The Postcard Game
aka Postcards to Strangers
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The Postcard Game was thunk up in the common room of Len Hostel Kyoto Kawaramachi late in the evening of March 26th, 2019. Borne out of a conversation between fellow postcard writers Barry Leybovich and Terri-Louise Doyle over whiskey and matcha-flavored KitKats, it is exceedingly simple.
Exceedingly Simple Rules
- Each person buys a postcard, stamps it, and writes down the name and address of a recipient.
- Swap cards — this does not need to be limited to two people, this can just as easily be done in groups with everyone passing their cards one over.
- Write a letter to a perfect stranger, preferably at the same time.
- Send!
- Optional additions:
- Take picture of postcard with the other person in the background.
- Later, exchange notes on how the recipients liked the card.
Results
For the inaugural playing of the Postcard Game, Terri-Louise gave me a card addressed to a schoolmate of hers, and I gave her one postmarked to an acquaintance of mine named Roger.
Roger and I met at a tea shop in SoHo three days before I left on a nearly-two month trip which eventually led to the Len Hostel in Kyoto. Roger and I chatted over tea and the conversation turned to my upcoming travel. In pure, vicarious excitement, Roger recommended to me Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino to bring along on my journey. It was an excellent suggestion, and Invisible Cities became one of my favorite books, so much so that during the pandemic I gifted a copy to a friend who felt particularly locked down and for whom I hoped the magical realism would provide some reprieve.
Thus Roger was the obvious heir to a postcard borne of such a serendipitous design. When I returned to New York, he and I met for lunch at a bistro near his apartment in Cobble Hill, and he shared with me his surprise-cum-delight at receiving a postcard from a total stranger, and one that mentioned me in the third person.
Though there hasn’t been much opportunity for travel recently, but I’m hoping to be able to share this game more when I’m back on the road. In the meantime, it is always a good day to think of something positive to get us by.
