Today in Postal History

This airmail cover had an interesting route in getting to its destination.

It was sent from the Kyobashi, one of the 24 districts in Tokyo, where it received two CDS.
Via Siberia and Par Avion were requested.
There was also a bilingual airmail etiquette applied.

There's also an interesting red chop.
The characters indicate Airmail.*
There are also script instructions in Japanese.

The destination was Sainte Geneviéve des Bois, Seine et Oise, in France.
Sainte Geneviéve des Bois is a suburb about 25 km due south of the center of Paris.
It appears to have been addressed to someone touring Europe.

Routing Via Siberia would have made the first part of the trip over the Trans-Siberian Railway to Irkutsk.*
The standard airmail routing of the era was from Irkutsk in Siberia to Moscow to Berlin.*
Irkutsk is on the north side of southern Lake Baikal.

The first stop noted was Berlin where it received two backstamps on July 19.
The first is the Berlin Central Airport (CENTRAL FLUGHAFEN) marking to the right center.
This is the airport known as Tempelhof which received its first international passengers on May 1, 1926.*
This entry receiver was applied to all airmail received at the airport.
The second is the Berlin L2 (Luftpostamt 2) in the center.
This mark was applied to all foreign mail transiting the Central Airport.
It also received a red Berlin airport post office pictorial handstamp. *

The route from Berlin to Paris would have been via rail through Belgium.*

It was given a machine slogan backstamp in Paris on the 20th.
Note the use of Paris R.R. in conjunction with AVION.*
Even though the letter arrived by rail, the mail was still recognized as airmail.
The slogan is GAGNEZ DU TEMP | RESPONDEZ | PAR AVION.*
"Save time reply by air mail."

There are three backstamps for Sainte Geneviéve des Bois.
Two were applied at arrival (8:00?) and the second (17:25)
was applied when the letter was returned for forwarding.
All three are dated July 21.

The forwarding address was the Quaker Student Hotel in Geneva.
This was probably a hostel.
Unfortunately there are no receiving marks from its arrival in Geneva.

The cover is franked with a 1914 1y. yellow green and maroon (Scott 145),
a 1929 30s. orange and green (Scott 142), and
a 1926 6s. carmine Yomei Gate, Nikko (Scott 195).

The rate is for a double rate letter.
The rate comprises 10s. + 6s.  for surface and 2 x 60s.
for the air surcharge from Irkutsk to Berlin.
The air surcharge was a summer rate available only from
May 1 to October 15 when airplanes could fly the route.
The airmail route began between Berlin and Moscow on June 1, 1927.
Service was extended to Irkutsk in 1929 and to Chita in 1936.*
Chita (now Cita) is over 600 km east of Irkutsk.
Airmail service was available beyond Berlin but was not requested nor paid for.

*I owe a special thanks to Florian Eichhorn who has supplied
all the information about the routing and rate and who has corrected my dating of the cover.
His e-mail was most welcome.
Thanks to Jim Whitford-Stark for identifying the red chop.
Thanks to Paul Barsdell and Mauro Mowszowicz for their corrections of the routing.
Thanks to Dave Frick for correcting my French typo.
The discussion regarding the possibility that the cover
actually went west across Siberia via air is now resolved.
Dave Frick points out that the rate was quite high and
likely associated with an expensive service.
Jim Whitford-Stark found notes on a Lufthansa service
from Germany to Tokyo which operated at this time.
Bjorn Munch also reminded me that the Berlin Central Airport was
the famous Tempelhof which is now scheduled for closure.