"Stamp Hobby Week", Philately in Japan

Stamp Hobby Week 切手趣味週間  (Kitte shumi shūkan

) is a special annual week in Japan dedicated to celebrating the beauty, artistry and cultural value of postage stamps. It is always scheduled to overlap with Postal Service Memorial Day, the anniversary of the modern postal system in Japan. Moreover, it overlaps with Postal Week. 

According to Wikipedia, the tradition began in 1947 when the former Ministry of Communications created "Stamp Hobby Week" to promote stamp collecting nationwide. Japan Post website describes the purpose of the week as helping the public appreciate stamps as miniature works of art and encouraging stamp collecting. Moreover, on their website, they refer to the week as "Philately Week" in English. Philately means the study and collection of postage stamps and related postal items. 

Each year, since the very beginning, Japan issues a new Stamp Hobby Commemorative stamp, often featuring masterpieces of Japanese art such as ukiyo0e, folding screens or paintings by major artists. The 2026 issue continues this tradition and this year two classic ukiyo-e designs used in past Stamp Hobby Week releases, reinforcing the sense of continuity and heritage. 

Have you ever participated in Stamp Hobby Week? Do you collect stamps or have you ever in the past? I did for a while as a child.