cameras were invented, I'm pretty sure people bought postcards as a remembrance of their trip for themselves and their loved ones. They're inexpensive and unique to each destination visited. Hopefully to this day, people can appreciate their charm.