SKIRMISHER

The town of Susami in Wakayama prefecture in Japan has a perplexing affection for both the sea and the mailbox that they have solved how to “marry” these two things that are not exactly related to each other: by making postcards recipients can actually eat.

Produced by the Susami fishing cooperative, Surumail postcards consist of dried surume squid (Todarodes pacificus), the local seafood specialty. The squid jerky is flattened and vacuum-packed into the shape of a postcard, and an adhesive label is included for the postage, delivery address and a short message.

The fishing cooperative has sold between 4,000 and 5,000 cards each year since they went on sale in 2000. According to the Surumail website, which touts the postcards as a cutting-edge medium of communication for the 21st century, many big-name companies — including Microsoft and IBM — have inquired about the cards. Surumail may play an instrumental role in saving the Japanese economy, the website claims.

And these are the same people, Pink Tentacle reports, who once installed a mailbox under the sea. How fucked up is that?

via PINK TENTACLE

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