The U.S. Postal Service is providing a sneak peek at the stamps it will be issuing in 2012.

On Monday, the post office revealed a special Cherry Blossom Centennial Forever stamp that “celebrates the friendship between America and Japan.”

The stamp commemorates the relationship between the two countries that began 100 years ago when the city of Tokyo gave 3,020 cherry trees to D.C.

“In this unusual design, two stamps form the left and right halves of a single, panoramic view of cherry trees blooming around the Tidal Basin in the nation’s capital,” a website featuring the new designs states.

The stamp features two girls dressed in bright kimonos and a family on a stroll on one side, and American tourists at the Tidal Basin on the other.

The stamp is designed by art director Phil Jordan and features an illustration by Paul Rogers.

In the last two days, the postal service has also unveiled a stamp featuring Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burrough’s most famous literary character, and another stamp featuring a graphic design of pink-tinged, satin ribbons that spell out the word “Love.”

published July 21st, 2011