Imaginary Bookstore 42: Starting the 'Overseas Letter Information Center'

*This is an imaginary project by a bookstore clerk.
*The noter mentioned in this article is a real person.

A culture I found on note called
"Postcrossing"

I follow a noter who continues to create wonderful original graphics by sketching the scenery of their travels.

I had been looking at the many works by this person, Tacoboze, on their Instagram, but when I read an article they posted on note the other day about "Postcrossing"... I opened a wonderful door.

Rather than my explanation, seeing is believing, so please take a look at this article.

Foreign postcards from people living somewhere on the other side of the ocean, with stamps, postmarks, handwritten letters, paper quality, ink... sigh... wonderful... sigh. I can't stop sighing.

Letters x World x Bookstore
I want to do something!

Once I learned about such a wonderful world, it was inevitable that I would want to incorporate it into our bookstore! Given the materials, there is no doubt that they are a good match, so no matter how you look at it, the answer is "Letters x World x Bookstore = Fun"!

The anxiety of registering your address and name

This Postcrossing system, naturally, will not deliver letters to you unless you register your personal information, such as your address and name. However, I suspect there are a certain number of people who are afraid of having their address and name known to strangers.

To conclude, Postcrossing is not a system where your address is made public to an unspecified number of people.
There are two main patterns for exchanges.
1. Official "Random"
The system mechanically selects a partner, and your address is displayed only for that moment to the "one specific person" who will send you a card.
2. "Direct Swap"
You both agree to "exchange this card," and after exchanging messages, you share your addresses only with the person you are satisfied with.
In neither case is your address and name exposed on the internet.

Something only a local bookstore can do
A bridge connecting Postcrossing and customers

Even so, for those who are anxious about being known by someone in the world or who don't understand because overseas sites are in English, a local bookstore will act as a bridge!

Even if you are told the system is safe, it takes courage to check everything on an English-only site. The anxiety of "what if something happens" can cancel out the excitement.
That is why I imagined a bookstore acting as a window,the "Overseas Letter Information Center".

Sending postcards from the bookstore to the world
"Overseas Letter Information Center"

We will use the "store's" address.
We will support you with English registration and operations.
You just have to put your thoughts into a postcard that will travel.
By having our store take on the barriers of language and privacy, users can purely enjoy the "fun of connecting with the world."

In an age where words reach us in an instant via social media, we feel the charm of a "single piece of paper" that takes time to cross the ocean. The postcard I wrote travels to someone in the world, and a postcard from a foreign country arrives in my hands. A culture of the world that you can touch with your hands.

In a corner of the bookstore,
a space to write postcards

In this day and age, the culture of sending postcards is a stylish and heartfelt special gift. We will enhance the corner for sending postcards, and of course, we will also stock picture postcards, fountain pens, and stamps. If we set up a small desk so that people can write in the store, a postcard for Postcrossing can be completed on the spot.

A place to visit
just like checking your mailbox.

For a bookstore, this becomes a place people visit both to send postcards and to pick them up. It increases the number of store visits and can serve as a gateway to connecting with the world. If I get permission, I'd also like to share it on social media. With many postcards from overseas lined up, the number of followers will also increase. There are so many benefits!

An era where leisure becomes a value

With terms like 'ending New Year's cards' appearing, it feels like the Japanese postcard culture is on the verge of being wiped out in just a few years. I don't like trends when I don't know who started them, so I will continue sending New Year's cards in my own small way until the time feels right for me.

Precisely because 'being efficient' and 'getting things done digitally' are considered the standard today, I dare to take the time, let the ink soak in, and wait for it to cross the ocean. I feel that within that time, which some might call 'wasteful,' lies the 'leisure' and 'imagination' that the culture of books has protected.
When a single postcard crosses the ocean, we are no longer just a 'bookstore and customer,' but companions traveling the world together, wanting to share in the excitement.
Please bring your favorite pen and sit in the chair at the 'Overseas Correspondence Information Desk' in the corner of the bookstore.
It is a place where you and a stranger somewhere in the world can connect through just a single sheet of paper.
'Overseas Correspondence Information Desk'
We are waiting for you in a corner of our shop, with a breeze from a foreign land.

We look forward to your opinions and feedback!