Makigami,_rolled_letter_paper

[Let Your Thoughts and Feelings Be Conveyed on Letterheads]

In Japan, there are letterheads and envelopes of various designs. Of course, there is also a wide variety of letterheads and envelopes with matching patterns. It is certainly fine to use white paper with no design on it, but I am a sucker for beautiful things like this, and seeing beautiful envelopes and letterheads makes me happy. I mainly write letters to friends and distant relatives, and when I look at these letterheads and envelopes, I imagine the feelings of my loved ones who read my writings.

As a lover of plants and flowers, I bought some months ago a letterhead with a tea-plum motif and a letterhead and matching envelope with a spring-like poppy motif, which was still early in the season at that time. In recent years, with cell phones, it is easy to send status updates and thank-you notes to friends and relatives. However, I feel that taking the time to write a letter trains me to think more deeply about what I want to say and to write concisely. For example, it takes me a great deal of time to write a letter (first I draft it, then I reread it and correct it, then I copy that correction in the draft onto my letterhead), but it gives me a small sense of accomplishment, and that alone makes me happy.

The other day, I received a letter in response to my letter. The letter's content was advice that was difficult for me to implement, but by reading the letter I felt how much the person thought of me. If it had been an e-mail, I would have been hurt, angry, and disappointed. However, strangely enough, when I received the handwritten letter and read the person's still dignified handwriting, the words easily penetrated my heart. Reading the letter took me only a few minutes, but my heart was at peace.

Perhaps sending and receiving letters is a good way to improve minor quarrels, differences of opinion, or just to give each other an update on what is going on. That is why one of my resolutions for 2024 is to write more letters to friends and relatives this year.

Keijusha's Tesuki Washi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/keijusha/tesuki.html
Onishi Seisakusho's Fountain Pen Sakura
https://www.shokunin.com/en/onishi/pen.html
Hirai Mokko's Handmade Pen
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hiraimokko/pen.html