Vanity stamps on offer at Tokyo exhibition

Visitors to a weeklong stamp exhibit that began Wednesday in Tokyo can have their photo printed on a stamp sheet, postal services officials said.

A woman and her children show off the stamps with their photos printed on them.

The vanity stamp sheets, which debuted in Australia in 1999, are being sold at Japan World Stamp Exhibition 2001 on a trial basis, awaiting a government decision that would bring them into general use.

Each 1,100 yen sheet, made up of five 80 yen stamps and five 50 yen stamps, features 10 different famous "ukiyo-e" Japanese woodblock prints alongside a personal photo.

Visitors to the event at Koto Ward's Tokyo Big Sight can have a portrait taken with a digital camera, which is then printed onto a stamp sheet. The process takes about five minutes.

Since their introduction by Australia Post, similar stamp sheets have been sold in 12 other countries and territories, the Postal Services Agency said.

Stamps from 111 countries and territories are being sold at the exhibit, which is sponsored by the agency and three other organizations, including the Japan Philatelic Society Foundation.